How to Protect Yourself from Scamming Text Messages

Scam text messages have become one of the most profitable tools in a fraudster’s arsenal. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $470 million to text scams in 2024 alone. That’s five times more than in 2020.

What makes these scams so effective? Unlike spam emails, texts feel personal. We’re conditioned to read them immediately, and the format — short, with a link — doesn’t leave much room to pause and think.

The good news is that your phone already has tools to help. This guide covers how to spot a fake text, what to do if you receive one, and how to set up your iPhone or Android to filter them automatically.

What is a scam text message (smishing)?

“Smishing” is a blend of SMS and phishing. It’s when a scammer sends a fraudulent text to trick you into clicking a link, sharing personal information, or making a payment.

The goal is almost always the same: access to your accounts or your money. Scammers might impersonate your bank, a delivery company, a government agency, or even a friend who appears to need help.

The most common types of scam texts right now

The most frequently reported text scam types include:

• Fake package delivery — A message claiming there’s a problem with a delivery, asking you to click a link and re-enter your payment details
• Bogus job offers — Messages promising easy online work, which eventually lead to requests to “invest” your own money
• Fake bank fraud alerts — Texts warning of a suspicious charge on your account and asking you to verify your identity
• Unpaid toll scams — Messages claiming you owe money for a toll and linking to a fake payment page
• Wrong number scams — A seemingly innocent misdirected text that, if you respond, turns into an elaborate con

How to spot a fake text message

No single sign guarantees a text is fraudulent, but these are the most reliable red flags:

• It creates urgency. “Act now or your account will be suspended.” Scammers want you to react before you think.
• There’s a link to click. Legitimate organizations — banks, government agencies, delivery services — will tell you to visit their official website directly. They rarely embed clickable links in texts.
• The sender doesn’t match the message. A text claiming to be from your bank might come from a random local number, or a string of digits that looks nothing like a business shortcode.
• The link looks slightly off. Scam links often use domains that mimic real ones but with subtle differences — a letter swapped, a hyphen added, or a different ending like “.net” instead of “.com.”
• You’re asked for personal or financial information. Your bank, the IRS, and USPS will never ask for your Social Security number, card details, or password via text.
• It’s about something you didn’t initiate. A delivery problem you weren’t expecting, a prize you didn’t enter, a job you never applied for.

Fig 1. A phishing text and a fake log-in page.

What to do when you receive a suspicious text

Don’t click anything. Not the link, not “unsubscribe,” and not “STOP.” Responding in any way confirms your number is active and can lead to more scam attempts.

Don’t reply. Same logic applies. Even a simple reply signals to the sender that your number is live.

Block and report. On both iPhone and Android, you can report a message as spam directly in the Messages app. This helps improve automated filters for everyone.

Verify independently. If a text claims to be from your bank or a delivery company, call them using the number on their official website — not any number included in the text.

Report it. You can forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM), which most carriers monitor. You can also report them at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Built-in protections for iPhone users

Apple has built message filtering into iOS, and it’s worth turning on if you haven’t already.

Screen Unknown Senders and Filter Spam (iOS 26)

This feature filters and hides notifications from unknown senders and potential scammers.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap Apps
3. Tap Messages
4. Under “Unknown Senders,” you’ll find Screen Unknown Senders and Filter Spam

Fig 2. Toggling on Screen Unknown Senders and Filter Spam on iOS 26.

Filter Unknown Senders (iOS 18)

This feature moves texts from anyone not in your contacts to a separate “Unknown Senders” folder. You won’t get a notification for these messages, and they won’t clutter your main inbox.

To enable it:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap Apps
3. Tap Messages
4. Toggle on Filter Unknown Senders

Fig 3. Toggling on Filter Unown Senders on iOS 18.

Any messages filtered here can still be reviewed at any time by tapping the Filters button in the Messages app.

Turning on Screen Unknown Senders routes messages from unsaved numbers to a separate folder without sending you a notification.

Filter Spam goes a step further, using on-device machine learning to catch messages that look like scams even if the number isn’t flagged elsewhere.

A caveat worth knowing: filtering unknown senders can occasionally catch legitimate messages — from a doctor’s office, an appointment reminder, or someone who just got a new number. It’s worth checking that folder occasionally so nothing important slips through.

Built-in protections for Android users

Google Messages has had spam protection for several years, and it’s become significantly more capable.

Enable Spam Protection in Google Messages

1. Open Google Messages
2. Tap your profile picture in the top right
3. Tap Messages settings
4. Tap Protection and safety
5. Toggle Spam protection on

Fig 4. Enabling Spam protection for Google Messages.

When this is enabled, Google Messages uses on-device machine learning to automatically detect suspicious messages and move them to a spam folder. It also blocks links in messages flagged as spam, preventing you from accidentally tapping through to a harmful site.

Google has also added the ability to report scam messages using Circle to Search, available on Pixel devices and some other Android phones. If you receive a suspicious message, you can long-press text on your screen and use Circle to Search to investigate it before acting.

What to do if you already clicked a link

It happens. If you’ve tapped a link in a suspicious text, here’s what to do:

1. Don’t enter any information on the page. Close it immediately.
2. Change your passwords for any accounts the scam may have been targeting — especially your email, bank, or Apple ID/Google account.
3. Enable two-factor authentication on important accounts if you haven’t already. This adds a second verification step so that a compromised password alone isn’t enough for a fraudster to get in.
4. Check your accounts for any activity you don’t recognize.
5. Scan your device. If you’re worried a malicious link may have installed something, Certo AntiSpy for Android and iOS can scan your device for spyware and other threats..

Wrapping Up

Scam texts have gotten harder to spot over time, but the fundamentals of staying safe haven’t changed much: slow down, question anything unexpected, and never follow a link to enter sensitive information.

Your phone’s built-in filters can do a lot of the heavy lifting automatically. Taking five minutes to turn them on is one of the simplest things you can do to reduce your exposure. After that, it comes down to habit — and the habit is simply this: when in doubt, go directly to the source.

FAQs

Can scammers get anything just from me receiving their text?

No. Simply receiving a scam text doesn’t give scammers access to your phone or information. The risk comes from clicking links, replying, or entering information on a linked page.

Why does replying “STOP” to spam texts make things worse?

With legitimate marketing texts, replying STOP works as expected. With scam texts, it has the opposite effect — it tells the sender that your number is active and being read, which can result in more scam attempts.

What’s the difference between blocking a number and filtering unknown senders?

Blocking a specific number prevents any future messages from that sender. Filtering unknown senders is broader — it moves all messages from non-contacts into a separate folder, regardless of whether the number is blocked. Both are useful, but filtering is more practical for dealing with scam texts at scale.