Codacons warns of persistent illegal telemarketing in Italy

The consumer protection association Codacons has highlighted the ongoing challenges in combating aggressive telemarketing in Italy. Despite the use of anti-spoofing filters designed to prevent Caller ID manipulation, illegal commercial calling practices remain widespread.

In the first eight months of the year, anti-spoofing technology intercepted 191 million fraudulent international calls. However, Codacons notes that while these technical tools are effective, the high volume of blocked calls demonstrates significant attempts by illicit actors to bypass current regulations.

Following these issues, Agcom (the Communications Regulatory Authority) imposed total sanctions of 830,000 euros on Retelit Digital Services S.p.A. and Tekmind S.r.l. for illegal telemarketing activities. Codacons argues that such practices cause a ‘double damage’: they harass citizens through deceptive practices and create unfair competition for legitimate telemarketing operators.