Parliamentary hearings on the growing problem of telephone fraud have highlighted the authorities’ inability to offer concrete mechanisms for protecting citizens.
Meanwhile, the scale of the problem continues to expand, with losses caused by scammers already amounting to hundreds of millions of lei.
Radu Marian, a lawmaker from the ruling PAS party, effectively acknowledged that the authorities do not yet have clear solutions to counter the surge in phone scams. Among the measures under discussion, he mentioned the possibility of blocking international calls for elderly citizens, but noted that this would be only an optional service rather than a comprehensive solution.
“It is clear that we in Parliament are preparing certain legislative changes to facilitate the relevant work. But if only one side is doing its job while others are not, or if people themselves are not careful, it will not help. Even if institutions block absolutely everything, that would not solve the problem, because we cannot go to such extremes,” Marian stated.
When asked whether such blocking would be activated automatically based on a subscriber’s age, the deputy answered no, explaining that relatives would have to request the service on behalf of elderly family members.
During the exchange with a journalist, it became apparent that the authorities currently lack a legislative solution to the issue. When the reporter pointed out that no legal framework had been adopted, Marian replied that the matter involved technical challenges requiring investment from private telecommunications operators.
The figures illustrate the scale of the problem. According to official statistics, during a single weekend in May 2026, authorities recorded 29 cases of telephone fraud, with total losses exceeding 6 million lei.
