How to stop receiving spam texts - The Washington Post

Now, the good news: You can take steps to receive fewer spam texts and, if you do fall for one, there are ways to pump the brakes before scammers further mess with your accounts, devices or wallet.

Here is what you can do to minimize the influx of email spam

A: You’re not alone. Other readers have written in with concerns about scammy and spammy texts. Some spam texts are obvious solicitation, asking if you want to buy something or sign up for a service. Others are more insidious.

Our readers say they’re bombarded with romance scams, fake updates from Amazon and phony messages from banks. When trying to tell the difference between legitimate texts and spam, Porter says she has an unlikely mantra: “Scammers are people too.”

Scammers read the news, use online services and put their pants on one leg at a time, she said. They tailor their scams based on current events, for instance, the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and related scams this past year. They also know how to manipulate you by making you feel sad, scared or embarrassed.

It appears random. Your bank and other legitimate businesses generally avoid using texts as their primary form of communication. If your “bank” texts you asking for some action on your part, check for an accompanying email and call the customer service number listed on the official website to confirm.

It makes little sense. Trust your gut on this one. If the message is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, or seems out of line, then it’s likely a scam.

It contains an odd link. Spam texts often contain a link. Sometimes that link appears to lead to a legitimate site, but on closer inspection, a critical word or letter is missing or misspelled. For example, “amazon.com” could become something like “amzon.com.” Strings of numbers and symbols in a link can also be a bad sign, Porter said.

It leads to mean calls. If you reply to a spam text or open a link, scammers may follow up by calling you. If you ever get a call from a “customer service representative” who makes you feel embarrassed or stupid, hang up. Con artists use this tactic to talk down to people until they bend to your suggestions, according to Kurt Baumgartner, principal security researcher at cybersecurity company Kaspersky. Another red flag is if a customer service representative asks to remotely control your computer.

How to duck data breaches with credit cards and email addresses

Never open the links. Links in spam texts usually usher you to the next step in the scam, like entering a username and password. Clicking a link also signals to the scammer that you’re interested, and they may follow up with more texts or calls.

Avoid replying to texts. Legitimate businesses are required by law to stop texting you if you opt out, usually by texting “stop.” But scammers don’t care. Replying “stop” just lets them know a real person is on the other end of their outreach.

Avoid giving your digits. I want that 15 percent retail discount at as much as the next girl, but once you share your phone number with a company, it becomes hard to know where it goes afterward. The fast and loose data market makes it easy for scammers to get their hands on names and phone numbers.

To combat that, you can always provide burner phone numbers generated by an app like Google Voice or DoNotPay. Take a minute to make your phone number private on your Facebook account, Porter suggested, and Google your number to see where else it may be publicly listed. Keep in mind, though, that even if you guard your phone number with your life, scammers still punch in numbers randomly.

Block the spam sender. Blocking each spam sender can turn into an annoying game of whack-a-mole, but at least it keeps them from texting you again. On an iPhone, open the conversation, without clicking any links in the message, and tap the phone number at the top of the chat. Then, tap “info,” and select “block this caller” at the bottom of the screen. On an Android phone, open the conversation, tap the three little dots at the top right, select “details,” then tap “block and report spam.”

Turn on phone filters. On an iPhone, go to settings and scroll down to see all your apps. Select messages, scroll to “unknown and spam” and flip on “filter unknown senders.” The little slider should turn green. Be aware this will send all messages from unknown numbers, even new friends, into a separate folder. To view them, open the messages app, tap “filters” in the upper left corner and select “unknown senders.”

On an Android device, open the messages app, tap the three dots inside the search bar, and go to settings, then “spam protection” and “enable spam protection.” The little slider should turn blue.

Download an app. The TextKiller app from RoboKiller is $30 a year or $4 a month. Another option is Nomorobo, which is $20 a year or $2 a month. TextKiller is available only on Apple devices. Nomorobo has an Android version, but the reviews are low compared to its iOS version.

Report spam to your carrier. If you have the time and the desire, copy the offending text by holding your fingers down on it until the “copy” option pops up, being careful not to tap any links. Then paste the text into a new message and send it to the number 7726, which spells “spam.” When prompted, copy and paste the scam number and send that as well.

Report to the government. While it won’t reduce scam texts in the moment, it helps the agency keep tabs on shady characters. You can find the form to report fraudsters who are calling or texting you online. You can also report spam texts to the Federal Communications Commission online.

Get your number on the list. Finally, take a moment to get your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Because why not?

If you fall for a text scam, it’s not the end of the world, Baumgartner said. Most scams involve multiple steps, so clicking one link is unlikely to lead to your downfall, he noted.

Nevertheless, engaging with a text scam makes you vulnerable, so if you talked on the phone with a bad actor or provided any personal information on a fake website, then it’s wise to call your bank or credit card providers and let them know what happened. They can turn on alerts and keep an eye out for suspicious account activity.

Other helpful steps to reduce spam are resetting your online passwords and restoring your device to a backed-up version from before the scammer got access. That second tip may require some help. We recommend finding a local trusted computer shop with strong reviews on Google or Yelp that offers technology support.

If you have more questions about spam, send them to [email protected].