Every day, millions of French people are bothered by unwanted calls for commercial purposes. Fortunately, there are several ways to put an end to this practice and prevent these companies from constantly soliciting you.
Telephone canvassing remains a scourge that still complicates the lives of millions of French people today. According to a study published by UFC Que Choisir in 2023, more than a third of French people receive at least one unwanted call every day, while three-quarters of the population are called at least once a week.
However, the government has taken steps to increase measures to put an end to this practice. Since January 28, 2025, a new law passed by the National Assembly prohibits telephone canvassing without the consumer's prior consent. To put it simply, direct telephone sales professionals must now obtain the consumer's approval before they can solicit them.
Overview of the provisions taken against telephone canvassing
This provision This is in addition to previous measures taken by public authorities to regulate the practice. Since March 1, 2023, telephone canvassing has been subject to numerous rules.
For example, companies are only allowed to call you from Monday to Friday, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Consequently, no phone calls are allowed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, unless the user consents.
In addition, current regulations limit the number of contacts to four per month for each company. And if you refuse to be contacted during a call, the professional must normally comply with the obligation to no longer contact you within “60 calendar days from this refusal”.
Numbers dedicated to canvassing companies
Importantly, it should be noted that ARCEP has allocated special numbers to canvassing platforms since 2023. For mainland France, companies must therefore use numbers beginning with:
- 0162
- 0163
- 0270
- 0377
- 0424
- 0425
- 0568
- 0569
- 0948
- 0949
For the French overseas departments and territories, direct sellers must also use specific prefixes, namely:
- 09475 for Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy
- 09476 for French Guiana
- 09477 for Martinique
- 09478 for Réunion
- 09479 for Mayotte
As you will have understood, numbers beginning with 06 or 07 are therefore reserved for personal communications. However, if you receive a commercial call with these prefixes, it is a clear violation and you will need to report the number in question on the Bloctel platform.
Also read: iPhone – how to block calls from unknown or hidden numbers
How to block calls from commercial canvassing numbers on Android
However, it's clear that the measures mentioned above still don't prevent canvassing platforms from calling you regularly, especially during the week.
To maximize your chances of not being systematically bothered, you should therefore make sure to constantly block the numbers mentioned above. Good news, there's a free app for that: Prefix Blocker.
Available on the Google Play Store, this app prevents canvassers from calling you by automatically blocking entire ranges of numbers. Let's see together how to take advantage of it.
Download the Prefixe bloceur application
So start by going to the Google Play Store to install the application Prefix Blocker – Anti Spam. Make sure to choose the one published by AWERTYS.
Configure the default application
Once the application is downloaded to your device, you will be presented with a brief presentation: “The services offered by the company AWERTYS do not collect any data, nor resell any financial compensation,” assure the developers.
Once this is done, you will need to make some essential settings. First of all, and for proper operation, it is essential to set the application as the default application for displaying the caller's number and spam. Without it, it will be impossible to intercept unwanted calls. So, press Set default application, then choose Prefix Blocker from the list. Press Set as default to confirm.
Grant permissions
On the next screen, the app explains that it is necessary to authorize certain permission requests. These include checking whether the number is in your contacts or not, and automatically deciding whether to block or accept the call. The developers reiterate that no data, such as your contacts, is collected.
- Tap Grant Necessary Permissions
- in the pop-up that appears, allow Prefix Blocker to access your contacts
- Then, allow Prefix Blocker to make and manage phone calls
- Scroll through the last few pages to complete the setup and access the app
Adding canvassers' numbers to a blacklist
This is where it gets a bit more complicated, but don't panic, we're here to guide you. This is because the app's interface isn't necessarily the most intuitive.
On the home page, click on the Blocked tab in the lower right corner, then make sure you're in the Blacklist tab in the top left.
Now follow this procedure:
- Now click on the Add button, then select the Prefix option.
- Once this is done, the idea is to enter all the prefixes reserved for canvassing platforms. In the input bar at the top of the screen, enter the first prefix to block, starting with the area code +33 (but without the first zero)
To make things easier for you, here is the complete list of prefixes to enter :
- +33162
- +33163
- +33270
- +33271
- +33377
- +33378
- +33424
- +33425
- +33568
- +33569
- +33948
- +33949
So take a few minutes to manually enter all these prefixes. Rest assured, it won't be a waste of time. Once your blacklist is created, all calls from these numbers will be automatically blocked and forwarded to your voicemail. Peace of mind for you!
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