Stop! Don’t reply “Stop” or Stop2End to any more infernal political text messages asking you to take a poll, click a link, or donate. That’s supposed to work, but it’s not. Just ask anyone who has tried it lately.
Replying with anything—an expletive tirade, photos of your cats’ litter box, or a straight-out STOP—tips the unethical text vendors that they have a working number. In other words, the good guys see, “Stop bugging the living daylights out of these fine people,” while the bad guys read, “Open the fire hoses and send ALL the texts.”
How do we get political messages to stop?
I just paid four dollars to stop political text messages from blowing up my phone day and night. It’s an app called Stop Donation Spam (iOS, $3.99 “special” for six months or $10/year). I dislike subscriptions as much as the next gal, but this is a small price to pay for peace.
After you download it, go to Settings > Messages > tap on “Unknown and Spam” > turn on “Filter Unknown Senders > select “Stop Donation Spam.”
Some messages from people outside your known contacts—like a doctor or haircut reminder—still appear, but these others get banished to the great spammy-text black hole.
The app maker says he built Stop Donation Spam to solve this specific problem once and for all. He also notes that any data it collects is anonymized, and they don’t collect or share personal information.
What else can we do about unwanted texts?
Earlier this year, I reported about shady political and campaign workarounds: Most of them ask, urge, beg — and even mildly threaten — us to donate to their campaign. Right now. Or else democracy is doomed! And really, how can we resist saving America?!
My advice from the experts was to reply STOP—with the caveat that it would only slow down the honest ones. Clearly, right now, there are more unethical companies out there, so it’s better not to tip them off that they found a working number and do this instead:
- Report the sender to your cell provider by forwarding the texts to 7726 (or “SPAM”). This helps them block SMS messages coming from this number in the future.
- Click “Delete and Report Junk” and block the sender.
Use your phone’s built-in spam filter.
You’re not entirely done yet. If you have an iPhone or Android device that’s been updated within the past few years, there are built-in features you should take advantage of here:
- On iPhone: Open Settings and tap Messages. Scroll down and toggle Filter Unknown Senders to the on position. From now on, texts from people who aren’t in your contact list will go to a separate text inbox. The only problem with this is that every once in a while, someone you don’t know sends you a text you need to respond to, like an automated message from your doctor’s office or child’s school.
- On Android: Open the Messages app and navigate to the Settings menu. From here, select Spam Protection and then enable it. Keep in mind that different Android phones have slightly different menu layouts.
After I did everything I listed above, most spam texts disappeared in about a week.
How do you know if the text is spam?
If you’re getting texts you didn’t ask for, consider it spam. If the message conveys a sense of urgency and asks you to do something immediately, that’s a massive billboard-sized red flag.
Also, never click on a link—as in never—no matter what. Many contain malware or take you to a fake site that might look legit, but if you donate money, it goes to a scammer, not a campaign.
The only time it’s okay to click a link in a text is if it’s from someone you know well, like a family member or good friend. I am even suspicious of those now sometimes, too, and I call or text that person directly to ask if they sent the link to me before I open it.
Scammers often use spoofed phone numbers — like a number with your local area code — to look legit. Don’t fall for it.
Other ways to spot a scam include:
- The “hey, it was great to see you last night” messages from someone you don’t know. You might be tempted to text back, “I don’t know you,” but it’s better to delete/report/block. Responding lets them know they have a live number, and they’ll hound you even more.
- Misspellings, poor grammar, or calling you by the wrong name.
- The “you’ve won a prize” texts from a business, sweepstakes, or debt relief
- Job offers
- Any message asking for personal details of any kind
There’s another app for that too:
A handful of apps for iPhone and Android devices serve as an additional line of defense by filtering out spam calls and texts reported by other users. I’ve used several of these apps in the past, including NoMoRobo,Robokiller, and YouMail.
You’ll need to sign up for a subscription to get the most out of them. Pricing varies, but expect to pay between $5 and $15 monthly. The bonus is that they help prevent spam phone calls, giving you a full-featured service to keep your phone quieter.
But the only surefire way to stop scammers is to stop paying them. Be sure to share this information with everyone you know so that we can put them out of business for good.
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NOTE: A version of this report originally ran in USA Today.