What Is Robotexting and How To Stop It

I suspect you have heard of Robocalls, those annoying and unsolicited recorded messages that you can get at all hours of the day and night. Well, now there is Robotexting. New and cheap technology has made it easy for scammers and telemarketers to send you unwanted spam texts.

One reason scammers and telemarketers will use spam texts is to figure out if your phone number is a real number with a human behind it. Often these texts will ask you to “STOP” to unsubscribe but actually you are not opting out but just identifying yourself as a target.

Some spam texts are designed to steal your information. They will promise a prize or promotion to get you to provide personal info such as your credit card, social security or birth date.

Another potential problem with responding to these texts is that they can install malware on your phone. Never click on a link in a spam message.

Often these texts will come from a “spoofed” number so that it will be almost impossible to catch the spammers. Spoofed numbers allowed the caller to masquerade as someone else by falsifying the number that appears on the recipeient's caller ID. These numbers usually show up as “Blocked Caller ID”, “No Caller ID”, “Unknown Caller ID”, a random phone number, a phone number from your same area code or even your own phone number!

So, what can you do to avoid annoying and potentially dangerous Robo Tests from plaguing your phone?

• Do Not Repsond
  • Unless the message is from a legitimate company that will honor your request to “STOP” sending texts, don't reply. Replying to a spammer just confirms that your number is a real number with a real person behind it and they can sell that info to other spammers or telemarkers.
• Block The Phone Number
  • It doesn't hurt to try blocking the phone number but because of “spoofing” spammers can and do change the number that shows on your caller ID very often. It usually isn't the best way to stop robotexts but it one option of defense especially if the frequent texts are from the same number all the time.
• Use A Third Party App
  • There are several third party apps that you can install on your phone. Some to research are Nomorobo and RoboKiller. There may be a fee for these apps.
• Report The Number To Your Mobile Provider
  • I didn't know until recently that you can report a robotext phone number to your carrier and they will try to block future spam messages. Just forward the original message and text it to 7726 (SPAM) if you are with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon.
• Filter Out Spam Calls and Texts Through Your Mobile Phone
  • Both iPhone and Android offer ways to filter out percieved spam calls and messages (much like your junk mail folder on your email account).
  • For iPhone users go to SETTINGS -> MESSAGES-> scroll down to FILTER UNKNOWN SENDERS and turn that option on.
  • For Android users open your phone app and tap on the three dot icon in the top right hand corner. Choose SETTINGS then enable CALLER ID & SPAM.
• Submit Complaints
  • The FCC and FTC both take complaints about robotexting from consumers. They ask that you wright down the number and file a complaint each time you get unwanted text messages.

We hope this information will help you if you have to deal with frustrating Robotexts or Robocalls as well as keeps you and your private information safe.