How to stop spam text messages: Prevent, block and report
We all hate spam text messages! And if it seems like you’ve been receiving more of them, it’s not just your imagination – as spam email and spam calls face increasing obstacles in the form of blocklists and government regulations, spammers have been increasingly turning to spam text messages.
by Alyssa Schmitt Spam text messages aren’t just annoying – they can expose you to scams or malware
Although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) now bans unsolicited commercial text messages (AKA spam) in the United States, the numbers have hit a new high. In fact, the FTC reported receiving 231,000 complaints about fraudulent text messages in 2023.
This is in part due to our shifting communication patterns: more people prefer texting over calling, and absolutely refuse to answer the phone if they don’t recognize the number. So, telemarketers and phone scammers alike are having a harder time getting through, which makes text messages a better option for them.
Unfortunately, this variety of spam also exposes you to risks like malware and identity theft. Keep reading to learn how to identify, prevent, block and report spam text messages!
Some spam texts are simply annoying – e.g., you are bombarded with special offers from a legitimate company. Others, however, function like phishing emails: They are designed to trick you into giving away sensitive information like passwords or downloading malware onto your phone. This sort of text scam is also known as “smishing” for “SMS phishing.”
One of the most common smishing scams, accounting for well over a quarter of text scams in 2023, arefake delivery notifications that impersonate senders like UPS or FedEx. Such messages contain a “tracking link” or claim that delivery is delayed due to a problem processing your payment, for example. When you click the link, you are taken to a website designed to steal your personal information.
Scam delivery texts like this one often contain phishing links
Just like there are tricks you can use to identify a spam email, there are certain clues that give away a smishing message. For example:
Your bank or other legitimate business won’t text you out of the blue about a “problem” with your account.
A lot of spelling and grammatical errors in the text are also probably signs of a scam.
Look carefully at any links contained in the text to see if they match the company's official URL. For more information, see our explainer: What does a phishing link look like?
What seems like a legitimate company web address at first glance contains a misspelling (like gooogle instead of google) and will take you to a fake website.
A lack of sender information or a blocked number is always a red flag: a message from a legitimate company will clearly communicate who it is from.
Although it is unlikely you can completely cut off the flow of spam texts, there are a few steps you can take to limit your exposure:
Be careful about replying! If a spam text is from a legitimate company sending you special offers you aren’t interested in, you can opt out of receiving their texts by replying “Stop” or similar – they are then legally required to stop texting you. A scammer, of course is not really interested in staying on the right side of the law, so you should never reply to suspicious-seeming texts. Replying shows the spammer that your number is active, and this will only lead to more spam.
Never open the links! Even if there is no scam involved, clicking a link is also a sign of interest that might lead to more texts or even follow-up calls
Avoid giving out your phone number! Sometimes a special discount or membership deal requires you to enter your phone number. Think twice about whether the extra 15% off is really worth it – the company may sell your number to marketers, opening the door to more spam texts.
It is always possible to block individual message senders on your iPhoneif they are sending your spam:
Open the conversation in the message app (without clicking any links in the message)
Tap the sender’s phone number at the top of the chat.
Now tap Info > Block this caller.
You might find it easier to send all incoming messages from unknown numbers into a separate folder. This function filters out all text messages from numbers that are not in your contacts:
Go to Settings > Messages.
Scroll to Filter Unknown Senders and tap the slider so it turns green.
Keep in mind that this may also block texts from wanted but unknown callers, like a message from the furniture store where you ordered a couch. The texts will remain on your phone, however, and can be found in the Messages app by tapping Filters in the upper left corner and selecting Unknown. It’s like a spam folder for text messages!
An Android phone also gives the options of blocking individual senders or filtering out messages from unknown numbers. To block messages from a specific number that has been spamming you:
Open the conversation in your Messages app
Tap the three dots at the top right
Tap Details > Block and report spam.
Depending on your phone model, Android version and the messaging app you use, you may also be able to enable spam protection as follows:
Open the Messages app and tap the three-dot menu on the top right.
Tap Settings > Spam Protection.
Scroll down until you see Enable Spam Protection.
Tap to activate – once it is toggled on, the slider will appear blue.
Tip: If you do not find this option in your Message app settings, open your phone settings and search for “Spam protection”.
It’s easier than you might think to report spam text messages to your mobile carrier. For most major cellular networks in the US and UK, you can forward the text to 7726 – which is easy to remember since it spells “SPAM” on an alphanumeric phone keypad. The carrier may ask you to provide more information and then investigate the case.
You can also report text scams and smishing to the responsible government agency – in the US, that’s thee Federal Communications Commission.
Why am I suddenly getting spam messages?
You may start receiving spam texts if your phone number has been harvested from online forms, leaked in a data breach, or landed on a marketing list. However, sometimes scammers simply use software to generate lists of numbers to use. Spammers use automated tools to send these unwanted messages to large groups of numbers, so you are probably not being personally targeted.
How do I stop spam text messages?
To slow the flow of spam texts, be careful about giving out your number, make sure not to reply to texts from unknown numbers, avoid clicking on links in suspicious messages, and activate the spam filters on your phone – offered by both Android and iOS. Blocking the number of the sender will also cut off at least that source of spam.
Can a scammer get your info if you reply to a text?
If a scammer sends you a text, they already have your phone number. Simply replying to a spam text will not give the sender access to further personal data, but it will show them that your phone is active. This can make your number a target for more spam messages or smishing.
What happens if you accidentally respond to a spam text?
If you reply to a spam text, you have shown the sender that your number is active, which probably means you are in for more spam messages – but nothing worse than that. If you accidentally clicked on a link in a smishing text, however, you may have triggered the download of malware to your phone or been redirected to a fraudulent website.
Can a scammer hack me if I text them back?
No. But by replying you confirm that your number is active, which increases the likelihood of receiving more spam and smishing texts. If you click on a malicious link in a text, on the other hand, this could trigger the download of malware such as spyware to your device.
Does 7726 actually work?
Yes! If you forward spam messages to 7726 (SPAM), your cellular carrier will be notified so they can identify and block the sources of spam messages. This helps protect yourself and others. To immediately block a sender from texting you, however, use the options in your phone’s message app.
What happens if you block a scammer?
Once you block the sender of a spam text, they can no longer use the blocked number to contact you on that phone. However, the scammer can still use different numbers to send you texts, so you may have to block them multiple times. You can also activate your phone’s spam filters to minimize spam in the future.
We hope this post will help you avoid the annoyance and risk of spam text messages. If you found it useful, please leave us some feedback below!
This article first appeared on August 1, 2022, and was updated on November 7, 2024.
