(NEXSTAR) – It’s that time of year again. Election season is well underway, and local, state, and big-name politicians are urging you to vote in the November primaries. These days, there are fewer knocks on the door and more text messages.
Candidates or campaigners who don’t have your phone number may be blowing up your phone and demanding votes or money. Campaign calls and text messages are excluded from the federal government’s “Do Not Call List,” so registering won’t reduce the noise. (However, if you cooperate with a political campaign, you must comply with certain FCC restrictions.)
Fortunately, there is an easy way to stop unwanted political text messages. According to the FCC, legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their lists if you simply reply with “STOP.”
In addition to opting out, you can also report messages you didn’t sign up to receive as spam. FCC requires you to forward to 7726. You can also file a complaint online.
Of course, the steps above only work if you want to stop legitimate text campaigns from contacting you. Stopping scammers is a little difficult. It’s like putting up a “no trespassing” sign on your property, explains Alex Quilici, CEO of call-blocking service YouMail.
“Good people aren’t going to trespass on your property, and we don’t care about people trying to rob you. You see exactly the same thing with robocallers and ‘Do Not Call’ lists. Good companies, like credit card companies, aren’t trying to solicit you over the phone…but scammers are trying to steal money from you. ”
The FTC says legitimate companies that violate the rules could be fined more than $50,000 per call.
If you’re looking for another option to reduce clutter in your text inbox, CNET suggests changing your phone’s settings to filter out all unknown senders. On the downside, you might miss text reminders about doctor’s appointments or restaurant reservations.
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