Mobile messaging is set to overtake email as the most common form of communication. This implies that the spam emails you once used to receive over your emails have morphed into spam text messages on your android phone.
These Spam texts and unwanted ads text messages are a few of the most annoying text messages that you can receive on your smartphone. These spam text messages are capable of driving you crazy.
Learn how to stop nuisance text messages through various methods, from creating a block list to using the Do Not Disturb feature to stop marketing texts. This article is here for you to help.
Let’s block these spam messages. We are going to learn how to do it on an Android smartphone.
Follow this text message spam guide to stop spam texts on android.
How to stop these messages:
- Report spam to the network provider and other authorities
- Block the numbers directly
- Enable Spam protection on your android
- Use third-party apps?
1. What are spam texts?
These are the unwanted text messages you receive on your phone number. Not all of them would exactly lead you to a scam, but some of them will.
These text messages do not arrive from another phone but most likely from a computer. They are sent through instant messaging accounts.
The scammers send these messages to hundreds and thousands of people daily and their motive turns successful even if only a few fall for the message or reply. This is called spamming.
Their motive is to derive your personal information and use it for fraud.
These spammers also are often involved in identity theft. The scam text messages might also try to make you accidentally download malware and other viruses onto your computer or android devices. Some of the examples of the most common scam messages are-
- Your bank account has been deactivated for some reason, you need to fill out these details to get your account back.
- Get rich quickly.
- You’re being offered a no-interest credit card, etc.
2. How will I know when I receive a spam text?
Not only is technology getting upgraded over time, but so is the innovation of these spammers. They put in all their creativity to make the SMS spam messages seem authentic and sophisticated.
It has even come down to them using identity masking technology not to get recognized as spam when their caller id is checked.
So, how can you know if the message you just received is authentic or another spam message? Here are some features of spam text for you to recognize if you get one-
a. Unforeseen contact
When you receive a text from an organization, go back in time and recollect how that organization usually reaches out to you. If it isn’t from a text message, this should be your first sign of alarm.
To ensure you are being scammed, call the organization that the message claims to be from.
If you do not have a number for the organization, just remember not to give out any personal details as organizations don’t ask for them via text messages.
b. Punctuation and grammatical errors
Organizations send messages that are quite professional and free of any writing errors.
If you notice any of these, you can be sure that the message you’ve received is not authentic and is probably another one of the spam SMS messages.
c. Practicality
Messages you often receive from these spammers are often too good to be true. And this is your cue to understand your spam text message.
So if you get a message saying you have won a million dollars, it’s too good to be true and hence is a scam. This is another rule you can follow when you go through your messages.
3. Why am I getting them and what should I do?
You might wonder why and where these junk messages come to you from. How do these spammers get to you?
Well, this is how-
a. These companies use technology to generate numbers automatically. So, irrespective of whether you have a new or an old number, you might receive a call from them.
b. I’m sorry to break it to you, but the social media sites you register yourself on sell your personal information to such companies.
So if you have your accounts made across various social media profiles, there are high chances that your number already exists in many marketing databases around the country.
c. Also whenever you go to a place, participate in a competition, or buy something online, you are supposed to give out your mobile number. This mobile number again ends up in the wrong hands more often than not.
d. It also often occurs that your mobile number is automatically realized as a valid when you respond to a spam or scam text message. So, it might get further sold to other spammers in the field.
4. What should I do when I receive these messages?
a. Never reply
The first thing you should know while dealing with these messages is never to reply. Doing so gives the spammer proof that you are a real person and number and can be treated as a potential threat.
They might try to fool you by telling you to reply in some other way like, “reply to stop receiving these messages”. Don’t fall for this. it’s all part of their agenda.
b. Never click on the links
The messages’ links might take you to websites that could download malware or viruses on your phone.
They could further steal your personal information and rob your money. This moves me to the next thing you should never do.
c. Do not disclose personal info
Legit organizations, work professionally. They would never ask for details about your personal and private matters over a call or a text.
So don’t fall for any messages saying they need your personal information like your bank details, OTP, etc.
d. Check with the organization
If you receive a message that seems authentic and unsure what to do next, the best option is to call the organization directly.
Call them and let them know about the text you have received and check the text’s legitimacy with them.
e. Put an ultimate stop to them!
So now you know why you get these messages, the next and most vital thing we are gonna learn is how you are gonna put a stop to these messages. Learn how to do it in the next topic.
5. How to stop these messages?
The scammers might be getting smarted by the second but so are the network providers and other authorities in place.
These authorities have improved and are far better at identifying scammers and shutting down their phone numbers when a complaint has been filed.
So if you get a suspicious text in the future, do the following to protect yourself and others from getting spammed or scammed.
- Simply forward the spam message you receive to 7726 if you are a customer of AT&T, Verizon, and T-mobile.
- Some authorities are put in place to help you out in such cases. You must determine how the system works in your jurisdiction and follow that procedure.
- For example, the federal trade commission takes action in the US for cases like this. They do this via the National Do Not Call registry.
Similarly, find out your country’s laws for these cases.
b. Block the numbers directly
This is the easiest way to get through your problem. So, whenever you get a spam text message, open the message and follow the steps given below to block the sender-
- Open the messaging app your mobile phone has.
- Tap on the text message that seems like a spam message.
- You’ll see three dots on the screen in the top right corner.
- Click on the three-dot icon.
- Tap block. Tap ok to confirm.
Processes might be different with different phone brands but the crux of it remains mostly the same.
c. Enable Spam protection on your android
Yes, the Messages app on your android phone has its built-in system to protect you from spam messages. You can enable the feature as follows-
- Locate the messages app on your device.
- Again, click on the three dots visible in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Choose spam protection and turn on the button to enable it.
Enabling this option will make your phone filter out these messages from the phone itself.
d. Use third-party apps–
Thanks to the new digital age, we are blessed with many apps to help out in such cases.
These applications are so advanced that they will block the spam messages you receive and alert or silence your phone if you receive a robocall. They will recognize any spam nuisance that might go on your phone.
Some of the best apps you can find on the google play store are-
1. Calls Blacklist
The app lets you block calls and texts from unknown private numbers. Further, you won’t cause any disturbance if you block the call notifications.
This application will not take much of your storage. You can also enjoy the luxury of customizing this app in whatever way you wish.
For example, if you notice that the spam texts you receive have the first four digits constant, you can block any number starting with the four digits in the future.
Apart from these features, it has many more and I’ll leave it to you to explore them.
2. Key messages
This AI-driven app automatically blocks any messages you might get from an unknown sender. You can choose whatever category of messages you would like to block and which ones to receive.
The app is MMS compatible and automatically backs up all your data to your google drive account.
3. Call control
This is a comprehensive application for blocking spam calls and texts on android. Call control has the feature to automatically shut down any spam calls or SMS messages you might receive on your android phone.
It also has one-of-a-kind features like its incognito mode, which hides anonymous calls and texts. It also denies any messages from confirmed scammers or the ones that might be.
You can also personalize your blacklists through this application.
4. Donotpay
This app is my personal favorite. The app not only focuses on stopping this spam from getting to you but takes some action against the guilty. You can follow these instructions while using the app-
- Make your account on Do not pay.
- Among the different features available, click on the Robo revenge feature.
- Clicking on the feature would manufacture a virtual credit card for you.
- Now, if you ever receive a scam text asking for your account details, give them the details of this fake account.
Now obviously, the scammers would not be able to extract any money. They’ll fail spectacularly, plus they do not pay app will now be able to track the scammers and collect details about them.
6. How will I protect myself in the future from these texts?
Some tips for you to protect yourself from such messages in the future are-
- Hesitate from sharing your contact number with anyone unless it’s necessary. If you go and shop at places and are asked for your phone number, tell them no. Practice the same thing at other events.
- Use the call-blocking services used by your network carrier, and even use third-party apps to stop this.
- You can also use antivirus protection for your phone in the future.
