How do you block spam texts that give no number.

[AaronLo_1875925]

I keep getting spam texts every day where the number is just a name. Every one of them has a phishing link designed to steal identity and bank details.

The reason why I switched to Smarty was to get away from these. I used 3rd party apps to block spam work for a while and then stop working, and they interfere with the normal operations of the phone, for example by inserting adverts into your contacts and stopping you from making phone calls without first watching an advert.

Even if I block all incoming calls that are not in my contacts list, this doesn't block texts. There is no option to block texts that are not in my contacts list.

[MSF]

@AaronLo_1875925 I don't think that switching networks was likely to solve this problem unfortunately.

I'm not sure that there is an answer that works permanently. As a lot of these nuisance calls and texts originate overseas, it is unlikely that the law can stop them either.

You could try changing your number - just in case you have somehow landed in a database of numbers worth trying to scam - but even that won't guarantee freedom from these con-artists.

[AaronLo_1875925]

Thank you. I had a feeling that is the case but wanted to see if anyone had anything worth trying. It's annoying cause I get the texts every day. If they do get too much I'll have to change the number again, but it takes about 3 months for all the organisations that have hooks into my phone number to finally get back to normal operations. So it's a pain in the posterior to change my number.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

True - Even whilst in the States recently, with the two brand new numbers (to me) purchased from NumberBarn and ported into Tello and USMobile respectively, I had a test supposedly from a US Army recruiter called Alexis, as apparently I had expressed an interest in joining the US Army ! No, not me. Mr. Recruiting Sargeant 😂

[JJP2RidesAgain]

Nothing to do with Smarty, I get them them daily, mostly for betting sites, I just delete and ignore.

Smarty is currently my back up sim, I got these dodgy texts to my main Voxi SIM, mates get them on O2 and EE. 

Once your number is out there, it’s out there. 

[AaronLo_1875925]

It's annoying because I made sure not to give my number out this time. Just to my bank and passport office etc. I think scammers just systematically send to all numbers until they detect it was received and then hassle that person endlessly. If it gets too bad I'll have to change my number again. At this rate I'm changing my number about once every 2 years. My grandmother kept the same phone number for nearly 50 years. 🤦‍😂 Her phone number outlived her, which is the way I wish it still was.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

That’s exactly what they do - Use software that randomly devises numbers and just mass text these numbers.Some are real numbers but most are duds.

What you could do, especially if you have a dual sim phone is get two numbers - One main number, which you give to friends, family and employer. Then, a second cheap plan using a number you give to your doctors, banks, etc etc.

I am in the process of emigrating to America, to marry my American fiance. Just back from a trip to Northern California, where I found out about a service called “NumberBarn”, where you can buy phone numbers and port them out to cellphone companies. 

I bought two numbers, for only $5 and $19 respectively. I ported them to two different  networks. Both are good numbers (one even ends in “2345”) and I will decide which one to use for my then wife, friends etc and will use the other for official stuff like doctors, banks etc. Wish that I had done this years ago over here in the UK, even if it had meant carrying around a main phone and a cheap candy bar phone from Alcatel, Mobiwire etc.