You may be familiar with email spam: it’s the online equivalent of junk mail, with the added danger of being a tool used by scammers to distribute viruses or obtain personal info. But spam also exists in the mobile world, with spammers now making use of text messages to harass unwitting phone owners.
In this guide:
- How to spot spam SMS
- Stopping the spam
- Blocking a number
- Blocking spam SMS with no number
- Premium SMS services
Spam SMS are unwanted text messages that are usually either someone promoting a product or service, or someone attempting to scam you into providing personal information. If you’ve received a message that doesn’t identify the sender, you didn't consent to receiving, or that makes an offer too good to be true, it’s likely to be spam.
However, not all text advertising is ‘spam’ – many people subscribe to legitimate SMS services, known as Premium SMS. It's still possible to subscribe to these services inadvertently, so we'll also cover these below.
How to Spot Spam SMS
Spam refers to messages that are unsolicited, unwanted, and can sometimes cost the recipient money. Spam is usually sent automatically and in bulk, often to randomly chosen or generated phone numbers. These sorts of messages can come in many forms – often you’ll be asked to respond to an email address or phone number that doesn’t correspond with the supposed identity of the sender.
Often, malicious spam texts are the initial stages of an outright scam, in which the senders are hoping to gain personal information by fraudulent means. Often scammers pose as financial institutions or a government agency like the ATO. Or they pretend you've won money in a lottery you didn't enter or are about to get a delivery of something you didn't order.
If you think you've received a spam text message:
- Don't reply
- Don't provide any personal details
- Don't click on any links
- Don't show any interest in what the spammer is requesting or promoting
- Do keep any unwanted texts, as you may need to refer to them later if you continue to receive messages and need to take further action.
Stopping the spam
If you continue to receive spam SMS even though you haven’t responded, you can take the following steps:
1. Use opt out functionality
If the "spam" is coming from a legitimate source that you just happen to find annoying, it should have details on how to opt out. If you're confident the source is legitimate, follow the opt out instructions. This should then stop the messages.
If you're not confident or would prefer to err on the side of caution, block the sender instead following the instructions below.
2. Make a complain to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
The TIO have an easy online form you can fill out and may be able to provide further assistance.
3. Make a complaint to the
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
You can forward spam texts directly to the ACMA at 0429 999 888 (texts will cost the standard SMS rate). You’ll receive an acknowledgement SMS in reply once ACMA receives the forwarded text, along with a reference number if you wish to make further inquiries or complaints.
The ACMA will then investigate the source and record the text details in its database.
Contacting the ACMA won’t automatically stop the unwanted messages, but it will help with investigations that may lead to the spammer being shut down.
4. Report the messages to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
The ACCC would like all unsolicited messages to be reported to its ‘SCAMwatch’ service, even if it appears to be legitimate promotional content. You can do so by visiting the SCAMwatch website, or calling 1300 795 995.
For even more avenues to follow to stop and report currents scams you've witnessed, check out How to stop scams in Australia on Verified.org.
Blocking a number
If you want to stop messages or calls from a certain number, this is another viable alternative, provided the spam is continuously coming from the same source.
On iPhone, you can do the following:
- Open the Messages app, open the conversation in question.
- Tap the i icon in the top right hand corner, then tap the name or phone number.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and select Block this caller.
This will also prevent phone calls from that number. When you block a phone number or contact on iPhone, they can still leave voicemail, but you won't get a notification. The contact won't get a notification that the call or message was blocked.
On Android, the process is similar:
- Open your Messages app, and open the conversation in question.
- Tap the More icon, typically represented by three vertical dots.
- From here, the exact steps vary from Android manufacturer to manufacturer. You might have an option to block the contact immediately, or you might need to dig further down into settings. Look for something along the lines of People & Options.
Blocking Spam SMS With No Number
Spam SMS senders have become increasingly sophisticated, and now often send messages with no number attached. Instead, the message will typically come from a named sender instead. "CliveUAP", for example. In this case, your phone's default blocking software won't work. There are still options, however, but they will vary depending on your phone.
iPhone
- Open the Spam SMS in question
- Tap the face-like icon at the top of the messages pane, and then tap Info
- Tap the blue phone icon on the right side of the spammer's name
- This will start a phone call. Cancel it immediately
- Close Messages, and open up your Phone app
- Tap the Recents pane
- Click the i icon next to the number you just dialled
- Select Block This Caller
This will then prevent further messages from the sender in question. It is however worth noting that some senders will use multiple numbers to avoid getting blocked, so this method may not prevent all spam.
Samsung
If you're using the default Messages app on a Samsung Android smartphone, you should be able to set up a custom filter to prevent further messages from the sender in question.
- Open the Messages app
- Write down the name of the sender in question, exactly how it is spelled
- Tap the three dot icon in the top right hand corner of the Messages app
- Tap Block messages
- Select Block phrases and enter the the name of the sender from earlier
This can work well if the messages are coming from a specific sender with a unique name, but is less ideal if a third party is pretending to be your favourite retailer or your bank. After all, you don't want legitimate messages in your spam folder. You can however see any blocked messages by tapping the Blocked messages menu option under the aforementioned Block messages settings.
Other Android phones
If you're on a non-Samsung device, you'll want to consider changing your default messaging app to something like Key Messages. In addition to blocking messages based on number, Key Messages allows you to block based on organisation name and message content.
Premium SMS services
In Australia, commercial electronic messages can only be sent to you with your consent. SMS services or premium SMS services, designated by numbers starting with '19', are usually subscription services that deliver entertainment and information to your mobile phone. These cost a much higher price that you would normally pay to send and receive texts.
Even if you are on a plan including unlimited SMS messages, Premium SMS services will cost you extra.
Premium services have a bad rep, due to people not realising they’re actually signing up to a subscription service before giving consent (and not realising that they’re paying through the nose for every text received). It's very easy to unwittingly give consent. Examples of these services include mobile ringtones or wallpaper delivered to your phone, competitions, horoscopes, and directory services.
The difference between legitimate premium services and spam is that generally, recipients opt-in to the premium services by calling or sending an SMS to the content provider. You should receive a confirmation text when you subscribe. And you can easily stop the messages if you decide you don't want them, usually by replying to the text with the word 'STOP'. Failing that, you can search the content provider at 19 SMS and contact them directly.
For the overwhelming majority of users, that’s all they’ll need to do to remove themselves from a service’s subscriber base. But there are some shady companies who’ll continue to send texts or initiate services without a customer’s consent – and that’s where spam comes in. If this happens you to, follow the steps outlined above.
Sadly, scammers are getting more sophisticated, and persistent, when it comes to targeting phone owners, including scary scams like SIM swapping. Our friends at Verified.org are a great resource for the latest scams and how to avoid them.
Alex Choros
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