How to report spam texts (FTC, FCC, and your carrier)

Report the text to your carrier: forward it to 7726

1. Open the spam text

   Open the unwanted message in your phone's messaging app. Do not tap any links inside it and do not reply with words like STOP unless you know the sender is legitimate, since a reply can confirm to a bad actor that your number is active.

2. Copy or forward the message

   On most phones you can press and hold the message, then choose Forward. Forward the full text to the short code 7726, which spells SPAM on a keypad. This service is free and supported by the major U.S. wireless carriers.

3. Send the sender's number if prompted

   Your carrier may reply asking for the phone number the spam came from. Send that number back exactly as it appeared. Your carrier uses these reports to investigate and block abusive senders across its network.

File a report with the FTC

1. Go to the FTC's reporting site

   Visit reportfraud.ftc.gov, the Federal Trade Commission's official site for reporting fraud, scams, and unwanted messages. You do not need an account to file.

2. Describe what happened

   Choose the option that best fits an unwanted text or scam message, then enter the sender's number, the date, and what the message said. If you saved a screenshot, keep it handy so your description is accurate.

3. Submit

   Submit the report. The FTC does not resolve individual complaints for you, but it uses aggregated reports to spot patterns and support enforcement against the worst offenders.

File with the FCC for unwanted telemarketing texts

1. Open the FCC complaint center

   Go to fcc.gov and open the consumer complaint center. The FCC handles complaints about unwanted calls and texts, including messages sent without your consent.

2. Choose the phone / unwanted-texts category

   Select the category for unwanted texts or calls, then provide the sender's number, the date and time, and a short description of the message.

3. Submit your complaint

   Submit the complaint. If your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov, note that when you file, since it strengthens the record of what you received.

Save your records before you delete anything

• Take a screenshot that clearly shows the message text, the sender's number, and the date and time it arrived.
• Note whether you had any prior relationship with the sender or ever gave consent to be texted. A clean 'no relationship, no consent' record is the most useful kind.
• Keep a simple log if you get repeat texts from the same or similar numbers, since a pattern is more persuasive than a single message.
• Only after you have saved a screenshot should you delete or block the message. A record you cannot reproduce later is a record you effectively do not have.

Where SpamStamp fits in

SpamStamp, a self-help software tool, helps you take one more by-the-book step after you have reported a spam text: preparing a formal, factual notice about the message under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which you then send in your own name. You are always the sender. SpamStamp files nothing, sues no one, and represents no one.

It is not a spam blocker or call filter like RoboKiller or Nomorobo, and it is not a caller-ID or reverse-lookup app like Truecaller or Hiya. It does not block, filter, or identify callers. It simply helps you organize what happened and put it into a clean, documented notice.

SpamStamp is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Reporting to the FTC, the FCC, and your carrier as described above is always available to you for free, and for many people that is the right and sufficient step.

When a sender can't be safely identified

Sometimes a spam text comes from a spoofed or throwaway number and the real sender cannot be reliably determined. That is a normal outcome, not a failure on your part.

When that happens, the most productive steps are the free official ones: forward the message to 7726, file with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FCC at fcc.gov, and add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov if it isn't already. These reports feed the enforcement and network-level work that actually reduces spam over time.