We all know that spam text messages (sometimes called robotexts) are annoying, but what many people don’t realize is that they can be incredibly dangerous, too. Scammers often use spam text messages as a way to trick people into clicking on links, visiting malicious websites, and inadvertently parting with their personal and financial data.

People lose lots of money to these scams too — according to the FTC, $131 million in 2021 alone!

Whether you want to stay safe from scams or just stop being bombarded by annoying messages from spammers, scammers, and telemarketers, if you’re looking to learn what you need to do to keep spam text messages at bay, this is the guide for you!

Tip #1 — Don’t respond

It may sound obvious, but this is a very important tip. If you respond to spam text messages, you are simply giving the sender confirmation that your phone number is legitimate and active — meaning you will most likely end up receiving even more of their messages than you otherwise would have.

In fact, you shouldn’t interact with the messages in any way. Spam messages will almost always contain a phishing link that leads to a malicious website. Such websites are designed to steal people’s personal and financial information or infect devices with malware. We’re continuously observing lots of cases in which the scammers impersonate recognizable brands such as Costco, Apple, Netflix, and Paypal, too. Please be careful.

Tip #2 — Block the spammers’ phone numbers

Although blocking a spammer’s phone number isn’t guaranteed to stop them from sending you unwanted messages in the future — they will often switch numbers or mask their real number — it’s certainly worth a shot, especially because it is very quick to do so!

How to block a phone number on iPhone:

1. Open the text message and click on the phone number at the top of the screen.

2. Select info underneath the phone number.

3. Click on Block this Caller.

4. Select Block Contact.

How to block a phone number on Android:

Please note that depending on which version of Android you have, the instructions may be slightly different.

1. Open the text message and select Block number in the top-right corner.

2. Click on Block.

Tip #3 — Report spam text messages

By reporting spammers’ phone numbers to your phone carrier, you can help out massively in the never-ending battle against the spammers! It’s pretty easy to do so, too. All you need to do is forward your spam text messages to 7726 (which is easy to remember because it spells out SPAM on a phone’s keypad). See below to learn how to report text messages.

How to report spam messages on iPhone:

1. Open the text message, tap and hold the message bubble, then select More.
2. Select Forward.
3. Forward the message to 7726.

How to report spam messages on Android:

1. Open the text message and tap and hold the message bubble.
2. From the menu that appears, select Forward.
3. Forward the message to 7726.

Tip #4 — Block all spam texts with Trend Micro ScamCheck (it’s FREE!)

Although the other tips in this article are solid, this last one trumps them all! Hands down, the best way to block spam text messages is to use Trend Micro ScamCheck — and it’s completely FREE! Any messages identified as suspicious or malicious get sent straight to the trash, but anything important — personal messages or verification codes, for example — come through as normal.

Used by over 2 million people and powered by the world’s largest scam database, Trend Micro ScamCheck is the easiest way to get complete protection against scam and spam text messages. With absolutely no ads or in-app purchases, there’s no reason not to give it a shot today! If you’re annoyed by spam messages, you won’t regret it!