Scam texts: how to spot them and report them to 7726

How to spot a scam text

The FTC's rule of thumb: if you get a text you were not expecting and it asks for personal or financial information, do not click any link. Legitimate companies do not ask for account information by text. Common pretexts:

• suspicious activity on one of your accounts that never happened;
• a package delivery notice that is fake;
• an unpaid road toll, which the FCC flags as a scam aimed at quick payments.

The IRS does not text you without your permission; forward suspicious IRS texts to phishing@irs.gov with the subject “Text”.

How to report it

1. Forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). This helps your carrier spot and block similar messages. T-Mobile says forwarding is free and does not count toward your plan.
2. Use the “report junk” or “report spam” option in your messaging app.
3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or file an FCC complaint.
4. Delete it.

On an iPhone, Settings, Apps, Messages, then “Screen Unknown Senders” separates texts from people not in your contacts. To check a number that texted you, use the box at the end of this page; FCC complaints include texts, so a check shows if people reported texts from it.

What carriers must block

On March 16, 2023 the FCC adopted its first rules aimed at scam texts. Mobile providers must block texts that appear to come from numbers unlikely to send texts: invalid, unallocated or unused numbers, numbers whose subscriber says they never text, and numbers that government agencies and well-known organizations say they do not use for texting. Compliance became mandatory on September 3, 2024. Carriers must also block texts from numbers the FCC's Enforcement Bureau identifies in a notice of illegal texts.

When a text is illegal

FCC rules ban texts sent to a mobile phone with an autodialer unless the owner agreed to receive them or it is an emergency. Marketing texts need written consent; informational texts can rely on oral consent. These rules apply whether or not your number is on the Do Not Call Registry.

In December 2023 the FCC also codified that Do Not Call Registry protections apply to texts. The FTC's complaint form still says unwanted texts do not violate the Do Not Call rules, while asking you to report them anyway: each agency applies its own rules.

How many people complain

The FCC says robotext complaints rose from around 3,300 a year in 2015 to 18,900 in 2022. In its open complaint data, 25,304 unwanted-call complaints filed in the twelve months to October 2026 described a text message.

If the text was a scam that cost you money, the steps by payment method are in is this number a scam?