Spain and Mexico Issue Alerts on Premium‑Rate Spam Phone Calls

Spanish police have warned that answering calls from unknown international prefixes, such as +225, can trigger premium‑rate charges that appear on users' telephone bills. The scammers use mass‑dialing systems that route calls to high‑cost lines, exploiting low‑regulation zones to profit from each minute the victim stays on the call. Authorities advise users to ignore or block any unfamiliar numbers, especially those with unfamiliar country codes.

In Mexico, artificial‑intelligence specialist Nona warned that rejecting spam calls can unintentionally confirm a number’s activity, prompting automated telemarketing platforms to target the line more frequently. She recommends not interacting with suspicious numbers at all—no answering, returning, or pressing buttons on automated prompts—and using built‑in call‑filtering tools or reputable third‑party apps to block potential scams.

Both advisories stress that sharing personal phone numbers online and failing to configure spam‑blocking settings increase exposure to these fraud schemes, and they encourage users to stay vigilant and limit any interaction with unknown callers.