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It's the holidays, so my phone is abuzz with messages. The problem is, most of the texts I'm receiving aren't from family and friends. Instead, I'm inundated with offers for tax prep assistance, back tax relief, several "stim checks," an assortment of free gifts, and plenty of request confirmations. These phishing messages are the siren songs of scammers and spammers attempting to lure new victims into clicking a link, opening an attachment, calling a number, or installing malware. Luckily, just as you can fight against robocalls and unwanted email, you can block and stop robotexts using the right tricks and tools.
Turn On Built-In Message Filters
It's not always easy to tell if a message is legit. That's why it's a good idea to turn on your phone's messaging filters. In iOS, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, and scroll down to the Message Filtering section. Enabling this setting sorts text messages from unknown senders into a separate folder, allowing you to safely ignore them. On Android devices, Google automatically sorts messages from unknown senders into folders labeled Spam or Unknown.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)Stay skeptical when reading messages from numbers that aren't in your phone's contact list. The logic is, if the phone number is one that you've consciously saved, even if it's your doctor's office, or your kids' schools, it's more likely to be a message meant just for you. If you don't recognize the number, or it isn't a phone number you've saved, read the message with caution, and don't tap or click any links.
The reason for this seeming overabundance of caution is that so-called "wrong number scams" are on the rise. That's where scammers will pretend to be someone you used to know, someone you want to date, or just a friendly stranger, and will soften you up with pleasant conversation before inviting you to a crypto investment group or asking you for money as part of a romance scam.
When you get around to reading the messages in your Spam or Unknown folders, look at them with a healthy dose of skepticism. For example, if you get a message offering a discount on your car payment and you don't own a car, don't respond to the message! On the other hand, if the messages appear to be from someone you expect or a service like your doctor's office, either call the last known number of the friend who messaged you or look up the office's number online and call them back. Either way, you're confirming the identity of the person messaging you, which can help you avoid fraud.
Google's Circle to Search feature allows you to scan text messages and use information from the web to determine whether the message is a scam or not. To use this function, long-press the home button or navigation bar on an Android device, then circle the text message to scan it. You can also scan messages using the Lens app, which is available for Android and iOS. For that method, take a screenshot of the message, open Lens, and then tap the screenshot to scan it.
Never Respond to Suspicious Texts
If you receive a spam text, do not respond, not even to tell it to stop. Many legitimate robotexts include an option to text 'STOP' to request that the company remove you from their distribution list, but this option is ineffective against scammers.
In fact, by responding to a spam message, you're only confirming to the scammer that your number is valid—this is the goal for those texts that were meant for someone else. From there, your phone number may be shared with other scammers, increasing your chances of receiving more spam messages. So, unless you know the text came from a legitimate company that honors such requests, you're better off not responding at all.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Block Numbers—Even If Spammers Hop Around
You can block a number that's been sending you junk messages. However, this is only helpful if the same number continues to send the texts. Spammers typically spoof or switch phone numbers, so even if you block the number, you can still receive messages from the same spammer using a different number. Still, it's worth trying.
On an iPhone, open the text message you received. Tap the phone number at the top of the screen and then tap the Info button. On the next screen, select Block this Caller > Block Contact to confirm.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)On an Android phone, open the text and tap the three-dot icon located in the upper right. The steps then vary based on your phone and OS version. Either choose the Block number option or select Details > Block & report spam.
(Credit: PCMag / Google)Report Robotexts Directly to Your Carrier
You can report a robotext to your mobile carrier by forwarding it to a specific number. To do this on an iPhone, press down on the offending message. Tap More and then tap the right arrow to forward it as a new text. To do this on an Android phone, press and hold the message, tap the three-dot icon at the top, and then select Forward.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)From here, send the text to the number 7726, which spells out SPAM. The number works for AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile customers alike. This information will then be used to try to block future spam messages.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Enable Your Phone's Spam-Protection Tools
On an Android phone, you can disable all potential spam messages from Google's Messages app. Tap the profile icon in the upper right of the app and select Messages Settings > Spam protection. Turn on the Enable spam protection switch, and your phone will now alert you if an incoming message is suspected of being spam.
(Credit: PCMag / Google)On an iPhone, go to Settings > Messages and then turn on the switch next to Filter Unknown Senders. This will filter messages from unknown senders into their own folder within the Apple Messages app.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)The top US mobile carriers offer their own filtering and blocking tools for subscribers. For the most part, they're geared more toward spam phone calls, but they can also block numbers that attempt to deliver spam text messages.
Verizon’s Call Filter blocks robocalls and spam messages. T-Mobile offers Scam Shield to detect, block, and mislead spam and scam callers. It also includes a caller ID feature for numbers not already in your contact list. AT&T's ActiveArmor can now block texts that are deemed to be sent from email addresses, a major source of spam. All three carriers also have backend technology that identifies and blocks spam messages in much the same way email services have spam folders.
(Credit: PCMag / Verizon)Boost Protection With Third-Party Apps
If you require more robust robotext filtering than what is mentioned above, you may want to consider a third-party app. Options like SpamHound, SMS Spam Stopper, RoboKiller, and TextKiller can help you block more spammers.
(Credit: PCMag / SpamHound SMS Spam Filter)SpamHound: SpamHound is a free iOS app that supplements Apple's built-in Messages app to filter out SMS spam based on keywords and other factors. To fine-tune its powers of deduction, you’re encouraged to create blocklist and allowlist rules for what you want to block or allow.
(Credit: PCMag / SMS Spam Stopper)SMS Spam Stopper: Available as a paid iOS app, SMS Spam Stopper uses artificial intelligence to detect spam messages by comparing incoming messages to the SMS signatures of 5,000 spam messages in its database. You can also use the app to block texts from unknown numbers, set up allowed and blocked words, and block phone numbers. Detected spam is then banished to the Unknown & Junk section of Apple Messages, where you can review it.
(Credit: PCMag / RoboKiller )RoboKiller: Designed for iOS and Android, RoboKiller analyzes the phone number, content, and attachments of incoming messages. To set up spam blocking, go to Settings > SMS Spam Recognition (Android) or Settings > Messages > Unknown & Spam > RoboKiller (iOS). Messages deemed to be spam are moved to the Junk folder in Messages. Though RoboKiller can't stop everything, you'll be alerted if a text is tagged as spam, so you can determine whether to respond or ignore.
(Credit: PCMag / TextKiller)TextKiller: RoboKiller also offers the TextKiller iOS app, designed to block text messages. By default, the app searches for specific words, terms, and other indicators to identify which texts are spam. You can assist it by labeling spam messages, so it learns from your actions. You can also set up filters by adding specific phone numbers and blocking keywords. Any messages identified as spam are stored in a junk tab. A premium edition unlocks more functionality for $5.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
Lance Whitney contributed to this story.