How to Block Spam Texts and Phone Calls on Your iPhone
Spam text messages and phone calls are rapidly rising. Managing the settings within your iPhone can help block unwanted messages.
April 12 2022, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
It didn’t take long for scammers and hackers to figure out ways to steal money and data from people using their cell phones. Sending spam texts to your iPhone or other smartphone is a great way for criminals to get your personal information. If you’re sick of messages from unknown senders, here’s how to block spam texts on your iPhone.
The iPhone, like Android phones, offers a fairly painless way to block unwanted calls and text messages. The Apple support website explains that for iOS 13 and beyond, a Settings option can silence unwanted calls (and texts). But what about actually blocking those messages so you never have to see them?
iPhone and Android phones enable you to block specific numbers.
One of the simplest steps to take to protect yourself from phone scams and text scams is to use the option within the text message itself. If you have an iPhone, you can open up the settings within a text message and block that specific number from contacting you again.
Within Settings, iPhone users can select “Filter unknown senders” within iMessage. In iMessage, you can also select “Report junk” within an unwanted message.
You can also download a spam-detecting app to help avoid falling victim to scams like the recent one affecting Verizon wireless customers. Over 100 Verizon customers reported receiving suspicious texts that appeared to come from their own phone numbers.
In March, the app RoboKiller reported that spam text messages shot up by 28 percent from February. It reported 11 billion spam texts in March, the highest for either text or phone messages since the app began spam monitoring in 2017.
Spam group texts are a loophole for scammers in 2022.
It can be more of a hassle to block spam group texts on your iPhone or Android device. As of July 2021, iPhone users were still perplexed about how to get out of unwanted group texts. Currently, the Apple website states that if you’re getting group junk messages with SMS or MMS, you’ll need to contact your wireless company to resolve it.
General tips helps you avoid phone and text scams.
Even after taking precautions like changing the settings on your iPhone and installing spam filters, sometimes rogue spam texts still get through to your iPhone. Scammers are trying to take advantage of people with student loan debt or other issues. Remember some basic guidelines for avoiding scams as they apply to your phone.
Place your number on the national Do Not Call registry.
Don’t respond to text messages from numbers you don’t recognize. (This includes texting “STOP” as that confirms to scammers that your phone is active.)
Don’t click on links within suspicious text messages.
Be on guard against strange-looking links and misspelled words in a text message.
- Don’t follow prompts that ask you to “Press 1” or take similar steps.
- Never provide personal information such as credit card or bank account numbers.
