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Wake up and smell the scams, America! Text messages have become the number 1 choice among scammers.

According to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tracking, by the end of 2022, the agency could receive an estimated 336,000 reports of SMS scams, costing people an estimated $272 million, with an average loss of $1,000 each.

One of the reasons scammers turn to texts is because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has forced cellular carriers to get better at thwarting voice robocalls. Now those same providers have to retool to block scammers who have turned to texts to do their dirty work.

Vote for me and I’ll set you free

In an email to ConsumerAffairs, an AT&T spokesperson suggested that things might get worse before they get better, but they said AT&T is on the case.

One of the reasons the robotext problem is likely to get worse is that election season is entering the winning phase at all costs. Clayton LiaBraaten, senior executive advisor to Truecaller, told ConsumerAffairs that in the run-up to major elections, the volume of call/text spam has historically increased three to five times.

“While some political calls/texts are legitimate campaign activity, significant sketchy and fake fundraising efforts are trying to fathom the political hype and steal donations from consumers,” said Truecaller’s representative.

Report a possible scammer?

Fortunately, the release of Apple’s latest iOS 16 and current Android operating system make it easier for consumers to report suspected scams and help AT&T and others bypass the scammers’ wagons.

For anyone using Apple’s and Google’s messaging apps, AT&T has shared the steps necessary to report scammy texts. Here’s how to do it:

iPhone

  1. Open the text conversation you want to report

  2. Click on “Report Junk” in blue text and a popup should appear at the bottom of the screen.

  3. Select “Delete and Report Junk” in red text

In some cases, if you don’t see “Report Junk”, you can forward the message to 7726. “7726” also works on any carrier – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, et al.

Android/Google devices

Option A:

  1. Touch and hold the conversation you want to report and mark it with a checkmark

  2. Select Options (three dots at the top right of the screen)

  3. Choose “Block” and then “OK”

  4. Android phone with steps to report spam

Option B:

  1. Select Options . while a message is open

  2. Choose “Details”

  3. Then “Block & report spam” and “OK”

If neither method works, you can still get the carrier the message it needs by forwarding the text to 7726. You can also forward the unwanted text message to the carrier by sending it to 7726.

“By reporting the texts in this way, all necessary information is automatically shared with our team, including the number of the original report and the content of the message. Once you report the text, we can take action,” AT&T said.

The company added that once it receives the reported message, it will go directly to the AT&T ActiveArmor security team.

If AT&T determines it is a scam or illegal message, it says it can take appropriate steps to protect users and other consumers, including one or more of the following:

  • Block similar message content and block the number that sends it.

  • Remove malicious websites, email accounts and other resources used by the bad guys.

  • Share the information with other providers and industry-wide security partners so they too can take action and protect many more consumers.

  • It all puts pressure on the bad guy and helps stop future scams.

While researching other carriers, ConsumerAffairs found that T-Mobile and Verizon both suggest similar methods, but it would be wise to talk to those carriers directly to confirm that. You can also search for “7726 +[name of carrier]” which a specific carrier’s method might provide.

Would you rather let an app do the work?

If a little hoop-jumping isn’t your thing, you can always go the app route to fend off robot exterminators and scammers.

One solution is what Truecaller calls Smart SMS, available in the Android and iOS versions of the Truecaller app. Smart SMS is powered by machine learning models that adapt based on user feedback.

“Smart SMS helps you stay on top of important text messages while protecting you from spam and fraud,” said a Truecaller representative. “Essential information within SMS is flagged and all SMS messages are categorized and easily accessible.”

By providing feedback, users help improve machine learning models in collecting the data people send. For example, if a user says a message isn’t spam, the model learns that and ensures that similar messages don’t end up as spam for that person in the future.