The verification of phone numbers has become stricter. Tekmind and Retelit Digital Services have been fined €822,500 for failing to implement measures to control their users' phone numbers. These actions were taken after a period of monitoring that led to a significant increase in calls originating from abroad with Italian phone numbers, which turned out to be a method of disguising phone numbers. In the first phase of the entire operation, the spoofing activity was mainly concentrated on foreign mobile numbers, but it has now shifted to Italian mobile numbers.

This change is due to the fact that mobile phone numbers behave differently compared to international mobile phone numbers, making them more visible to users receiving calls. The battle against spoofing has become more complex following the extension of the block on Italian mobile phone numbers, which has made it more difficult to manage calls originating from abroad with Italian mobile numbers. Additionally, international traffic has significantly decreased, with a reduction of 95% compared to previous weeks. The result of this action has been an increase in the security of communications, as Agcom was able to interrupt further attempts at deception through numbers originating from the destination country.

This has allowed the assigned subjects to protect themselves from the consequences of these types of calls, which can be considered as 'unauthorized commercial calls'. The Agcom action has initiated a monitoring process to carefully check the accuracy of the numbers used by the call centers and to manage them with diligence. It is on this front that the authority intervenes, and spoofing is the trick that alters the caller number shown on the phone of the person receiving the call.

To counter these practices, Agcom has imposed filters on international calls that present themselves with Italian numbers. The figures are significant: in the first eight months of 2026, approximately 191 million calls originating from abroad with an Italian number spoofed or with non-compliant numbering have been blocked. Nearly 790,000 calls per day, or 7.2% of the total international traffic. The largest component was cellular calls: 148 million calls were blocked, equivalent to 49% of those from abroad with an Italian mobile number. Other 38 million had a national fixed number; 4.6 million used non-conformant international numbers. But the most striking change emerges from comparing it with the weeks preceding the extension of the block to Italian mobile numbers, which was activated on November 19, 2025.

Calls from abroad with Italian mobile phone numbers have decreased by 95%, going from 26.8 million daily calls to 1.2 million daily calls. In the same comparison, international traffic has dropped from 34 million daily calls to 11 million daily calls. Those trying to circumvent barriers have tried changing their mask. According to Agcom, the fraudulent traffic has shifted from Italian numbers to foreign ones in the first phase. This phenomenon has made it more visible the practice of spoofing and has led to the need to interrupt further attempts at deception through numbers originating from the destination country.