You can now stop spam messages with Verizon’s new tool that blocks email-to-text spam messages

The United States is the world’s leading recipient of spam emails, with an average of 8 billion spam messages received every day. Now Verizon, the second largest phone provider in the US, is taking the fight back to the scammers.

The company announced Tuesday that it has created a new way for customers to block spam text messages from email accounts with just a single text. Spams are often used by scammers to steal personal information or commit fraud.

Verizon customers can text “OFF” to 4040 to block email-to-text messages, more than 80% of which are identified as spam, the carrier said. The new feature simplifies the earlier process that Verizon had in place for turning off email-to-text messages.

Text spam has been a persistent issue in the U.S. in recent years. Last summer, the Federal Communications Commission warned that robotext scams were on the rise. The agency said complaints of unwanted texts increased from 5,700 in 2019 to 14,000 in 2020 — and to 15,300 in 2021.

The FCC has banned the use of an autodialer to send texts to mobile phones without consent or in the event of an emergency. Earlier this year, the agency adopted its first rules about scam texting, requiring mobile service providers to block some robotexts “that are highly likely to be illegal.”

“Our pursuit to eliminate the annoyance of unwanted calls and texts improves customer experiences and satisfaction. Quarter after quarter, we’ve tackled spam and customers said they experienced fewer disruptions, less worry, and feel less overwhelmed about calls from unknown numbers – highlighting the impact of Verizon’s efforts compared to last year,” the company said in a press release.

Verizon’s new text spam-blocking feature is a welcome development for consumers who are tired of being bombarded with unwanted messages. The feature is easy to use and effective, and it can help protect customers from scams and other forms of fraud.

Here are some additional details about Verizon’s new text spam-blocking feature:

• The feature is available to all Verizon customers.
• To block email-to-text messages, customers can text “OFF” to 4040.
• Customers can also block individual messages by replying “STOP” to the sender.
• Customers can unblock email-to-text messages by texting “ON” to 4040.

Verizon’s new text spam-blocking feature is a significant step forward in the fight against spam text messages. The feature is easy to use and effective, and it can help protect customers from scams and other forms of fraud.