Elisa blocks incoming foreign calls to reduce scams

At the end of August, Finnish telecommunications and digital service provider Elisa introduced a feature enabling customers to block incoming calls from foreign numbers if they are not expecting such calls. This initiative aims to reduce the number of scam calls targeting users, with over 10,000 customers already activating the call-blocking feature.

Data from Elisa indicates that customers utilizing this feature reported facing up to 55 attempted scam calls in a short period from various international phone numbers. “This confirms our view that scammers are using automation and robocalling. They try to bombard the customer from several different country numbers in quick succession,” said Teemu Mäkelä, Chief Information Security (infosec) Officer at Elisa.

The majority of these unwanted foreign calls occurred during weekdays, particularly office hours, with noticeable patterns of call spikes on certain days. The new solution reportedly blocked over 800 unwanted foreign calls daily on average, and this number is expected to increase as more users adopt the feature.

Elisa's previous experience with blocking scam calls that spoofed Finnish numbers suggests that these scammers may stop attempting to contact Finland after realizing their calls are ineffective. Mäkelä noted, “Finland became a bad target for scammers, and they shifted their operations to other countries.” This initiative to block foreign calls is relatively unique to Finland, positioning the country at the forefront of addressing foreign scam calls.

While it may not entirely eliminate scam calls, the feature is designed to mitigate potential financial losses for users by preventing accidental connections with scammers. It is available through Elisa's “Liittymäturva” subscriptions, making it particularly suitable for demographics less likely to receive calls from abroad, such as young people and senior citizens.