With rapid technological developments, contact via a human operator today occupies an increasingly residual share. On the other side of the receiver there are often robocalls produced randomly with the help of recorded voices. Phone calls but also text messages and messages on chat platforms: sales attempts travel on the main communication channels and with artificial intelligence tools, number searches and automatic contacts are rapidly increasing.
For further information: Telemarketing, blocking wild phone calls for electricity and gas. How it works
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The invasiveness of wild telemarketing is not just reduced to the annoyance of seeing an unknown number appear on the mobile screen or viewing messages from unknown contacts. A click or a simple response interpreted as consent, however involuntary, can lead to the activation of onerous contracts and cause economic damage.
For further information: Aggressive telemarketing, short 3-digit numbers to verify identity: what's new from Agcom
To try to stem a rampant phenomenon which risks altering the amounts relating to domestic consumption on energy supplies, the latest Bills decree (Legislative Decree 21/2026) has imposed a further tightening. The measure, approved by the government last February and converted into law by Parliament, introduces a ban on telephone calls on changes to electricity, water and gas contracts unless it is triggered by an explicit request from the user.
For further information: Wild telemarketing, new crackdown on unwanted calls: the expected sanctions
Any violations can be reported to the Communications Regulatory Authority (Agcom) or to the Privacy Guarantor, on the front line in the fight against illegal telemarketing. Since the entry into force of the Gdpr, the European Data Protection Regulation, in 2018, the authority chaired by Pasquale Stanzione has launched extensive investigations against various companies, many of which have an opaque legal nature, which has led to fines of over 183 million euros. For companies that carry out activities related to telephony, there is also the obligation to register in the register of communication operators (Roc) which provides precise obligations regarding data compliance.
The call center from which the abusive call originates often turns out to be the "tip of the iceberg" of a complex supply chain attributable to entities based abroad. In any case, it is up to the company that organizes the telemarketing campaign to ensure compliance with the law according to a principle of accountability envisaged by the GDPR. Anyone who is the recipient of repeated contacts conducted without consent can at any time fill out a report, using an online form, to send to the Privacy Guarantor. The Authority calculates that in 2025 complaints relating to harassing calls exceeded 104 thousand while those made in the first six months of this year amounted to 37,313.
To try to reduce the problem of wild spam at its root, last year Agcom implemented a two-step strategy with the introduction of anti-spoofing filters. The mechanism works automatically at network level, blocking calls from foreign operators simulating Italian numbers. The stop, initially foreseen only for landline numbers, was then extended to mobile numbers.
After a public consultation, since last April the Authority has also given the green light to the adoption of short three-digit numbers, a tool that aims to protect users from illicit calls arriving from entities posing as call centres. Three-digit short numbers are currently used mainly for emergency calls. Through the new numbering it will be easier to ascertain the reliability of the call and reduce the risk of falling into scams.
A further protection tool against illegal telemarketing is represented by the public register of objections. Provided for since a 2018 law, from July 2022 it is possible to register your mobile number for free on the appropriate online platform, nullifying the advertising consents issued. The service aims to neutralize, indefinitely, both unwanted calls from human operators and automated calls via robocalls.
For further information: Telemarketing, why telephone scams continue and what the government is doing
