Each day, millions of French people receive unsolicited commercial calls. According to a UFC-Que Choisir survey, a third of the population is contacted at least once a day by a driver, and three quarters at least once a week. These solicitations, often deemed intrusive, persist despite protection systems and sanctions provided for by law. Telephone canvassing, supervised by several legislative texts since 2020, continues to evolve with the appearance of new fraudulent practices. To protect themselves from it, several solutions exist, ranging from registration on a list of opposition to the installation of dedicated applications.
Understand the rules of telephone canvassing
Telephone canvassing is supervised by strict rules, defined by decree n ° 2022-1313 of October 13, 2022. Since March 1, 2023, companies can call consumers only from Monday to Friday. The authorized hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Calls remain prohibited on weekends and holidays.
This regulation applies to all operators, regardless of their location. In the event of an offense, sanctions can reach 75,000 euros for a natural person. For companies, this fine can amount to 375,000 euros.
The numbers used for these calls must also meet specific criteria. Since January 2023, professionals can no longer use numbers starting with 06 or 07, reserved for personal communications. The Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) has allocated new prefixes, such as 09-48 or 01-62. This measure facilitates the identification of commercial calls by consumers.
Despite these rules, certain directors still manage to circumvent the law. Using Spoofing software, they usurpe existing numbers, making their tracing more complex.
Register on the Bloctel list
Bloctel is a free service set up in 2016 to allow individuals to oppose canvassing. Its operation is based on the registration of numbers that companies do not have the right to call, under penalty of sanctions.
Registration is online, via the official site of the system. However, its effectiveness remains limited to fraudulent companies, which do not comply with legislation and often operate databases obtained illegally.
In 2023, the UFC-Que-Choice association launched the “respect my data” platform, which automatically sends an opposition request to the transfer of its personal data. This initiative aims to reduce unwanted requests by acting directly at the source, that is to say the contact files used by the seasters.
Manually block unwanted numbers
Smartphones offer integrated features to block specific numbers. This action, although simple, quickly shows its limits because companies generally have a wide range of numbers. Recent fixed phones also offer similar filter systems, although their efficiency remains uneven.
Some specialized services can help strengthen this protection. For example, the Begone application, available on iOS, automatically blocks the numbers associated with beaches identified by ARCEP. This application directly imports community lists listing the numbers related to canvassing, such as those starting with 09-48 or 01-62.
According to 01NET, this feature allows you to block up to 30 million numbers in a few minutes, thus considerably reducing intrusive calls.
Use the filtering services for telephone operators
The main French operators have deployed tools to help their customers filter unwanted calls. Orange offers for example the Orange Telephone application, accessible to everyone, regardless of the operator. This application is based on a collaborative database and displays, even before winning, if the number is suspected of being linked to canvassing.
Free incorporates an anti-spam service activated by default, capable of detecting and blocking fraudulent calls. For its part, SFR offers indirect protection via its SFR Cybersecurity option, designed to identify suspicious communications and prevent phishing attempts.
According to Ouest-France, anti-spam applications, when used regularly, significantly reduce the number of commercial calls. However, they are not infallible in the face of number usurpation techniques.
Protect your personal data upstream
Telephone can be largely based on databases collected online, often through forms filled on websites or contests. It is therefore essential to be vigilant when personal information is requested. Several sites now offer options to refuse the operation of its data for commercial purposes. For example, the “respects my data” platform allows you to directly request the deletion of its information from the companies concerned.
Cybersecurity experts also recommend that they do not answer calls from unknown numbers. When a consumer wins a commercial call, his number is often categorized as active and likely to be requested again.
Report fraudulent numbers
Reporting an unwanted call is an effective way to fight against abusive canvassing. The official “33700” platform allows you to send the suspect number by SMS so that it is identified and potentially blocked by operators. The Arcep, for its part, offers the “I Alete the ARCEP” tool to report offenses and contribute to the improvement of control devices.
These reports allow the databases of anti-SPAM applications to be supplied and to help the authorities to identify and sanction off-law companies.
Telephone canvassing, although regulated, continuously adapts to technological developments. By combining vigilance and specialized tools, it is however possible to considerably reduce these intrusive calls and better protect your privacy.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
