AND a small gesture that we do dozens of times a day: looking down at the phone display and asking ourselves whether that unknown number is an important emergency or yet another unsolicited business proposal. It’s an annoying ritual that often leads us to ignore calls from the bank, doctor or public administration for fear of stumbling upon a well-planned scam. But against this type of telemarketing, three-digit numbers could be the definitive solution.
Wild telemarketing, the identity of the caller recognizable on the display
Music is about to change thanks to an intervention of Agcom, the Communications Regulatory Authority. A new resolution is in fact about to happen introduce something new that promises to bring a little serenity back into our days. In fact, large organizations and companies will soon be able to call us using their three-digit short numbers. It will be like having a digital business card which appears immediately on the screen.
The three-digit short number as a guarantee
The novelty lies precisely in the fact that these numerical codes, so easy to remember, like those of telephone operators, they can be used not only by the user to contact the assistance centers, but also vice versa. Until now, in fact, an unnerving short circuit was created: if the bank had to warn of a suspicious movement on the account, an anonymous fixed number would appear on the display, which in most cases was ignoredmistaken for yet another commercial offer. With this turning point, however, communication finally becomes transparent and reciprocal.
From the bank to the INPS, the protagonists of everyday life will call with transparent codes that are impossible to falsify. (Getty Images)
A filter against scams and spoofing
The advantage of this small revolution is immediate transparency. Seeing a three-digit number on the display will be a sort of “guarantee sticker”. In fact, unlike classic mobile or landline numbers, short numbers are much more difficult to disguise. The reason lies in a technical trick called spoofinga complicated word that indicates a very annoying reality: scammers often use software to “mask” their number and make a familiar area code appear on our cell phone screen, perhaps that of our city. With short numbers, this deception becomes almost impossible. In practice, by seeing those three digits on the display we will have the mathematical certainty that whoever is looking for us is exactly who he says he is.
Towards a future without disturbances
This initiative is part of a broader path that the regulator is pushing ahead to clean up communications from digital harassment. Although this is not yet the definitive solution, it is still a step towards clarity. The basic idea is simple: to restore value to the phone call. In fact, knowing with certainty who is calling not only saves us from wasting time, but it allows us not to lose those communications that really matter.
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