Spam text messages have reached record levels. Americans received more than 225 billion spam texts in 2025 -- an average of nearly 17 unwanted messages per person per month. These are not just annoyances. Many are smishing attacks (SMS phishing) designed to steal your passwords, financial information, or identity. The good news is that a combination of phone settings, carrier tools, and data source removal can dramatically reduce the volume of spam hitting your phone.
What Is Smishing and Why Is It Dangerous?
Smishing is phishing delivered via text message. Instead of a suspicious email, you receive an urgent SMS claiming to be from your bank, a delivery service, the IRS, or a toll road authority. The message includes a link to a fake website designed to capture your login credentials, credit card number, or Social Security number.
Smishing is more dangerous than email phishing for several reasons:
- Higher open rates: People open text messages at a rate of roughly 98%, compared to 20% for emails. Scammers know their messages will be seen.
- Harder to verify: On a phone screen, it is difficult to inspect URLs or sender details the way you can in a desktop email client.
- Urgency triggers action: Messages claiming "your account will be locked" or "your package cannot be delivered" create pressure to click before thinking.
- Phone numbers feel personal: Receiving a text feels more legitimate than receiving a random email, which lowers people's guard.
Never Reply "STOP" to Unknown Senders
Legitimate businesses honor STOP requests, but spammers use them as confirmation that your phone number is active and monitored by a real person. Replying to a spam text -- even with "STOP" -- can result in a significant increase in spam volume as your number is flagged as verified and sold to other spammers.
How Spammers Get Your Phone Number
Understanding where spammers find your number helps you cut off the supply:
- Data brokers and people-search sites: Your phone number is listed on dozens of data broker sites alongside your name and address. Anyone -- including spammers -- can look it up or buy it in bulk.
- Data breaches: When a company you have an account with is breached, your phone number enters underground databases where it is sold and re-sold.
- Random number generation: Spammers use autodialers that cycle through valid phone number ranges, sending messages to every possible number.
- Public records: Voter registrations, property filings, court records, and business registrations often include phone numbers that become publicly searchable.
- Online forms and contests: Every time you enter your phone number on a website, you risk it being sold to third-party marketers or ending up in a spam database.
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Start your free scanSteps to Stop Spam Text Messages
1. Enable Built-In Spam Filters on Your Phone
Both iPhone and Android have native spam filtering that is surprisingly effective when enabled:
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders. This moves messages from people not in your contacts into a separate "Unknown Senders" tab and disables link previews and notifications for those messages.
- Android (Google Messages): Open Messages > tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Spam Protection > Enable Spam Protection. Google's machine learning model identifies and flags suspected spam automatically.
2. Forward Spam Texts to 7726 (SPAM)
Forward spam text messages to 7726 (which spells SPAM). This reports the message to your carrier, who uses the data to improve network-level spam filters and may take action against the sending number. All major US carriers support this shortcode.
3. Register on the Do Not Call Registry
The FTC's National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov covers unwanted text messages in addition to phone calls. Registration is free, permanent, and takes up to 31 days to take effect. While it will not stop all spam (it does not apply to scammers who ignore the law), it does reduce telemarketing texts from legitimate businesses.
4. Block Individual Numbers
When you receive a spam text, block the sender's number immediately:
- iPhone: Tap the sender's number at the top of the conversation > tap Info > scroll down > Block this Caller.
- Android: Open the conversation > tap the three-dot menu > Details > Block & report spam.
Blocking is a game of whack-a-mole since spammers rotate numbers constantly, but it helps reduce repeat contacts from the same source.
5. Use Carrier Spam Protection Tools
All three major carriers offer free or premium spam-blocking services:
- AT&T ActiveArmor: Free automatic fraud call blocking and spam risk alerts. The paid version adds reverse number lookup and identity monitoring.
- T-Mobile Scam Shield: Free Scam ID and Scam Block features that identify and block likely spam calls and texts. Premium adds caller ID for unknown numbers.
- Verizon Call Filter: Free spam detection and call blocking with a filter level you can adjust. The premium version adds caller ID, spam lookup, and a personal block list.
Report Spam to the FTC
If you receive spam texts -- especially ones that attempt to scam you -- report them at reportfraud.ftc.gov. FTC reports help law enforcement identify patterns and take action against large-scale spam operations. Include the phone number the message came from, the content of the message, and any links it contained (do not click the links).
6. Do Not Respond to Suspicious Messages
Do not tap any links in spam texts. Do not reply with personal information. Do not call phone numbers included in the message. Even replying with "STOP" to an unrecognized sender can confirm your number is active. Delete the message and block the sender.
Stop Spam at the Source: Remove Your Number From Data Brokers
The steps above manage spam after it reaches your phone. To meaningfully reduce the volume of spam you receive, you need to address the source: your phone number sitting on data broker sites where spammers can harvest it.
People-search sites like Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, and dozens of others list your phone number alongside your name, address, and other personal details. Spammers, telemarketers, and scammers use these sites as a cheap source of verified phone numbers. Removing your number from these databases reduces your exposure at the point of collection rather than trying to block each individual message after the fact.
Manually opting out of each data broker site is possible but time-consuming -- there are over 200 sites, each with a different process, and your data reappears every 60 to 90 days as brokers refresh their databases.
How PrivacyOn Helps
PrivacyOn automates the removal of your phone number and other personal information from 100+ data broker sites. By cutting off the supply of your phone number to spammers, PrivacyOn addresses the root cause of spam texts rather than just the symptoms. The service continuously monitors for re-listings and re-submits removal requests as data brokers re-add your information, providing ongoing protection that keeps your phone number off these databases permanently.
Additional Tips to Reduce Spam Exposure
- Use a secondary number for online forms. Google Voice or a prepaid number can serve as a buffer between your real phone number and the online world. Give this number to websites, loyalty programs, and services instead of your primary number.
- Do not give out your number unnecessarily. When a store clerk asks for your phone number at checkout, you can decline. Most of the time, it is optional.
- Review app permissions. Some apps access your contacts and phone number and share them with third-party advertisers. Review permissions on both iOS and Android and revoke access for apps that do not need your phone number to function.
- Be cautious with online contests and giveaways. Many are designed primarily to harvest phone numbers and email addresses for marketing lists.