Three approaches to unwanted spam texts, compared

What each approach is for

No single step handles every part of a spam text. Blocking is about your phone: it filters one number so you stop seeing its messages. Reporting is about the system: it feeds free government and carrier databases that help spot patterns across many senders. A formal notice is about the record: it is a factual, by-the-book letter you send yourself documenting that you received an unwanted text and referencing the federal law that governs it.

Most people use more than one of these, because they answer different questions — "make it stop on my screen," "help the authorities," and "put my objection on the record." They are not mutually exclusive, and none of them is a lawsuit.

The three approaches at a glance

Blocking: quick, but limited

Blocking a number is the fastest option and it is built into every phone. It works well for a single persistent sender. Its limit is that it only affects the exact number you block, and spam senders rotate numbers constantly, so new messages often arrive from different ones.

Blocking also leaves no record and does not address who sent the message. It is a filter, not a response. Dedicated spam-blocker and filter apps — the RoboKiller and Nomorobo category — do the same job at larger scale, but they are still filters: they screen messages, they do not document or respond to them. SpamStamp is not one of these tools.

Reporting: helps the system

Reporting is free and genuinely useful. Forwarding a spam text to 7726 (which spells SPAM) sends it to your carrier so they can investigate and improve filtering. You can also report the message to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to the FCC at fcc.gov. These reports feed databases that law enforcement and regulators use to spot patterns.

Reporting does not respond to your specific sender or resolve your individual message, and it usually does not tell you who sent it — but it is a strong first step, and it is often the right step when a sender cannot be identified.

A formal notice: a documented response

A formal notice is a factual letter you send in your own name stating that you received an unwanted text and referencing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA, 47 U.S.C. 227), the federal law that limits unwanted marketing texts sent without consent. It is a by-the-book step you take yourself — not a lawsuit, and not something anyone files for you.

SpamStamp, a self-help software tool, helps you prepare that notice: you paste the text you received, the tool checks whether the facts support a notice, and it prepares a document you review and send in your own name. You are always the sender.

This approach only fits when a sender can be identified from trustworthy records. Sometimes a sender can't be safely identified, and when that happens the honest answer is to use the reporting paths above instead — SpamStamp will tell you when that's the case.

Which should you use?

• Want one sender to stop showing up on your phone? Block the number.
• Want to help authorities track spam, or can't tell who sent it? Report it to your carrier, the FTC, and the FCC.
• Want a documented response in your own name about a text you can trace to a sender? Prepare a formal notice yourself — SpamStamp can help you put it together.
• Not sure a sender can be identified? Start with reporting; a notice only makes sense when the sender is known.
• Most people combine these — they are not mutually exclusive.

What SpamStamp is, and is not

SpamStamp is a self-help software tool for preparing a formal TCPA notice about a spam text, which you send in your own name. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

It is not a spam blocker or call filter (it is not RoboKiller or Nomorobo), and it is not a caller-ID or reverse-lookup app (it is not Truecaller, Whoscall, or Hiya). It does not block, filter, or identify callers.

It never sends, files, or mails anything on its own — you review every notice, and you are always the sender. This page is general information, not legal advice; for guidance about your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney.