Are you sick of your phone always buzzing with spam calls and shady text messages? You’re not alone because this happens to millions of Australians every day.
Did you know Australians lose $2.03 Billion to scams on average every single year? It’s a serious problem with many Australians increasingly being put at risk.
The good news is that you can protect your hard earned cash by learning how to block spam calls and text messages .
In this article I’ll walk you through some simple and effective ways to block spam calls and texts and stop these scammers in their tracks so you can keep your phone from being inundated by scammers.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links including Amazon affiliate links meaning if you purchase anything using the links on this page I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I genuinely believe will benefit you and suit your needs.
Why Spam Happens
Spam is not just a nuisance but also very dangerous because it’s purpose is to steall your data and make money.
Spam calls and text messages occur due to scammers getting your phone number from data breaches and public directories. If you share your phone number on social media, forum or anywhere else online you’re putting yourself at risk.
Scammers often buy and sell phone numbers on shady places like the dark web and once a scammer has your phone it’s guaranteed to reach hundred or thousands of other scammers.
These shady characters hide in the shadows and usually spoof their Caller ID to protect themselves or to impersonate a trusted business like a bank or a government organization.
They make messages sound urgent by using phrases like your account has been locked or you you have an outstanding debt. This is done to create a sense of urgency to make you act fast without thinking and give away your personal information.
Even if only a small percentage of victims engage with the scam the scammers can still make huge profits and once they still your data they will either sell it or use it for identity theft.
One of the best ways to protect yourself again spam is to be aware of scams and understand their tactics so you can avoid falling for them.
The Impact Of Spam
Spam poses a significant threat to individuals and businesses because not only does it waste time it also causes stress and hardship.
Constant interruptions from spam calls and text messages can lead to anger, confusion, anxiety and even fear. It also causes many people to loose trust in legitimate businesses especially if they have already been scammed.
Australians loose over $2 Billion to scammers every year with phone based scam being a major contributor. This leaves many individuals feeling violated and robs them of the piece of mind they once had.
Even the smallest scams can add up quickly with many victims facing high debts, drained bank accounts and stolen identities which leads to long term financial hardship.
But that’s not all because sorting out spam is time consuming and things like blocking numbers and reporting scams interrupt your work and sleep.
Scammers target those who are most vulnerable especially elderly people, non English speakers and people that are not tech savvy. They use these weaknesses against people to manipulate them into handing over their money and information.
Spam doesn’t just waste your time it’s dangerous, invades your piece of mind and puts you and your finances at risk.
How I Was Almost Scammed
You might think tech savvy people can’t get scammed but let me assure you that’s not the case.
No matter how tech savvy you are scams are sneaky and designed to catch you off guard.
Scams prey on stress, fatigue, trust and urgency.
That’s why you should always never let your guard down because you never know when a scam is going to strike.
The Apple Phishing Scam
It was a normal sunny day in 2018. I was browsing the internet on my phone as the I listened to the birds chirp around me.
I opened up my email just like I would any other day and I immediately saw an email that caught my eye. The subject line read “Your Apple Account Has Been Locked” so I got worried and opened the email.
Now I had an Apple account for a while at this point so I didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary and I wanted to get any issues sorted out.
The email was supposedly from Apple and said my details couldn’t be verified so my account has been locked until I verify my details using the link in the email.
“Well this will be an easy fix” I thought and I opened the link in the email. I was taken to a web page that had the Apple logo on it and a long form that asked for all my personal information.
There were a few red flags that I missed because I didn’t know much about scams back then.
The form on the page asked me for the following details
- Full Name
- Age
- Date Of Birth
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Residential Address
- Postal Address
- Country
- Post Code
- Credit Card Details
I think it also asked me for my banking information and my Apple account details but I can’t remember 100 percent on that.
I went ahead and put all that information in without a second thought and then I hit submit.
But my details didn’t go through and I got an error message saying my details couldn’t be processed. So I entered them all again and tried to submit them 2 or 3 more times to only have the same thing happen each time.
I grew frustrated and gave up. I proceeded to contact Apple using the email address on their official website. A few days later I heard back and they had no idea what I was talking about.
I was told everything was fine and my account is not locked. The representative also said they did not send me any emails about my account.
I became confused and I had no idea what happened.
It wasn’t until a little while later when I started learning about scams I realized I was the victim of a phishing scam.
The email was fake and so was the web page I was led to. This really woke me up to the ways of scammers and taught me to be more careful online.
I was one click away from giving every bit of my personal information away to a scammer which would have had disastrous results if it wasn’t for that error message.
The $10 Laptop Scam
It was late at night on Easter Monday in 2023.
My head was heavy above my keyboard but I didn’t call it a night even though I should have.
“I might as well have one last browse before I head to bed” I thought.
I opened up Facebook on my laptop and began browsing. But soon I stopped scrolling because a post I’d never seen before grabbed my attention.
It was supposedly by Harvey Norman and it stated they were giving away HP laptops because they had too many and didn’t need them.
Out of curiosity I looked up the specs of the laptop they showed and it was a really good laptop and usually costs over $1000.
The Facebook post said all I had to do was pay the postage which was $10 and I could get a new laptop which I actually needed at the time.
I was intrigued and immediately jumped to the comments. I was surprised to find over 50 positive comments all saying the laptop arrived and was great.
So I became convinced it was true and I clicked the link in the Facebook post. I was taken to a web page that had the Harvey Norman Logo on it and actually looked pretty genuine.
The first form asked me for my name and email which I entered and then clicked next.
The next form asked me for my phone number, address and credit card details so I could pay the $10 and have my laptop delivered.
This is where I got hesitant because something just felt off and I started second guessing things.
Something didn’t add up but I was too tired to work out what. I sat there for a few minutes thinking and staring at the screen.
I decided not to go any further and I didn’t enter anything else. I closed the web page, saved the Facebook post, turned off my laptop and went to bed.
The next day I went back on for a closer look after a good sleep.
I immediately realized what was going on.
The URL of that web page was long and made no sense. It was not a real Harvey Norman page at all. It was a fake website run by scammers.
So I went back to Facebook and clicked on the profile that posted that scam post. After a quick look I determined that profile was a fake giveaway page full of scams.
The large number of positive comments I saw were fake and would have been left by other scammers and their shady friends to trick people.
The worst part was that scam Facebook post was a sponsored post which means the scammers were spending money on paid Facebook ads to promote their scams.
I was so tired the night before that I couldn’t think straight and I almost fell for it.
Thank God I listened to my instincts and stopped when I did otherwise it would have been much worse.
The scammers didn’t get much of my information but they still got away with my name and email address.
What was the biggest thing I learned from this?
Don’t browse social media when you’re really tired and if you see something you think you might be interested in save it and come back to it later when you’re well rested.
The Lessons I Learned
The experiences above taught me some valuable lessons about online safety and scam awareness.
Since then I have gone to research and study scams in my own time to learn how they work and the tactics they use. I did that so I can not only keep myself safe but help educate others about scams as well.
Don’t believe everything you see or hear on the internet and just because something says it’s from a trusted source it doesn’t mean it is.
Here are 5 scam safety lessons I learned
- Always check URLs and never blindly follow a link
- Always check the email address an email came from
- Ask a business directly through official means if you think they contacted you
- Legitimate businesses will never ask for personal information over the phone or through email
- Never act immediately and always take the time to think things through before you click a link or enter any information
Nowadays I’m pretty safe from scams since I know what to look for and I ignore most of the spam I receive. I now prioritize helping others which is why I wrote this article.
But not everyone is that fortunate so if you take anything away from this article learn to trust your instincts.
Remember always check before you click anything and most importantly if something seems too good to be true it probably is.
How To Stop Scammers In Their Tracks
Scammers thrive on silence and fear but you can put a stop to it and squash them before they even reach you.
Stopping spam calls and text messages is easier than you think and you can take action right now.
Every second you wait is a chance for scammers to strike.
Built In Protection
Most phones have built in spam protection which will alert you to potential spam calls and text messages.
Often they are turned on by default but if not they are easily turned on in your phone’s settings.
iPhones allow you to silence unknown callers which will stop them from ringing and Android phones have built in spam filters that flag suspicious calls and text messages.
You can also filter out unknown senders in the messages app to avoid them cluttering your inbox. Although not perfect these features are helpful and can be a great first line of defense.
Carrier Level Protection
Most phone carriers can help protect you from spam calls and text messages as they provide their own scam blocking services.
Some of them are even free and are easy to apply for if they’re not already included in your mobile phone plan.
Telstra supports the Do Not Call Registry which can reduce the number of unwanted calls and they also offer an SMS scam filter which blocks suspicious text messages before they reach your phone.
Other carriers like Optus and Vodafone also offer their own similar spam protection services.
These services are always updated and are one of the most effective ways to reduce spam before it becomes a problem.
Third Party Apps For Protection
If you want or need extra protection against spam calls and text messages there are a wide range of third party apps that can help.
These tools offer real time protection and allow you to customize blocking options.
Some great and tursted options include
- Hiya warns you of robocalls and scam calls as well as detect spoofed numbers.
- TrueCaller identifies all incoming calls and can automatically block spam calls. It also allows you to look up names and phone numbers for information on them.
- RoboKiller blocks spam calls and messes with scammers by automatically answering their calls with prerecorded bot messages.
- Call Control helps block spam calls and gives you access to a large database of community reports and complaints to help you identify spam calls and text messages.
- Norton 360 Deluxe is an all in one solution that helps block spam, keeps you safe with a secure VPN and has dark web monitoring for all your devices.
Most of these apps are free and have free trial versions of their premium plans. They’re easy to install from Google Play or the App Store and work alongside your phone’s built in features and carrier protection to give you a strong defense against scammers.
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How To Block Spam Manually
If spam calls and text messages keep slipping through despite your protective measures there is a way to block them manually.
On Android
- Tap the number you want to block
- Tap More Options
- Tap Block/Report Spam
On iOS
- Tap the number you want to block
- Tap Info
- Tap Block This Caller
Some phones allow you to block entire area codes or patterns which is useful if you are repeatedly getting spam calls from a particular area or from similar phone looking phone numbers.
Manual blocking is a quick and easy way to combat spam and is definitely something you should use when you need it. Not only will it stop persistent scammers but it will also help train your phone’s spam filters making them better over time.
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How To Prevent Spam
Even the best filters can’t always stop scammers especially if they already have your phone number. The best way to prevent spam is to protect your personal information.
- Don’t post your phone number publicly online and stay away from shady websites
- Don’t reply to spam messages or click on any suspicious links
- Use the Do Not Call Registry to cut down on the amount of spam calls Create a secondary phone number for use online on things like forms and newsletters
- Stay informed on the latest scams and tactics using websites like Scamwatch and National Anti Scam Centre
While spam is not 100% preventable you can take action to protect yourself and your information. By doing so you will keep yourself safer and reduce your chance of getting scammed.
Conclusion
In Conclusion isn’t just a nusiance it’s very dangerous and results in Australians losing $2.03 Billion to scams on average every single year. But the good news is you can fight back and stop scammers in their tracks.
From built in phone settings to carrier protection and trusted third party apps you can easily take control. If you stay informed and protect your personal information you’ll be safer and it will be harder for scammers to reach you.
You don’t need to be tech savvy to stay safe because all you need to do is take action. What steps are you going to take to protect yourself and stop scammers in their tracks?
Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this article about spam calls and text messages. If you have any questions or if you need any help let me know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
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