You may have seen this text spam in your inbox. It goes something like this. “Hello, I will like to know if you do power wash in Dallas and do you except credit card for payment” I have always wondered what this was about, so I texted them back.
I haven’t met anyone who has actually fallen for this baloney, but many people are frustrated with the clutter in their inbox. So what can you do? Unfortunately, there is no way to eliminate spam, but there are some things you can do to slow it down.
You can block individual phone numbers. To block a number on iPhone, click on the i in the upper right corner, then click on the number. Then scroll to the bottom of the screen, and click “Block this Caller.” To block a number on an Android phone, click the three vertical dots, select “People and Options”, and block. If you want to go a step further and report the message as spam, just forward the message to 7726.
There are also apps that can help stop spam. TrueCaller is my favorite app for spam blocking. TrueCaller relies on a community of users to report spam numbers. When a reported spam number tries to call you, your phone will show you a spam alert message so you can ignore the call. It doesn’t catch everything, but it helps.
The most important thing to remember about any spam is to never engage them. It can be tempting to prank them, but this could lead to even more spam. Sometimes spammers get a list of random numbers and text them until they get a bite. If you reply, they know that they have a bite. Never click any links from a contact that you do not recognize. A hacker could use this to gain access to your phone and monitor your activity.
Always be careful of magic bullets. No one has a complete solution. Spam is not going away anytime soon. Keep blocking numbers, use apps to help, or just ignore it.
