Key information
Starting this Saturday, a new 400 prefix will be implemented in Spain to help users identify commercial phone calls. This measure, stemming from the Customer Service Services Law, mandates that large companies use this specific prefix for all sales-related outreach, allowing recipients to immediately recognize the nature of the incoming call.
The initiative also aims to mitigate phone scams involving missed calls that trick users into calling back expensive numbers. Under the new regulations, numbers starting with 400 are restricted to outgoing calls only and cannot receive incoming traffic, effectively neutralizing the callback fraud tactic.
While the Spanish government intends to monitor and penalize entities that fail to adopt the 400 prefix, the OCU remains skeptical regarding its overall effectiveness. Data from an OCU survey conducted in May revealed that 98% of consumers continue to receive unsolicited commercial calls, leading the organization to argue that the prefix alone will not solve the spam problem.
The OCU suggests that further action is necessary to curb these practices. They advocate for the creation of a public registry to identify the specific companies behind these numbers and call for the implementation of stricter, more impactful sanctions for those who continue to contact consumers without prior consent.
