Scam texts have exploded in recent years. Fake package delivery notifications, phony bank alerts, bogus prize announcements, and phishing links disguised as messages from trusted companies flood our phones every day. Americans received over 225 billion spam text messages in 2025 alone.

The good news is that both iPhone and Android have built-in tools to filter and block these messages. You do not need to download any apps or pay for any services. You just need to turn on the right settings.

Here is how to do it on both platforms, step by step.

iPhone: Filter Unknown Senders

Apple has a built-in feature called "Filter Unknown Senders" that separates text messages from people not in your contacts into a separate list. This keeps scam texts from cluttering your main inbox.

To turn it on:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Messages
  3. Scroll down to Message Filtering
  4. Toggle on Filter Unknown Senders

What this does: Your Messages app will now have two tabs at the top: "Known Senders" and "Unknown Senders." Messages from people in your contacts go to Known Senders. Everything else goes to Unknown Senders.

This does not block the messages. They still arrive. But they are separated so you are less likely to accidentally interact with a scam text. You can check the Unknown Senders tab whenever you want and delete anything suspicious.

Links in unknown messages are disabled. When Filter Unknown Senders is turned on, any links in messages from unknown senders cannot be clicked. You would need to add the sender to your contacts first. This prevents accidental taps on phishing links.

iPhone: Report Junk Messages

When you receive a scam text from an unknown sender on iPhone, you can report it directly to Apple:

  1. Open the scam message
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the message
  3. Tap Report Junk
  4. Confirm by tapping Delete and Report Junk

This reports the message to Apple and your carrier, which helps improve spam detection for everyone. The message is deleted from your phone after reporting.

You can also block specific numbers on iPhone:

  1. Open the scam message
  2. Tap the phone number or contact at the top of the conversation
  3. Tap Info (the "i" icon)
  4. Scroll down and tap Block this Caller

Android: Spam Protection in Google Messages

If you use Google Messages (the default messaging app on most Android phones), you have built-in spam protection that automatically detects and filters scam texts.

To make sure it is turned on:

  1. Open the Messages app
  2. Tap your profile picture in the top right
  3. Tap Messages settings
  4. Tap Spam protection
  5. Make sure Enable spam protection is toggled on

When spam protection is enabled, Google Messages automatically identifies suspected spam texts and moves them to a "Spam & blocked" folder. You will not receive notifications for these messages, but you can review them if you want to make sure nothing legitimate was caught.

Android: Block and Report Spam Texts

To block a specific number and report a spam text in Google Messages:

  1. Open the spam message
  2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right
  3. Tap Details
  4. Tap Block & report spam
  5. Check the box that says "Report spam" and tap OK

This blocks the number from texting you again and reports the message to Google so they can improve spam detection for all Android users.

On Samsung phones using Samsung Messages, the process is similar:

  1. Open the spam message
  2. Tap the three-dot menu
  3. Tap Block number
  4. Confirm the block

Report Scam Texts to 7726 (SPAM)

Both iPhone and Android users can report scam texts to their carrier by forwarding the message to 7726 (which spells SPAM on a phone keypad).

Here is how:

  1. Open the scam text message
  2. Copy the message text (press and hold, then tap Copy)
  3. Create a new text message to the number 7726
  4. Paste the scam message and send it
  5. Your carrier may reply asking for the phone number the spam came from. Send that number back.

This reports the scam text directly to your wireless carrier (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.). Carriers use these reports to identify and block spam sources at the network level, which helps reduce scam texts for everyone on their network.

Never reply to a scam text. Do not text "STOP," do not reply with "wrong number," and do not engage in any way. Replying confirms that your phone number is active, which puts you on lists that are sold to other scammers. The result is more spam, not less.

Common Scam Text Red Flags

Knowing what to look for helps you spot scam texts before you interact with them:

Additional Protection: Carrier Spam Filters

In addition to your phone's built-in tools, your carrier offers spam text filtering:

These carrier tools work at the network level, catching spam before it even reaches your phone in many cases. Combined with your phone's built-in filtering, they provide strong protection against scam texts.

The Best Text Scam Defense: Pause Before You Tap

No filter catches everything. The most important protection is your own judgment. Before you tap any link in a text message, ask yourself:

If anything feels off, do not tap the link. Instead, paste the message into NoScamForMe.com for an instant analysis, or go directly to the company's website by typing the address yourself.

Take 15 minutes today to set up the filters described above. Share this guide with your parents and help them set up their phones too. A few minutes of setup can prevent months of headaches.

Not sure if a text is a scam? Paste it into NoScamForMe.com and find out in seconds. Free, instant, and built for everyone.