Block those messages promising a $1 million jackpot
Scammers can circumvent spam filters by sending you text messages from an email address. While this can be annoying and harmful to your digital privacy, it is easy to block them whether you have an Android or iOS device.
We walk you through spotting and blocking these dodgy messages without accidentally blocking important text messages. Some devices, like the Samsung S23 series and later, include extra security features, but these steps work for all devices. If scammers also attempt to call you, we recommend following our guide to block spam calls.
Spam text messages from emails can be harder to spot as they attempt to use emails with official-sounding addresses (for example, sites ending in .gov) to fool you. But like regular spam texts or emails, you can spot them by looking for these telltale signs.
Not all scammers are fluent in the English language. Look for grammar and spelling errors in the received message. If you notice broken words or sentences, it's a red flag, and you should block the recipient.
It's one of the common ways to con people into tapping a harmful link. Does a text message promise a brand-new PlayStation 5 for $99? Some text messages even offer to pay student loans or cash prizes for filling out a form online. Stay away from such messages.
Does a text message ask you to pay customs duties for a product you never ordered? Always ignore such unrelated and random messages popping up in your inbox.
This is another trick by scammers to steal personal and financial information from users. A text message from an email address may ask you to repay your pending electricity, gas, or credit card bill. You also get a link to call their fake customer care. You should never engage with such messages and confirm the pending dues from your bank.
Scammers are trying to direct you to a website. Just clicking on a link can be harmful. If you receive a text from an unknown address that contains a link, it may be a scam.
The default Messages app on most Android phones comes with spam protection that's easy to enable. Here's how:
Messages sends required data about your messages to Google without including your phone number or message content. If you still receive text messages from unknown email addresses, manually block them and report them as spam.
Samsung uses a different Messages app on Galaxy phones. Although the company recently released Message Guard, a platform that protects its 2023 flagships from various threats, the feature is not yet available on the rest of its phones. That means you'll need to block text from email addresses manually.
iOS comes with a nifty filter to separate unknown senders from people you know. You need to turn on the SMS filter from Settings. This trick makes it easier to find text messages from unknown email addresses.
Let's check the SMS filter in action and block irrelevant email text messages.
You can use the same steps to block email text messages if you set up iMessage on your iPad.
You may wonder how scammers acquire your phone number. While you can't pinpoint it to a specific factor, these scammers likely use third-party data providers in the following situations:
Blocking email text messages is one way to improve your digital security. To protect yourself when browsing, use one of our favorite VPNs for Android to keep your online activity secure.
Jon has been a freelance writer at Android Police since 2021. He primarily writes how-to guides and round-ups, but occasionally covers news. His favorite Android device was the Pixel 2 XL, and he regards the three-month period where he owned an iPhone as a time of the utmost shame. Jon graduated with a History degree in 2018, but quickly realized his writing skills were better put to use writing about tech rather than essays. He started writing and editing for startups shortly after graduating, where he did everything from writing website copy to managing and editing for a group of writers. In his free time, you can find him fiddling with computers and spending his entire paycheck on vinyl records.
The HTC One M7 sparked Parth’s interest in the Android world. Since 2013, he has been following Android blogs and tech news. After completing his education in Mechanical Engineering in 2015, Parth went to Antwerp, Belgium, to pursue his interest in diamonds before moving to the famed diamond hub Surat, India. Parth’s tech breakthrough came in January 2019 when he joined GuidingTech as an evergreen features writer. After three years, he joined the growing Android Police team to write how-tos, explainers, editorials, listicles, and comparisons on Google services and smart home accessories. If you remove his mechanical keyboard, you will find him bowling or watching The Office.

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