Why do spam texts keep coming from new numbers?

The number on a spam text can be faked, even made to look like your own, so blocking one number stops that number, not the sender. Blocking still helps, so keep doing it, but add reporting each text and checking the number before you act on it.

Why doesn't blocking one number stop the texts?

A block works on one number: the one you blocked. The problem is that the number on your screen isn't always the real one. According to the FTC, scammers can make your caller ID display whatever name or number they choose, which is called spoofing, and it has warned that texts get spoofed the same way.

So you block the number behind Monday's "unpaid toll" text, and Wednesday the same pitch arrives from a number you've never seen. The block did its job. It covers one number, and the next text can show another.

The FTC is also direct about blocking tools in general. In its guidance on calls, it says blocking software or devices can "stop a lot of the unwanted calls you get," and that not every scam call will get flagged.

Can a spam text really come from my own number?

Yes. An FTC alert from April 2022 described spam texts sent to people from their own phone numbers. The senders changed (spoofed) the caller ID so the message looked like it came from you.

The FTC has described a close cousin of this on calls, which it calls neighbor spoofing. The caller uses a number with your area code, and often copies the first six digits of your number too, so the call looks local.

If a text seems to come from you, you didn't send it, and blocking your own number isn't the answer. Report it like any other spam text.

What works better than blocking one number at a time?

Keep blocking, and add these steps:

1. Report every text, not just the first. Each forward to 7726 counts: the FTC says it helps your wireless provider pick out similar messages and block them going forward, beyond the one you sent in. 2. Use your messaging app's report option. In Google Messages, one spam report does both jobs: the sender is blocked and the thread lands in Spam & blocked. On an iPhone the two are separate, and Apple says a report by itself won't stop more messages from that sender, so do both. 3. Don't tap any link, and don't reply. The FTC says never to click links in unexpected messages. It also says even a quick reply shows the sender your number works, and that could lead to more calls and texts. 4. Delete it once it's reported. Deleting and reporting is what the FTC recommends for texts from numbers you don't know.

What does a lookup add when the numbers keep changing?

When a new number shows up with the same pitch, you can look it up before you do anything with the text. Lookup Pass checks the carrier network live as you look, then runs the number against national scam and spam reporting. Every new number gets its own result: the company carrying it today, whether it's mobile, landline, or an internet line, the caller ID name if it has one, and whatever scam and spam reports exist.

Those reports come from people like you. Once several different people report the same number, it's labeled for everyone who checks it; a lone report labels nobody. The app lets you add your own report in one tap.

Keep one limit in mind. The lookup is about the number shown on your screen. When that number is spoofed, the result describes the number on display, not whoever actually sent the text.