Canada & USA
In November 2021, around a quarter of all calls received by
Canadian mobile users were malicious, fraudulent calls.
The U.S. and Canada recently united to address the surge in robocalls. The FCC
entered into an agreement with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC)
to
bolster collaborative enforcement actions. This initiative amplifies global endeavors to
protect
consumers from unauthorized calls, encompassing both spam and fraudulent calls.
This problem is acknowledged as a worldwide concern that demands global action.
Recently, the FCC has initiated multiple enforcement measures against malicious players in
the
telecom sector. This includes inking MOUs with 36 state attorneys to facilitate information
sharing and collaborative investigations into unlawful call campaigns.
France
France has embraced the Naegelen law, enforcing mandatory number
authentication.
Whilst The US law is extremely cautious and nuanced and its implementation is
phased,
with its obligations only applying when authentication technology exists. The French law is
direct
and uncompromising: there's a set deadline for implementation (25 July 2023) with the sole
exception
being for roaming. Operators face a binary choice: full authentication or call barring.
United Kingdom
In August 2023, the UK government initiated a discussion on prohibiting
cold
calling, highlighting that fraud represents over 40% of all presumed crime in the UK. This has
led
to an estimated financial loss of £6.8B for individuals over the past four years.
While the UK acknowledges the legitimate nature of marketing calls, it's evident that this realm
provides a murky space prone to exploitation. In fact, more than half of UK landline owners have
reported receiving dubious calls.
Historically, the government has set certain bans and limitations on cold calling specific to
financial services, largely due to the above-mentioned risks. But in the absence of a
comprehensive
cold calling prohibition, fraudulent parties continue to shift from one financial offering to
another, aiming to circumvent regulations or leverage existing gaps.
To address this, the UK government is now poised to prohibit cold calling across all financial
services and products.