Colombia CRC activates mobile fraud alerts

Colombia's Communications Regulation Commission issued Resolution CRC 8308 of 2026 with measures aimed at curbing fraud tied to calls and SMS in the country. The rule adds preventive alerts, new obligations for companies that place commercial calls, and technical controls over voice and text traffic.

What changes for suspicious calls and phone advertising?

The resolution adds a suspicious-call alert that will appear on a user's screen when operators detect atypical behavior in real time, such as a line making repeated short calls. The warning is preventive and does not by itself mean fraud is present.

The rule also requires companies to register the numbers used for commercial calls and identify them to users with the label "Llamada con fines publicitarios." According to Asuntos Legales, the alerts for suspicious calls, identification of advertising calls and blocking of irregular numbers must go live within three months of the resolution's issuance.

El Tiempo also says mobile operators must deploy real-time analytics systems for voice traffic, capable of evaluating calling patterns and triggering measures such as alerts and blocks when atypical behavior is detected. That creates continuous technical oversight of the network.

What does the resolution require for automated and mass SMS?

Resolution CRC 8308 of 2026 sets three validation conditions for automated SMS, according to El Tiempo. Messages must clearly show the registered sender's identification, use only authorized short codes and follow a format previously approved by the operator.

That framework covers bank notifications, authentication codes, purchase confirmations, appointment reminders and notices about administrative procedures. The regulation therefore reaches much of the critical transactional messaging ecosystem.

Operators must also monitor mass or automated SMS sent from conventional 10-digit mobile lines. When they detect unusual volumes, they must notify the account holder, give them a chance to explain the activity and apply temporary restrictions only if the atypical pattern continues.

According to Asuntos Legales, monitoring of mass messages will begin six months after the resolution is issued, and a microsite will be enabled with information for citizens about these anti-fraud measures for mobile services.

What technical coordination and educational actions does the CRC order?

El Tiempo reports that the resolution creates the Technical Committee for Combating Fraud in Mobile Service Networks, led by the CRC and including operators and authorities. Its job will be to exchange technical information, monitor new criminal tactics and coordinate mitigation measures.

The rule also includes an educational component. Sector participants must run at least four public-awareness campaigns a year on preventing fraud through calls and SMS, as well as internal training sessions for their staff. All of this will be coordinated through an informational CRC website microsite.

The tougher regulatory stance comes as, according to Asuntos Legales, the rise in mobile scams in Colombia is generating claims worth more than 252 million pesos a day, and that figure tripled between 2022 and 2024. The source attributed that data to its own reporting and did not present it as an official confirmed number in the material.

At the same time, the CRC has been warning about fraudulent calls in which people impersonate commission employees to obtain verification codes or personal information. The agency reiterated that it does not ask for verification codes, passwords or personal data by phone or through other channels.

DPL News also published the CRC's official notice with recommended steps for suspicious communications claiming to come from the agency: do not share verification codes or passwords, do not follow instructions from the alleged employee, end the call, contact the mobile operator immediately, preserve evidence of the call and report the case to the CRC and the competent authorities. To verify or report these cases, the CRC listed atencioncliente@crcom.gov.co, the Bogotá line (601) 319 8300, the national toll-free line 01 8000 919278 and the PQRSD form on its website.