Telecom operators must in the future stop calls from abroad that appear to come from Swedish numbers, according to new rules from the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS).
By preventing these calls, telecom operators can prevent a large part of the fraud attempts that are currently made via phone.
"Phone fraud is a serious social problem. We expect the rules to have a significant effect and lead to even more fake calls being blocked", says Jesper Simons, head of the unit for numbering and addressing, in a press release.
The new rules are mandatory and replace the guidance for operators that PTS developed last year. The rules regarding numbers in fixed networks come into effect on November 4 and the rules regarding mobile numbers come into effect on March 3 next year.
A large part of the fraud uses so-called spoofing, which means that phone numbers are falsified to appear to come from a Swedish sender, for example a bank or the police. The fraud often involves tricking people into revealing personal information that can be used to steal money or sell on.
