How to Block and Filter Spam Texts on Any UK Mobile

A text arrives saying your parcel could not be delivered, with a link to rebook. Another claims to be from your bank about a suspicious payment. A third congratulates you on a prize you never entered. Spam and scam texts — including criminal smishing attempts — land on British mobiles every day, and tapping one wrong link can hand your personal details to fraudsters. The good news: modern phones give you solid tools to block, filter and report them.

Recognise the main types of spam texts

• Marketing spam: sales messages from companies you never gave your number to. Legitimate firms must identify themselves and offer an opt-out.
• Smishing (SMS phishing): texts impersonating Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, your bank, HMRC or a government department, pushing you to tap a link or call a number.
• Premium-rate traps: messages that trick you into calling or texting back an expensive number, or into subscribing to a paid service.
• Wrong-number and conversational scams: a friendly message from an unknown number that starts chatting and slowly steers towards money, often called pig-butchering or pen-pal fraud.

A useful rule: genuine delivery firms and banks almost never ask you to follow a link and enter card or login details by text. When in doubt, treat the link as hostile.

Block texts on Android

On most Android phones with Google Messages or your manufacturer's messaging app:

1. Open the conversation with the spam number.
2. Tap the three-dot menu or the contact header.
3. Choose Block and confirm. Tick Report spam if the option appears — it helps Google and your network spot campaigns.

To filter automatically, open Messages → Settings → Spam protection and switch it on. Suspected spam is moved out of your inbox so you never see it unless you go looking. Samsung Messages offers similar spam protection under its own settings menu.

Block and filter texts on iPhone

On iOS:

1. Open the conversation, tap the number or contact icon at the top.
2. Tap Info, then choose Block this Caller.

For automatic filtering, go to Settings → Apps → Messages and switch on Filter Unknown Senders. Texts from numbers not in your contacts are sorted into a separate list, and you get no notification for them. On recent iOS versions you can also install third-party SMS-filtering apps under Settings → Apps → Messages → Unknown & Spam, which sort junk into a dedicated folder using regularly updated rules.

Stop legitimate marketing texts

If the sender is a real company you once dealt with, reply STOP to opt out — UK marketing rules require firms to honour this. Keep a screenshot in case they keep messaging. If texts continue after you opted out, or you never consented at all, complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which fines companies behind rule-breaking marketing.

Never reply STOP to an obvious scam text. Criminals treat any reply as proof the number is live, and it can invite more messages. Block and report instead.

Report every scam text to 7726

Forwarding suspicious texts to 7726 is free and takes seconds:

1. Forward the message to 7726 (the digits spell SPAM on a keypad).
2. You may get an automated reply asking for the sender's number — send that if asked.

Every major UK network supports 7726, and reports help networks block the sender and spot large-scale campaigns. If you lost money or shared personal details, also report to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101), and tell your bank immediately.

Protect yourself before the next text arrives

• Never tap links in unexpected texts. Open the company's official app or type its web address yourself instead.
• Never call back a number from a suspicious text. Look up the genuine number independently.
• Switch on spam protection in your messaging app so most junk never reaches your inbox.
• Keep your number private where you can: limit who sees it on marketplaces, social media and public directories.
• Warn older relatives: scam texts deliberately target people less familiar with smishing tricks, and a short conversation does more than any app.

Phone-level filters catch most bulk spam, and a call-and-text blocking app such as NoCall adds a further layer by checking unknown senders against up-to-date scam databases.

What to do if you already tapped a link

Do not panic, but act quickly:

1. Do not enter any more details. Close the page and delete the text.
2. Call your bank on the number on your card if you entered banking or card details, and ask about freezing or reissuing.
3. Change passwords for any accounts you typed into the fake page, starting with email, and switch on two-factor authentication.
4. Run your phone's security checks and remove any app you were persuaded to install.
5. Report it to 7726 and Report Fraud so the campaign can be investigated.

Spam texts work on volume: fraudsters send millions and need only a tiny fraction of people to tap. With filters on, STOP used wisely, and 7726 reports flowing in, you make their business model that little bit harder — and your inbox that little bit quieter.