How to Stop Cellphone Spam

Aaaargh!!!! Phone spam is not only annoying, it's illegal.

A cellphone is a wonderful device, but the rise of text message spam (sometimes called SMS spam, SpaSMS, phone spam or m-spam) is getting REALLY ANNOYING. Especially since, unlike with email, spam on your cellphone costs you money every time you receive it. Even though m-spam is illegal in most places, that doesn't seem to stop it from showing up. Fortunately, you can block most phone spam. Here's how to stop cellphone spam in its tracks.

Instructions

1. 

   First, a bit of background. Most cellphone spam originates from the internet, rather than from other phones, which is actually a good thing. This is the saving grace that allows spam to be blocked, as most services make it possible to restrict messages that originate from the internet.

2. Check company that provides your cellphone service. Each of the major mobile phone services does things a little differently, so you'll have to check with your service provider for the details.

3. 

   Know who's who for blocking text-messaging spam. AT&T and Verizon Wireless appear to have the most aggressive spam-blocking options at the moment, though this may change over time. Sprint and T-Mobile also offer some m-spam blocking options for their users.

4. Know the ropes. The service-specific options work like this:

   AT&T: Log in and under Preferences, look for text-blocking and alias options.

   Verizon Wireless: Log in, select Text Messaging, and under Preferences, select Text Blocking. You'll then have choices as to which ones to block. I suggest blocking all text from the internet.

   Sprint: Log in, click on My Online Tools, and under Communication Tools, choose Text Messaging. On the Compose a Text Message page, under Options, click Settings and Preferences. You'll get (finally!) to a text box where you can enter phone numbers, email addresses, or domains that you want to block.

   T-Mobile: Log in, and click Communication Tools, where you'll find a variety of blocking options.

5. Use the links provided in Resources to visit your service provider and turn on the spam blocks. You might be pleasantly surprised at how effective they can be in blocking SMS-spam on your mobile phone.

Resources

• AT&T Wireless Spam Blocking
• Verizon Wireless Spam Blocking
• Sprint Spam Blocking
• T-Mobile Spam Blocking
• Need more information? Try a professional Research Service