How to Report Apple Mail, Messages, and FaceTime Spam

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Tips and tricks for protecting yourself and your Apple device from dangerous spam

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: November 10, 2024 Fact Checked

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Reporting Email Spam

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Reporting Spam in Messages

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Reporting Facetime Spam

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Tips

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Warnings

Are you sick of getting spam emails and scammy texts on your Apple accounts and devices? Luckily, there are several ways to report scams, junk, and spam to Apple. In this article, we’ll explain how to report, filter, and block these unwanted messages.

Reporting Spam to Apple: Fast Facts

Improve your Apple email’s spam filters by moving unwanted messages to Junk.
Forward potential phishing scams to reportphishing@apple.com, or report abusive messages to abuse@icloud.com.
Use the Report Junk link to mark texts from unknown senders as spam in Messages.

Section 1 of 3:

Reporting Email Spam

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1
Mark spam emails as junk. If spam slips through your iCloud.com, mac.com, or me.com email address’s automatic filters, you can report it as junk. This will reduce the chances that similar messages will get through in the future.^{[1]
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- If you’re using the Apple Mail app on an iPhone or iPad, tap on the spam email to open it, then tap the folder icon at the bottom of the screen. Select Junk to move the message to your Junk folder.
  - You can also swipe left on the message, tap More, and select Move to Junk.^{[2]
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- If you’re using the Mail app on a Mac, select the message, then click the Junk icon in the toolbar at the top of the Mail window. It looks like a bin with an “x” on it. Alternatively, drag and drop the message into Junk in the left sidebar menu.
- On iCloud.com, drag the message to Junk in the left sidebar, or open the message and click the ••• icon in the lower right corner, then click Move to Junk.
2
Forward suspicious messages to reportphishing@apple.com. If you get a message that looks like it’s supposed to be from Apple, but you think it might be a phishing scam, you can send it to Apple’s dedicated phishing report account at reportphishing@apple.com.
- In the Mail app on an iPhone or iPad, open the message and tap the Reply button (it looks like a curved arrow pointing left), then tap Forward. Enter the Apple phishing email address into the To field, then tap the Send button (the up arrow at the top right corner of the message).
- In the Mail app on a Mac or on iCloud.com, tap the
  Forward button in the toolbar at the top of the Mail window with the message open. Paste Apple’s report phishing email address into the To field and click the Send button (the up arrow at the top right side of the message window).
- If you’re not sure how to recognize common email spoofs or phishing scams, check out this article.
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If someone is harassing you, sending threats, or sending messages impersonating someone else to your icloud.com, mac.com, or me.com email address, there’s a dedicated support address for that, too. Forward these types of messages to abuse@icloud.com.

Section 2 of 3:

Reporting Spam in Messages

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Use the Report Junk feature to forward the sender’s info to Apple. Reporting a message as junk won’t prevent the sender from texting you, but their information will be sent on to Apple and your mobile carrier.^{[3]
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Research source} If enough users report a number for spam texts, they may be flagged as a spammer by your carrier.
- If you’ve never replied to the sender before and they aren’t in your contacts, you’ll see a Report Junk link at the bottom of the conversation. Tap it, then tap Delete and Report Junk.
- You can also swipe left on the conversation in the main Messages menu, then tap the trash can icon. Select Delete and Report Junk from the menu that pops up.
- If you’ve already replied to the message, you won’t be able to report it as junk. You might also be unable to report some SMS, MMS, or RCS messages if your carrier doesn’t support it.
- Unfortunately, there is no way to report junk in the Messages app for macOS. You have to do it from your iPhone or iPad.
2
Send phishing texts to reportphishing@apple.com. If you get a suspicious text from someone impersonating an official Apple number, take a screenshot and email it to reportphishing@apple.com.
- To take a screenshot on your iPhone, press the side button and volume up button at the same time (or, if your phone has a Home button, press that and the side button at the same time).^{[4]
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- On an iPad, press the top button and either volume button at the same time. If your iPad has a Home button, press that and the top button at the same time.^{[5]
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- On a Mac, press Shift + Command + 4, then click and drag the crosshairs to select and screenshot the text message.^{[6]
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3
Block the sender to prevent future messages. If you don’t want the spammer to contact you again, you can block them. Open the message, then tap the sender’s number at the top of the window. Tap Info and select Block Caller.
- If you don’t want to block them completely, tap their number, then toggle on Hide Alerts. This will prevent you from getting notifications when they text you.
- In the Mac version of Messages, select the message and then go to Conversation > Block Person… or Conversation > Hide Alerts in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
4
Filter messages from unknown senders (optional). If you don’t want to see texts from unknown senders, you can filter them in your iPhone’s Settings. This won’t prevent spammers from texting you, but you won’t see any notifications, and the messages will be sorted into a separate folder.
- Open Settings > Apps > Messages (or Settings > Messages in iOS 17 or earlier).
- Scroll down to the Message Filtering header and toggle on Filter Unknown Senders.
- To see texts from unknown senders, tap Filters at the top left corner of the Messages app and select Unknown Senders.

Section 3 of 3:

Reporting Facetime Spam

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Report suspicious calls to reportfacetimefraud@apple.com. If you get a scammy call over FaceTime—for instance, from someone pretending to be from a bank or posing as an Apple employee—get a screenshot of the call information and send it to reportfacetimefraud@apple.com.^{[7]
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- To find the call information, locate the call in your FaceTime call log and tap the i button to the right. This will open an information card with the caller’s number. You can also tap Block Caller from this screen to prevent them from calling you again.
- You can use the same email address to report suspicious texts or emails containing FaceTime links. Get a screenshot of the text or forward the email with the suspicious link.

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Tips

If you’re in the US, you can also report scam phone calls to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

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If you’re not sure if an email, call, or text that appears to be from Apple or another trusted organization is legitimate, call the official customer support number and ask for help. They can either confirm that the message is real or help you identify it as a scam.

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Warnings

Never click on a link or open an attachment in a text or email from a sender you don’t trust.

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Do not provide account information, such as your password or a security code, to people requesting them over the phone, text, or email.

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