What to Do When You Receive an Unwanted Text: A Step-by-Step Guide

You are scrolling through your phone and a text pops up from a company you have never heard of. Maybe it is a loan offer, a promotion for a product you never searched for, or a message telling you that you have won something. Your instinct is to delete it and move on. But that text could be worth money.

Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, companies need your prior express written consent before sending you marketing texts using automated technology. If they did not get it, they may owe you $500 to $1,500 per message. Here is exactly what to do.

Step 1: Do Not Delete the Message

This is the most important step and the one most people get wrong. Your first instinct is to swipe the message away. Resist that urge. The text message itself is the primary evidence for your claim. Once it is deleted, it may be difficult or impossible to recover.

Leave the message in your inbox for now. You can deal with it properly in the next steps.

Step 2: Take a Screenshot

Screenshots are the single most valuable piece of evidence in a TCPA text message claim. A good screenshot should capture:

• The full text of the message
• The sender's phone number or short code
• The date and time the message was received
• Any company name or URL mentioned in the text

If you have received multiple messages from the same sender, screenshot the entire conversation thread. Each message is typically a separate violation.

Step 3: Check If You Opted In

Think back. Did you ever give this company permission to text you? This might have happened through a website form where you checked a box agreeing to receive texts, a paper form you signed at a store or event, or a text you sent to a short code to enter a contest or get a coupon.

If you cannot remember opting in, or if you have never heard of the company before, there is a good chance you did not consent. And if you did consent at some point but later replied STOP and the messages continued, that is also a violation.

Step 4: Reply STOP (Optional)

If the message includes opt-out instructions, you can reply STOP. This serves two purposes: it tells the company to stop contacting you, and it creates evidence that you revoked consent. If they send you additional messages after your STOP reply, each one is a separate violation and potentially subject to treble damages of up to $1,500 per message.

However, replying STOP is not required to file a claim. If you received the message without consent in the first place, the initial message is already a violation.

Step 5: File Your Claim

With your screenshots saved and your information ready, filing a TCPA claim with Hammerhead Legal takes less than five minutes. Our secure online form lets you upload up to 10 screenshots, provide your contact details, and describe what happened. Our legal team reviews every submission at no charge and follows up within one to three business days.

You do not need to know the legal details or figure out which specific TCPA provision was violated. That is what our team does. You just need to provide the evidence, and we handle the rest.

What Happens After You Submit

• Our legal team reviews your submission and evaluates the strength of your claim
• We contact you by phone or email with our assessment
• If we believe you have a viable claim, we discuss next steps and what to expect
• If we do not think there is a valid claim, we tell you honestly and explain why
• There is no cost at any point unless there is a recovery on your behalf

The worst thing you can do with an illegal text is nothing. The statute of limitations for TCPA claims is four years. Do not let a valid claim expire because you assumed one text was not worth pursuing.