How to Stop Spam in Text Messages
There is nothing worse than getting messages that you did not opt-in for. Spam texts are when you get a bunch of text messages for marketing – that you did not ask for. It is illegal and unethical. Unfortunately, businesses do not mind crossing lines to promote themselves. The question stands; How to stop spam?
Stopping spam is not very difficult, there are only a few steps that you have to look after. However, before we discuss this, let us talk about why spam is bad.
Why spamming is wrong
Spam texts are most likely coming from a computer and not a mobile phone. Random ‘free’ mass messaging services have to play a huge role in spamming. They provide a platform that might be illegal in many countries. However, if you want to opt for mass texting, you can do it with one of the most affordable platforms in the market – Expert Texting. It is legal and allows messaging to opt-ins only.
Apart from being annoying, spam can cause identity theft, malware downloads, and a lot of viruses. Here is how to reduce spam as much as possible.
How to stop spam
- Never reply
No matter what the message says. No matter how bad you want to call out the sender. Never – not even by accident – reply to spam messages. Your reply ensures the senders that the number is genuine. As result, they sell it out to other spammers who might just flood your inbox with spam. - Block the sender
The best thing you can do is block the sender entirely. Thankfully, android and iOS have the option to block the sender of messages.
However, if you do not have the option, there are plenty of applications out there that can help you with this process. - Micromanage your phone bill
How many times do you actually take time to read the entire phone bill? If you receive a lot of spam messages, then checking your phone bill can help.
Thoroughly check your phone bill so you know your number is safe from sending unwanted messages. If your number is out in the open, then people may use it to send spam. This vicious cycle may backlist your number and also increase your bill.
- Protect your privacy
A lot of times spam messages lure you into asking for your personal information. Some of it is direct while others may not seem big of a deal. No matter what personal information someone asks you for, do not give it for the life of you.
Places like banks, government offices, and other established places never ask for your personal information. They call you in if they want information from you. - Opt out
Another option to stop spam messages is to simply opt out. You can reply with “Stop” to remove yourself from the subscriber list. If you are getting messages from a shortcode that is 5 or 6 digits long, this option should be open. If a person does not want to receive messages, the sender is legally bound to stop them. Carriers track the use of this method to the numbers they give. If this process does not work, you can report spam to the carriers. - Report
To make a change, you have to take a step! Do not just ignore or block spam. Talk to your SMS service provider and report spam numbers. Network carriers will investigate and may blacklist the number entirely. This way the number will never bother anyone else.
Your network carrier may also block it for you only. They will find it out after the investigation.
Bottom line
There is nothing about spamming that is good. It is annoying, a breach of privacy, and also very unsafe. ExpertTexting does not support spamming at all. We encourage industries to build an audience and take permission before sending messages. Moreover, we ensure that messages have an unsubscribe option.
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