Colombia CRC activates mobile fraud alerts

Colombia’s Communications Regulation Commission has issued Resolution CRC 8308 of 2026, introducing a package of measures to fight fraud linked to phone calls and text messages in the country. The rule adds preventive alerts, new obligations for companies that place commercial calls, and technical controls over voice and SMS traffic.

Real-time alerts and advertising calls

One of the main changes is a suspicious-call alert feature that will appear on the user’s screen when operators detect unusual behavior in real time, such as a line placing multiple short, repeated calls. The warning is preventive and does not, by itself, mean fraud is taking place.

The resolution 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, within three months of the resolution’s issuance, alerts for suspicious calls, identification of advertising calls, and blocking of irregular numbers must be up and running.

El Tiempo also reports that mobile operators will have to deploy real-time analytics systems for voice traffic, capable of assessing calling patterns and triggering measures such as alerts and blocks when unusual behavior is detected, creating ongoing technical oversight of the network.

SMS, validation, and bulk monitoring

For business messaging, Resolution CRC 8308 of 2026 sets three validation requirements for automated SMS, according to El Tiempo. Messages must show a clear identification of the registered sender, use only authorized short codes, and match a format previously approved by the operator.

That framework covers banking notifications, authentication codes, purchase confirmations, appointment reminders, and notices about institutional procedures. The regulation therefore reaches a large part of the critical transactional messaging ecosystem.

Operators will also have to monitor bulk or automated SMS sent from standard 10-digit mobile lines. When they detect unusual volumes, they must inform the account holder, give them a chance to explain the activity, and impose temporary restrictions only if the atypical pattern continues.

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

Technical coordination and public education

El Tiempo says the resolution creates the Technical Committee to Combat Fraud in Mobile Service Networks, led by the CRC and with participation from operators and authorities. Its role will be to exchange technical information, monitor new criminal tactics, and coordinate mitigation measures.

The rule also includes an educational component. Sector participants must carry out at least four annual public-awareness campaigns on preventing fraud via calls and SMS, in addition to internal training sessions for their staff. All of this will be linked to 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 per day, and that amount tripled between 2022 and 2024. That figure was attributed by the source itself and was not presented as an officially confirmed number in the material.

At the same time, the CRC has been warning about fraudulent calls in which people pose as commission officials to obtain verification codes or personal information. The agency reiterated that it does not request verification codes, passwords, or personal data by phone or through any other channel.

DPL News also published the CRC’s official notice with the steps recommended for suspicious communications attributed to the agency: do not share verification codes or passwords, do not follow instructions from the supposed official, 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 provided atencioncliente@crcom.gov.co, the Bogotá number (601) 319 8300, the national toll-free line 01 8000 919278, and the PQRSD form on its website.