Sweden requires telecoms to block fraudulent calls and texts

From 1 August 2026 all telecom operators active in Sweden must stop calls and messages that can be assumed to be used for fraud or deception. The assessment is explicitly not based on content but on technical indicators such as anomalous traffic patterns. The regulator PTS will draw up the detailed implementing rules by early 2027, including a voluntary registry for SMS sender names.

The rules are part of a package against phone and SMS fraud adopted by the Riksdag that also addresses number spoofing. PTS announced the change on 12 June 2026; the operator duty itself has applied since 1 August 2026, with the technical rules to follow in 2027.