In order to combat spoofing, providers must, with a few exceptions, block Belgian telephone calls from abroad.

The number of “spoofing” calls, where users are contacted by a caller pretending to be someone else, has risen sharply in recent years. The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) has already introduced a number of measures to combat this form of telephone fraud. A Royal Decree is now appearing in the Belgian Official Journal, blocking Belgian calls from abroad to a Belgian number, subject to exceptions. Operators must comply with these new measures and the BIPT will monitor this.

Telephone fraud

“Spoofing” is a form of telephone fraud in which users are called using false identification of the caller. For example, the caller pretends to be a bank in order to obtain financial information. Most calls are made to Belgian phone numbers abroad.

The BIPT already introduced new measures in 2020. However, according to the BIPT, the number of spoofing calls has increased sharply in recent years. The new measure, which appeared in the Belgian Official Journal on June 13, should put an end to this.

New measure

In recent years, the BIPT has taken various measures to combat spoofing. For example, it has introduced a “blacklist” whose telephone numbers are automatically blocked when a call is received from abroad using a CLI included on the list.

A new Royal Decree (RD) has now been published in the Belgian Official Journal which automatically blocks Belgian calls from abroad to a Belgian telephone number, subject to exceptions. This new Royal Decree represents a major step forward for the BIPT in the fight against this form of telephone fraud.

The BIPT will actively monitor compliance with the new rules. Operators must comply with this obligation and take action. They will be given three months for geographic numbers and six months for mobile numbers.