A spam text is best handled in two moves: report it so your carrier can act, and make sure the calls that usually travel with the same operations are handled too. This guide walks through Verizon's own reporting steps, as described on Verizon's support pages: the 7726 short code, the follow-up Verizon sends after you forward a message, blocking options, and what Call Filter does on the call side.
Why reporting is worth the thirty seconds
Verizon says reports submitted this way go to its security team, which uses the data to help identify and block future spam messages. Your report joins a pool that Verizon analyzes, rather than disappearing into your deleted folder.
One rule comes before everything else, and Verizon states it plainly: don't reply, and don't tap or open any links. A reply confirms your number is live, and a link is where the harm usually starts.
How to forward a spam text to 7726
7726 spells SPAM on a phone keypad, and it is the number Verizon asks customers to forward suspicious texts to. On iPhone, Verizon's guidance is to avoid touching any links, then touch and hold the message, tap More, tap the forward arrow, and enter 7726 in the To field. If your iPhone shows a Report Junk option, Verizon says you can tap it and choose Delete and Report Junk instead.
On Android, the path depends on your messaging app. In Google Messages, Verizon's page describes touching and holding the message, tapping the three-dot menu, choosing Forward, and sending to 7726. In Samsung Messages, you forward the message, enter 7726, and confirm.
What happens after you forward
Verizon sends a reply from the 7726 short code asking for the sender's phone number from the suspicious message, and Verizon's support article tells you to respond with that number. You may receive a follow-up asking for more details. After the report is sent, Verizon's article says you can delete the message.
Blocking the sender
Forwarding feeds Verizon's spam analysis; it is not described by Verizon as a block on the sender. Verizon's support article lists blocking as a separate step you can take through My Verizon or on your device, and you can delete the message once you are done.
One special case is worth knowing: if a spam text arrived from an email address, Verizon's account-security page says you can text the word off to 4040 to disable email-to-text on your line, which closes that delivery route entirely.
Verizon Call Filter: the call-side half
Reporting handles texts; Call Filter is Verizon's tool for calls. Per Verizon's Call Filter FAQ, it screens incoming calls and alerts you when a number may be spam, a robocall, or fraud, and it can send high-risk spam calls to voicemail without ringing your phone. The free tier includes spam detection, a spam filter, a spam and blocked call log, an allow list, and the ability to report spam. The paid Call Filter Plus tier adds caller ID, spam lookup, a personal block list, and blocking by category. Verizon also notes the honest limit: its tools are not described as catching every spam call, and a number that is flagged by mistake can be reported or added to your allow list.
Where FilterMyCalls fits
Reporting a spam text to Verizon is the text-side of the routine. FilterMyCalls is focused on calls: it is an AI call screener and spam blocker that answers unknown callers before your phone rings, asks each caller for their name and reason for calling, and shows you the response so you can answer, decline, or take a message. Setup uses conditional call forwarding, so you keep the number and the carrier you already have.
FilterMyCalls works on iPhone and Android in the U.S. and Canada for US$8/month or US$80/year, and CA$10/month or CA$100/year in Canada. 24/7 Customer Service is included.
How to report a spam text to Verizon
- 1Leave the message alone
Don't reply and don't tap or open any links - per Verizon's guidance, a reply and a tapped link are the two things that help the sender.
- 2Forward the text to 7726
On iPhone: touch and hold the message, tap More, tap the forward arrow, and enter 7726 in the To field. On Android: touch and hold, tap the three-dot menu, choose Forward, and send to 7726.
- 3Answer Verizon's follow-up
Verizon replies from the 7726 short code asking for the sender's phone number from the suspicious message. Respond with that number.
- 4Block the sender if you want
Per Verizon's support article, blocking the sender through My Verizon or on your device is a separate, optional step from reporting.
- 5Delete the message
Once the report is sent and the follow-up answered, Verizon's article says you can delete the spam text.
Common Questions
What is 7726, and is it just for Verizon?
7726 spells SPAM on a phone keypad. Verizon's own pages direct its customers to forward suspicious texts to 7726, and the FTC describes forwarding to 7726 as a way to help your wireless provider spot and block similar messages, so the same short code is in use across U.S. carriers.
What happens after I forward a spam text to Verizon?
Verizon sends a reply from the 7726 short code asking for the sender's phone number from the suspicious message, and the report goes to Verizon's security team, which uses reports to help identify and block future spam messages.
Does forwarding the message block the sender?
Verizon describes reporting and blocking as separate actions. Forwarding feeds Verizon's spam analysis; the support article lists blocking the sender via My Verizon or your device as an additional step you can take if you want the number stopped on your line.
What if the spam text came from an email address?
Verizon's account-security page says you can text the word off to 4040 to disable email-to-text on your line, which stops that delivery route. Report the message to 7726 as well.
Can I report spam from inside the iPhone Messages app instead?
Yes. Verizon's guidance notes that if a Report Junk option appears under the message, you can tap it and choose Delete and Report Junk. Forwarding to 7726 remains the path Verizon describes for getting the report to its security team.
Official sources
Keep reading
What happens, step by step, when a call reaches your screening line.
A simple routine for handling calls from numbers you do not recognize.
The difference between the two, and why screening helps you handle both more calmly.
How FilterMyCalls works for people in the United States and Canada.
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