How to Report Spam Text Messages
Spam texts are becoming more and more of a problem, with many people receiving messages that they don’t want to receive. Fortunately, there are ways to report spam text messages so that you can stop them from coming into your phone. This blog post will discuss how to report spam text messages and what you can do to stop spam texts from coming into your phone.
What is a Spam Text?
A spam text is a text that you receive that is unwanted. They usually come in the form of marketing messages, scams, or phishing messages. These messages are meant to sell things to you or trick you into giving up your personal information so they can steal your identity.
Why is there a problem with spam texts?
Understandably, companies want to send promotional offers and advertisements. Still, it can be annoying when they are sent to a cell phone without the owner of the number permitting them.
This is especially problematic because there have been cases where people mistake spam texts or telemarketing texts for important messages from friends and family members only to find out later that it was
a company trying to sell them something.
There have even been reports of children getting into trouble with parents because spammers used their numbers to send inappropriate material. In addition, spam texts often use up cell phone data plans for no good reason, which wastes your money.
How do I know if it’s spam?
If you’ve received any texts that ask for anything out of the ordinary or try to deceive you into revealing personal information, then it’s probably spam.
If it has an advertisement about products (especially diet pills, push-up bras, etc.), work-at-home schemes, credit card applications, etc., it might be spam because these ads should appear online instead of messaging.
You may also want to check the message source (the source of the message) because if it’s not a verified phone number, then there’s a high probability that it might be spam.
How do I get rid of spam texts?
If you want to remove spam messages from your phone, you’ll need to report them so that they can be identified and removed by your mobile phone carrier. Fortunately, reporting spam messages is quick and easy.
How to Report Spam Text Messages
Most carriers offer a shortcode that you can use to report spam texts. For example, since Verizon Wireless has its Message Forwarding service, they offer the 7726 (SPAM). These carriers also use this same method:
- AT&T
- Sprint
- T-Mobile
- Verizon Wireless
You should be aware that even if you decide to forward the messages to 7726 (“SPAM”), it is unlikely that the carrier will reimburse you for damages.
Block the Number from Sending You Messages
Blocking is your next best option if you want to stop the spam messages, but you don’t want to report them. Blocking will prevent the number from sending you any future texts (both spam and non-spam).
If you are using an iPhone, the process is pretty straightforward. First, go to your Messages app and locate the Spam message.
Open up the Spam message. Then, on the top-left corner of your screen, tap on the “i” icon. This will open up more information about that particular spam text. Next, tap on the “Block This Caller” button or tap on “Report Junk” if you want to report it as well. Once you’ve selected “Block this caller,” all future texts from that number will be blocked automatically.
Therefore, no matter what method they use to contact you, your phone will not receive their messages unless they have a different phone number.
Add Your Number to the Do Not Call Registry
Another method to prevent spam texts from coming into your phone is adding your number to the Do Not Call Registry. This service can easily be accessed through the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
Keep in mind, though, that this service only works for telemarketing calls and not texts. This means that adding your number to the Do Not Call Registry will not prevent spam texts from coming into your phone.
Report Spam Text Messages to Government Agencies
To help stop spam texts from coming into your phone, it’s essential to report them to government agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
There is no official way on how to report spam texts. Still, it would be wise if you created a document that had all relevant information about the spam text message(s), which includes: Date of Message, Number Received, Text Message Content, Any identifying number or email address.
Finally, create a PDF file and upload it to the FTC website once you have gathered this crucial.
Report Spam Texts Using Your Carrier’s App(s)
Many carriers also have an app where you can report spam texts to investigate the incident further. For example, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and many others provide apps for subscribers so they can easily file a complaint.
You can also check the carrier’s website for more information on how to report spam texts. For example, Verizon Wireless has a page dedicated to reporting text messages.
Avoid getting spam text messages with TextP2P.
If you want to avoid getting unwanted text messages, then it’s time for you to get rid of them. You can do this by using TextP2P, a free service that allows users like you and me to report spam texts sent from any phone number.
Thanks to rapid technological advances, spam texts will continue coming into our phones, but we shouldn’t allow them to ruin our daily lives. So next time when you receive a spam text message on your mobile device, make sure the file is saved and then use one of the four recommendations above on how to report spam text messages.
Once these steps are completed, we’ll share the information with other TextP2P members who may have received the same message from the same person or organization. This way, we can potentially stop spam texts from coming into our phones.
