Spam Emails and Text Messages: Opting Out and Reporting Abuse

This guide presents selected U.S. government consumer education from Federal Trade Commission. References to “we” or “us” in the source material refer to the issuing agency. Source dates and links appear below.

How To Get Less Spam in Your Email

At best, spam emails are annoying. At worst, they’re pushing scams or trying to install malware on your device. Here are some ways to get fewer spam emails.

How To Get Fewer Spam Emails

• Use an email filter. Check your email account to see if it has a tool to filter out unwanted emails or to funnel them into a junk email folder. Many email providers (like Gmail or Yahoo) have strong spam filters turned on by default. But there are ways to make them work even better. For example, if any spam makes it through to your inbox, mark it as spam or junk. Filters aren’t perfect, so even emails that make it past the filter might still be spam. Also, check your spam or junk folders occasionally to make sure non-spam email didn’t end up in there.
• Block unwanted emails. Check your email provider’s settings for steps to block unwanted emails. Try blocking specific email addresses or email domains (the part of the address after the @). 
• Check to see how companies will use your email address. Different websites and apps handle your privacy differently. When you give a company your email address, it might share or sell it to third parties. Checking a company’s privacy policy might help you see how they’ll share your contact information. 
• Unsubscribe from unwanted emails. Many email providers have features that help you unsubscribe from email lists. They may show up as a banner or as a button when you open the email. To find out what options your email provider has, search online for the name of your email provider, plus “how to unsubscribe from unwanted emails.” 

How To Protect Your Device from Spammers

Protecting your device is another way to cut down on spam by keeping spammers from using it to send you still more spam. Hackers and spammers scan the internet looking for computers, phones, tablets, and other connected devices that aren’t protected by up-to-date security software. They want to install hidden software — called malware — to control those devices remotely. Scammers sometimes send phishing emails with attachments or links that, if opened or clicked, install harmful malware on the device. 

When many of these hacked devices link together, they make up a “botnet” — a network spammers use to send millions of emails at once. Millions of computers, phones, and internet-connected devices, like smart cameras or voice assistants, are part of botnets. In fact, most spam is sent this way.

If spammers get access to your device, it can cause a lot of issues like slowdowns, legal trouble if attacks are traced to you, and identity theft if the hackers stole your personal information. To help protect your device:

• Keep your device’s security updated. Most devices, new or old, have software that needs occasional updates to fix security bugs and other glitches. To protect your devices, use security software. Update it regularly, or — better yet — set it to update automatically. That way, you know you have the latest protections. And set it to automatically scan new files on your device. 
• Change preset passwords. Your device might have a standard default password from the manufacturer. Hackers know how to find default passwords easily, so change yours to something more secure.
• Detect and remove malware. It’s sometimes hard to tell if a spammer installed malware on your device, but there are some warning signs: maybe your device suddenly slows down, won’t shut down or restart, or won’t let you remove software. If you think you clicked on a link or opened an attachment that downloaded harmful software, run a scan to see if it identifies a problem. If you know your device was hacked or infected by a virus, take it offline right away. Then take steps to remove the malware and report it to the FTC.

Report Spam

If you get an unwanted email:

• Report it. Forward unwanted messages to your email provider (like Gmail or Yahoo).
• Mark it as spam or junk. Most email services include options to mark messages as spam or junk.
• Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Looking to block spam text messages? Read How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages.

How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages

If you have a cell phone, you probably use it dozens of times a day to text people you know. But have you ever gotten a text message from an unknown sender? It could be a scammer trying to steal your personal and financial information. Here’s how to handle and report unwanted text messages.

Spam Text Messages and Phishing

Scammers send fake text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information — things like your password, account number, or Social Security number. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers.

Scammers often try to get you to click on links in text messages by promising you something. Scammers might

• promise free prizes, gift cards, or coupons — but they’re not real
• offer you a low or no interest credit card — but there’s no deal and probably no card
• promise to help you pay off your student loans — but they won’t

Scammers also send fake messages that say they have information about your account or a transaction. Scammers might

• say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity on your account — but they haven’t
• claim there’s a problem with your payment information — but there isn’t
• send you a fake invoice and tell you to contact them if you didn’t authorize the purchase — but it’s a scam
• send you a package delivery notification — but it’s fake

The messages might ask you to give some personal information — like how much money you make, how much you owe, or your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number — to claim your gift or pursue the offer. Or they might tell you to click on a link to learn more about the issue. Some links might take you to a spoofed website that looks real but isn’t. If you log in, the scammers then might steal your username and password.

Other messages might install harmful malware on your phone that steals your personal or financial information without you realizing it.

What To Do About Spam Text Messages

If you get a text message you weren’t expecting and it asks you to give some personal or financial information, don’t click on any links. Legitimate companies won’t ask for information about your account by text.

If you think the message might be real, contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real. Not the information in the text message.

There are many ways to filter unwanted text messages or stop them before they reach you:

How To Report Spam Text Messages

If you get an unwanted text message, there are three ways to report it:

• Copy the message and forward it to 7726 (SPAM). This helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages in the future.
• Report it on the messaging app you use. Look for the option to report junk or spam.
  • How to report spam or junk in the Messages app
  • How to report spam on an Android phone
• Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources and publication details

• How To Get Less Spam in Your Email — Federal Trade Commission; source date: 2024-09-30T13:42:35Z.
• How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages — Federal Trade Commission; source date: 2022-07-25T13:00:00Z.

The federal agency source text is U.S. government work in the public domain. Fynoptic selected, adapted, and formatted it for this guide. No agency endorsement is implied. Follow the linked sources for current program details and the rules applicable to your circumstances.