Your phone rings. A caller offers a new energy deal, health insurance or a subscription. You thought unsolicited marketing calls had been banned in France since 11 August 2026. Why are they still happening?
The new rules generally require your prior consent, but they do not technically block calls. Some calls remain permitted. Others may come from businesses ignoring the rules or from scammers. Start by identifying what is being offered, keeping useful evidence and choosing the appropriate reporting route.
Why calls continue despite the ban
The reform changes the conditions under which a business may contact you. It does not install a filter on your phone or automatically remove your number from marketing databases.
There are three situations to distinguish.
The call may still be permitted
A company may contact you for marketing where you have given prior consent. It may also contact you about an existing contract, including a related additional offer. A purchase several years ago does not, by itself, justify any new marketing call.
There is also an exception concerning the sale of newspapers, periodicals and magazines. Non-commercial calls, such as certain charitable appeals, fall under a different framework. The CNIL explains the distinctions to check before reporting.
The business claims consent you do not recognise
“You agreed to be contacted by our partners.” That claim deserves checking. Merely possessing your number does not prove that a company has valid consent.
Consent must come from a clear, informed choice. Ask when it was obtained, for which business and for what offer. If you do not want further calls, say so explicitly, even if you dispute ever having consented.
It may be abuse or fraud
Fake bank advisers, supposed refunds and attempts to make you call premium-rate numbers do not disappear when marketing law changes. A caller may lie about their identity.
Do not disclose a text verification code, password or banking details to “verify your file”. If the caller claims to represent an organisation you know, hang up and contact it using its usual official details.
What changed on 11 August 2026
Prior consent is now the general rule for commercial telephone marketing in France, subject to exceptions. Businesses must be able to demonstrate consent. It can be withdrawn, is time-limited and cannot simply be renewed automatically.
Bloctel ended on 11 August 2026, so you no longer need to register on that list to receive the general protection. Consult the official explanation of the new telephone marketing rules for the applicable conditions.
Some sectors, including CPF training and energy renovation, have additional restrictions. Our guide to France's telephone marketing law covers the broader framework. Here, the focus is what to do when the next call arrives.
What should you say to stop a marketing call?
You do not have to stay on the line to justify yourself. If you want to gather information first, ask these three questions:
- Which company do you represent? Also note the call centre's name if different.
- What product or service are you offering? This helps identify the call's purpose.
- What is your basis for calling me? An existing contract or consent? If consent, ask for its date and source.
You can then say:
I do not want further marketing calls from you. If you consider that you have my consent, I withdraw it. Please record my objection to direct marketing and end this call.
This is a practical template, not a quotation from legislation. For a written follow-up, use contact details from the business's official website and keep a copy. Do not supply new sensitive information to someone whose identity you have not verified.
Check the number without misidentifying the caller
The displayed number is a starting point, not proof of identity. A prefix, telecom operator or online comment is not enough to establish who is calling. Numbers may also be spoofed.
Use Data Knight's free unwanted-call checker to review the number. It brings together ARCEP numbering information and available public reports to help you understand the context.
Keep two limitations in mind:
- No reports does not mean a number is trustworthy. It may be new or poorly documented.
- The allocated telecom operator is not necessarily the caller. Do not automatically accuse it of making the call.
Data Knight helps you check and document a number. It does not block calls or guarantee the caller's identification.
How to report abusive telephone marketing
Before deleting an entry from your call history, save a screenshot and notes including:
- the displayed number, date and time;
- the claimed business and call centre, if known;
- the product offered and relevant statements;
- any existing contract or prior consent;
- when you objected and whether calls continued afterwards.
If information is missing, mark it as unknown. Distinguish the identity claimed by the caller from an identity you have independently verified.
Abusive commercial calls: SignalConso
If a business markets to you without the required consent or continues after you object, prepare a factual report. The Data Knight SignalConso guide helps you gather the details before continuing on the official platform.
Voice spam or suspicious texts: 33700
A call designed to make you call back a premium-rate number is voice spam. The 33700 service handles voice spam and unwanted text reports. It does not replace SignalConso for every commercial dispute.
Disputed use of personal data: the CNIL
If an identifiable company continues using your number after you exercise your rights, retain your request and any reply for a possible CNIL complaint. For suspected fraud, contact the appropriate authorities and your bank if you disclosed financial information.
Service-Public explains the routes for different calls and messages. Reporting helps address abuse but does not guarantee an immediate end to calls.
Reduce your number's exposure over time
Blocking a number may offer relief. It does not remove your details from a directory or marketing database.
Review where you have made your number public, check your marketing preferences and ask relevant companies to stop using it for direct marketing. A search will not always establish the exact source of a call. Do not automatically assume a breach caused it.
A digital footprint scan can identify some exposure on the web and through brokers. Acting on those sources complements filtering and reporting without promising that every unwanted call will disappear.
See also: Understand the new law · Remove your number from Pages Blanches and Pages Jaunes · How personal data is resold
