You could have sworn you put your phone number on a “Do Not Call” list. If so, why do you keep getting spam calls and messages? That may be one of your burning questions when it comes to things about your iPhone that annoy you to no end.
And the truth about some of these messages is more nefarious that it is simply annoying: a lot of these types of spam messages are sent by hackers who are hoping you’ll click on links you don’t recognize and be led to places where trackers can be placed on your device and your data can be more easily stolen.
The trick is to cut off this snake right at its head. Payette Forward has simple, fast solutions for dealing with spam texts:
Follow these five hacks to stop iPhone spam texts.
Filter Unknown Senders
This is your first important step to stopping scam texts: you have to filter your calls and texts into those that are in your contacts and those that aren’t in your contacts. While it’s true this will also cause you to miss some important messages from people whose numbers you don’t have stored just yet, the benefits may outweigh the negatives if you’re constantly getting spam. If you’re concerned about missing important texts, add these numbers to your contacts.
Open Setting, scroll down to Messages and tap on it. Scroll down and look for a “Message filtering” heading. Enable Filter Unknown Senders.
Block Sclam Numbers
You can do more than just banish spammers — you can actually block them altogether from calling or texting you. Go to Messages, find a particular number you don’t recognize and select it, and then click on the icon at the top to select “block” them. This might not be a lasting measure because spammers become good at changing their numbers, but it’s a temporary solution.
Report Scammers To Your Wireless Carrier
What might be more effective is reporting scammers to your wireless carrier so that they are truly banned from your account. Press and hold on the scam message and click on “More” when a menu pops up. Enter 7726 into the field, and hit “send.” You should receive a message from your carrier asking you to confirm that you want these numbers blocked.
Report Junk iMessages to Apple
You can report junk iMessages directly to Apple by tapping on “Report Junk” below the message and confirming that it is a junk message. Keep in mind this method won’t block their number from your phone, but it will temporarily take care of ridding the junk mail from your device.
Report Junk Texts to the FTC
If you’re really ready to pull out the nuclear option, reporting junk texts to the Federal Trade Commission is the way to do it. Anytime you receive a message from a hacker who is posing as a company, for example, and claiming you owe them money — report them to the FTC. To do so, pull up your browser and go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Tap the Big Report Now button. You’ll be asked several questions about the nature of the text. It may take time and several messages for the FTC to take action, but you can feel good about doing your part to protect yourself and others from potentially dangerous messages like these.
