France has implemented new laws aimed at combating fraud and nuisance calls — including STIR/SHAKEN protocols to stop phone number spoofing.
The efforts are sorely needed. Hiya’s most recent Global Call Threat Report shows that France is tied with Spain in receiving the most spam calls in Europe: an average of 15 calls per person each month.
Read on to learn more about new anti-spam laws in France, and why the laws alone won’t stop spam calls.
Naegelen Law seeks to curb nuisance and fraud calls
Some of these regulations are not necessarily new; rather, they represent the final implementation of laws that were passed in previous years. Such is the case of the Naegelen Law, which was originally passed in 2020 to try to curb the amount of telemarketing and nuisance calls targeting French consumers. It was named after the Deputy within the National Assembly who proposed the law.
Putting limits on telemarketers
The first part of the Naegelen Law put limits on telemarketers, including:
- Telemarketers must immediately identify themselves and inform the recipient that it is a commercial call.
- Telemarketers are only allowed to contact consumers Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Telemarketers are prohibited from contacting an individual more than 4 times in 30 days.
- Specifically prohibited are solicitations for energy/electricity contracts, and for Compte Personnel de Formation, a government-funded program for professional training.
The regulations above took effect in July 2020 with the technical requirements for the Mobile Network Operators due to be implemented by July 2023. A newer law, which is currently under examination in the French parliament, adds further restrictions for telemarketers. Rather than requiring citizens to opt out of receiving telemarketing calls, the Verzelen Law (named after Senator Pierre-Jean Verzelen) requires companies to obtain the prior consent of their customers before they are allowed to contact them with telemarketing calls.
Implementing STIR/SHAKEN
The second part of the Naegelen Law requires phone carriers to implement STIR/SHAKEN protocols to prevent number spoofing. These requirements were supposed to be in effect by July 23, 2023, but some carriers are still working to fully comply. STIR/SHAKEN requires carriers to label each call with a different attestation level:
- “A” signed calls (fully signed) means the carrier has verified the caller’s identity and the caller is authorized to use the phone number.
- “B” signed calls (partially signed) indicate the carrier can identify the caller’s location but can’t verify if the user is authorized to use the phone number.
- “C” signed calls (gateway signed) are when the carrier can ascertain where the call was received but not the call’s origination.
- Unsigned calls are those where none of the information above can be verified by the carrier.
The Naegelen Law states that carriers in France must block any unsigned calls. This differs from STIR/SHAKEN rules in the United States, where carriers are not required to block unsigned calls. STIR/SHAKEN rules have been required of all US carriers since June 2023.
French anti-spam laws not enough
According to Hiya’s business development representative for France, Robert Unsworth, the Naegelen Law and Verzelen Law are a great start, but they only go so far in preventing nuisance and fraud calls.
“The problem with these laws is that the lawful companies will comply and unscrupulous companies and scammers will not,” Unsworth said.
Unsworth pointed out that the Naegelen Law’s prohibition of telemarketing calls regarding energy/electricity contracts has been in effect for 4 years. But according to Hiya’s Q4 2024 Global Call Threat Report, energy-related sales and scam calls remain the #1 type of unwanted call in France, and solar energy calls are #2.
Limitations of STIR/SHAKEN
Even a technical approach such as STIR/SHAKEN has its drawbacks.
“STIR/SHAKEN only tells us that the call is not spoofed — that the number shown on the phone screen is the number making the call. It doesn’t tell us anything about the intention of the call,” Unsworth said.
Additionally, while STIR/SHAKEN has been very good at identifying unwanted calls made from mobile phones, it is much less effective in catching spoofed calls originating from non-mobile lines, such as VoIP lines, which is where most of the scam and nuisance calls come from. Hiya’s data shows that 19% — nearly one in five — of “A” signed calls from non-mobile lines are identified by recipients as unwanted spam.
See our blog post Is STIR/SHAKEN making a difference?
Unsworth said that in the United States, STIR/SHAKEN has helped reduce unwanted calls, but only when combined with an analytics technical partner. He noted that Hiya’s call protection service, Hiya Protect, uses adaptive AI to block fraud calls and identify suspected spam calls. It goes beyond simply identifying spam-likely phone numbers. It uses a multi-layer approach that analyzes the phone number, call characteristics, the call recipient, and even the calling enterprise’s history across all numbers used.
Learn more
If you would like to learn more about Hiya’s call protection services, we would be happy to answer any questions or provide a demo. Simply contact the European business development team by emailing carriers@hiya.com.
