Forwarding suspicious texts to 7726

If you get a text out of the blue asking you to click a link, call a number or confirm details, you can forward it to 7726. It is free, it works on any UK mobile, and it reports the message to your mobile network so it can be investigated and blocked. The number spells SPAM on a phone keypad: 7, 7, 2 and 6 sit on the same keys as S, P, A and M¹.

The National Crime Agency, the Bank of England, Age UK, UK Finance and the Government all describe the same method: forward the suspicious message to 7726, free of charge². You do not need an app, an account or a form. Forwarding the original message is what matters, because it passes on the sender's number and the wording of the text.

You can also use 7726 to report a scam call on a mobile, but the steps differ between iPhone and Android. On an Android phone you text the word "call" to 7726 and you then get a message asking for the scam number. On an iPhone you text the word "call" followed by the phone number to 7726⁵.

7726: the free number for reporting scam texts

The 7726 service is run by the UK mobile networks together. Forwarding a message to it reports the text to your mobile operator, which uses the reports to investigate and block scam messages¹⁰. It is not a consumer complaint line and it is not a route to a refund. It is a way of feeding a scam text into the system that the networks use to spot and shut down bulk scam campaigns.

The reason the number is written as 7726 (SPAM) in so much guidance is simply memory. The digits 7, 7, 2 and 6 sit on the same keys as the letters S, P, A and M, so the number is easy to recall when you are looking at a suspicious text and want to act quickly¹.

What is sent matters. Guidance is consistent that the original message is forwarded rather than retyped, because the original carries the sender's number and the exact wording, which is what the network needs to trace and block the campaign⁷. A retyped message loses that information.

Reports are used in bulk, not one by one. An individual forward is unlikely to produce a reply or an update. The value is cumulative: the more people forward the same campaign, the clearer the pattern is to the network.

If the text claims to be from your bank, there is a second step worth taking. Report it to the bank as well, using the number on the back of your card or on a statement, never a number given in the text itself. Our guide to phishing, vishing and smishing explains how fake texts, calls and emails work, and how to check your bank is really contacting you covers the checks that settle the question.

How to forward a suspicious text to 7726

The process is the same on any phone, and it takes a few seconds.

1. Open the suspicious text in your messaging app.
2. Use the forward option rather than copying the text. On most phones you press and hold the message, or tap and hold, then choose Forward.
3. Enter 7726 as the recipient and send it.
4. Delete the original message from your inbox.

Guidance from HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Consumer Council and Take Five all describe the same instruction: forward the message to 7726, free of charge, and do not engage with it¹¹. Banks give the same instruction to their customers, including the advice to delete the message afterwards⁸.

If you have already clicked a link or given away details, the order of what to do next matters. Our guide to what to do after clicking a phishing link covers the immediate steps, and what to do if you gave your card details to a fraudster covers card details specifically. If money has already left your account, start with paid a fraudster? What to do straight away.

Reporting scam calls to 7726: iPhone and Android differ

You can report a scam call to 7726 from a mobile, and the method depends on the handset.

Some banks and consumer bodies describe 7726 as a way to report both texts and calls, and the same number covers both¹⁴. The distinction is only in what you type.

For nuisance calls more generally, there is a separate route. Ofcom handles complaints about silent or abandoned calls, and the Information Commissioner's Office deals with nuisance calls and messages under the privacy rules¹⁶. If the problem is with your phone provider rather than the caller, that is an Ofcom matter too.

What happens to your report, and what 7726 cannot do

It is worth being clear about the limits, because expectations are often higher than the service can meet.

• Your report goes to your mobile network, not to the police. Forwarding a text to 7726 reports it to your operator so it can investigate and block scam messages¹⁰.
• You will not usually get a reply. The service works on volume, not casework.
• It does not recover money. If you have lost money, the route is your bank, and then the Financial Ombudsman Service if a refund is refused. Our guide to claiming a refund from your bank after a push payment loss sets out how that works.
• It does not stop every message. Scam texts still arrive, and the networks block in bulk rather than filtering your phone individually.

Ofcom is the regulator for phone companies and handles complaints about silent or abandoned calls, but it does not investigate individual scam texts¹⁶. If you need to contact Ofcom about a problem with your phone provider, the number is 0300 123 3333, and 0300 123 2023 for a Welsh-speaking adviser⁹. Ofcom also publishes a mobile coverage checker called Map Your Mobile, and its Connected Nations report covers UK networks¹⁸.

For a wider view of where to take different kinds of scam, including in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, see where to report a scam in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you want the background on how these messages reach you, how to spot a scam: the warning signs covers the common patterns, and the scams and fraud guide is the starting point for everything else.