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Stop those annoying political texts
Is your phone flooded with texts about “the state of our nation?” ‘Tis the season. As we get closer to the 2024 presidential election, political texts are only going to get worse. Here I am to save the day (and your sanity)!
Who’s allowed to text you?
Mass texting campaigns are legal if the sender uses an official text messaging organization. These orgs verify the sender is legit and complies with all opt-in and opt-out rules.
This means campaigns need your consent before they text you. They also have to comply when you respond with “STOP” and not send you any future messages.
Scam-paigns
Real political organizations are good at following the rules. But, shocker, scammers aren’t. Once you block one number, they move on to the next. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Crooks pounce at the opportunity to blend their scams with legitimate political campaigns and hope you can’t tell the difference. They’ll use political-sounding messages to push malicious links. They might even ask you to donate to a bogus campaign.
Stay smart and stop them from bugging you
- The obvious step is to text “STOP.” But if you don’t remember opting into these messages, don’t respond. If it’s a scam text, this could tell the sender you’re a real person, leading to even more texts.
- Instead, report it to your cell provider by forwarding texts to 7726 (SPAM). If enough complaints come in about the same number, the wireless carrier will investigate and block future messages.
- Don’t donate money through a link sent in a text. If you’d like to donate to a political campaign, go directly to their official website.
iPhone:
- Messages from unsaved numbers will have an option beneath to Report Junk. Tap that, then tap Delete and Report Junk to delete the thread and send the message to Apple and your carrier, letting them know, too, that it’s junk.
- Block the number to prevent future messages. Open the message, tap the number at the top of your screen, and then choose Info > Block Caller.
- Turn on your spam blocker. Go to Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders to sort texts from unknown contacts into a separate list.
- Stop receiving notifications from unknown texters. You’ll find this under Settings > Messages > Customize Notifications (at the very bottom) > toggle off Unknown Senders.
Android:
- Block the number. Open the message, then tap the number or menu at the top of the screen, followed by Block. Note: Your steps may vary based on your phone manufacturer.
- Turn on the spam blocker. To do this, open Messages > tap your profile icon > Messages Settings > Spam Protection.
Keep your tech-know going
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Tags: Android, Apple, campaign, complaint, election, Facebook, fake news, iPhone, matter, messages, numbers, opt-out, phone, robocallers, scam, scammers, scams, settings, smartphone, strategy, text messages, voter registration, voters
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