I've had my phone number since 2019 when I got my first phone in 8th grade. Unfortunately, the previous owner of this number was heavily involved with the Republican Party and subscribed to countless campaigns and donation texts. Now, I'm receiving about 5 to 20 texts daily, particularly as the election approaches. I've tried to address this issue in the past, but I've been unsuccessful in reducing the flow of messages. Recently, I've started working professionally, and I'm missing important texts from contacts I don't have saved because I'm overwhelmed with spam. I've been replying with 'stop' to these messages, but I still receive the same amount of texts. I'm asking if texting 'stop' actually does anything, or is this just how many texts the previous owner subscribed to?
5 Answers
It sounds frustrating! If those texts are from legitimate marketing services, replying 'stop' should normally remove you, but with scam texts, it likely won't help at all. You might as well be wasting your time. Blocking the numbers directly is a better option, and most phone carriers offer spam-blocking features that could really cut down on the junk you receive!
Block those numbers! It's super simple. For iPhones, you just tap the number and block it. If you’re on Android, there’s a menu option for blocking too. It can really save you from the same senders over and over!
Texting 'stop' might not help much since it can alert the spammer that your number is active. Legitimate services usually respect that request, but scammers often don’t. Instead, they could keep sending you messages because they realize the number is live. It's a tough situation, unfortunately.
That's a good point! I never thought about how that could backfire. I've heard that just verifying your number can make it worse.
After dealing with this for a year, I chose to change my number completely, and it stopped the texts instantly. I get that it's a hassle to update all your contacts, but it might be worth considering if nothing else works.
I understand! It feels like a hassle, but at this point, it might be the only way to get peace.
If all else fails, I heard a wild idea to send them unexpected pictures — I mean, if there's someone behind these texts, they might take the hint and stop! Just a thought!
Yeah, blocking senders might be the way to go. I've just started using my carrier's spam filtering, and it’s made a big difference.