Dealing with spam texts, emails, and junk mail

If it’s not scammers spamming your phone with texts or filling up your inbox with emails, it’s your mailbox crammed with ads and other mail you didn’t ask for. The junk messages and mail might seem endless, but there are some ways to help scale it back.

Scammers send phishing texts and emails that look legit to trick you into giving them personal or financial information. Legit companies might send mail that you just don’t want — things like magazines, catalogs, or prescreened offers of credit and insurance. While these aren’t necessarily scams, they can pile up quickly.

To help you cut down on spam texts and emails:

• Use filters. Check if your mobile phone has options to filter and block texts from unknown senders. Some call blocking apps can also help block unwanted messages. Many popular email providers (like Gmail or Yahoo Mail) have strong spam filters turned on by default. But if any spam gets into your inbox, mark it as spam or junk.
• Unsubscribe from unwanted emails. Getting fewer unwanted emails helps you avoid clicking on links that can lead to phishing attacks.
• Report unwanted messages. Unwanted messages often lead to scams. Report them. Use your phone’s “report junk” option or forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM) and unwanted emails to your email provider.

To help you cut down on junk mail:

• Register with the Direct Marketing Association to decide what types of mail you do and don’t want from marketers.
• Opt out of getting prescreened credit and insurance offers in the mail. You can choose to opt out for five years or permanently.

Learn more about how to get fewer spam texts, emails, and junk mail. If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.