The Italian competition authority, known as the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, has initiated seven investigations against various call center companies involved in promoting energy and telecommunications contracts. This action follows extensive investigative work by the Guardia di Finanza, highlighting the authority's commitment to addressing the growing problem of misleading telemarketing practices.

The call centers under scrutiny include Action S.r.l., Fire S.r.l., J.Wolf Consulting S.r.l., and Noma Trade S.r.l. in the energy sector, as well as Entiende S.r.l., Nova Group S.r.l., and My Phone S.r.l. in telecommunications. These companies allegedly contacted consumers using deceptive information regarding the caller's identity, the purpose of the call, and the economic benefits of the offers presented.

One of the tactics employed by these call centers is known as 'CLI spoofing,' which allows them to manipulate the caller ID to disguise their true identity. The telemarketing methods used are varied but share a common theme of transmitting non-transparent and misleading information. In the energy sector, for instance, operators often pose as employees of the consumer's current supplier or regulatory authorities, claiming that existing tariffs are unfavorable.

In some cases, they create false technical issues or difficulties in switching providers, suggesting that a new contract is necessary. In the telecommunications sector, consumers are misled into believing there are service disruptions or imminent price increases from their current provider, pressuring them to switch operators under false pretenses.

The authority has partnered with Arera to launch a consumer awareness campaign titled 'Defend Yourself This Way,' aimed at educating consumers about their rights and how to protect themselves from aggressive call centers. More information can be found on their website, and a free consumer protection hotline is available for assistance.

Inspections were conducted at the offices of the involved companies in collaboration with the Special Unit of the Guardia di Finanza. The President of the authority, Roberto Rustichelli, expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Antitrust Special Unit and the territorial departments of the Guardia di Finanza in Naples and Caserta.