Use the unsubscribe link only if you recognise the sender, and mark anything else as spam. Register free with the Telephone Preference Service to reduce marketing calls, and forward spam texts to 7726. Report persistent marketing calls, texts and emails to the Information Commissioner's Office, and silent calls to Ofcom.
Key points
✓Organisations, including charities, must stop sending you marketing emails when you opt out.
✓Companies need your explicit consent before making automated marketing calls.
✓It can take up to 28 days for calls to reduce after you register with the Telephone Preference Service.
✓If you do not know who sent a text, do not reply, because a reply confirms your number is active.
✓Since 5 February 2026, charities can send marketing emails to some supporters without opt-in consent, as long as they offer a simple way to refuse.
How do you stop spam emails?
Unsubscribe from companies you recognise, and mark everything else as spam or junk. Ofcom says that if an email is from an unknown or suspicious source, you should not click any links, including unsubscribe links. If a marketing email has no opt-out instructions, the ICO says to find the organisation's contact details on its website and tell it you want to opt out.
The ICO's advice for avoiding spam in the first place:
be careful who you give your email address to
consider having separate personal and business email addresses
check privacy policies and marketing opt-outs before giving your email address
do not reply to spam if you have any doubts about the sender, because replying shows your address is live
do not click on adverts in spam emails
use a spam filter
How do you stop nuisance calls?
Register your landline or mobile with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), free online or on 0345 070 0707. It is a register of people who do not want marketing calls, and it can take up to 28 days for the calls to reduce. If you agreed that an organisation could call you and then registered with the TPS, it can still call, so tell it directly to stop.
Your phone company may also offer these services, though it may charge for them:
caller display, which shows the number calling so you can choose whether to answer
incoming call blocking, which stops selected numbers getting through
anonymous call rejection, which blocks people who withhold their number, though the police, hospitals and utility companies may sometimes withhold theirs
1471, dialled straight after a call, which can identify the last caller unless the number was withheld
If you or a relative are particularly vulnerable, for example with dementia, the ICO says to speak to your phone network, which may have call blocking solutions. Many of these services are free. The number on your display may not be the real caller, because number spoofing can show a false number or mimic a real company.
How do you stop spam texts?
Forward the text to 7726, which is free and reports it to your phone company. If the sender is known to you or uses a shortcode of five to eight digits, reply STOP, which should not cost you anything. If the sender is unknown, do not reply.
To forward a text, tap and hold the message, then send it to 7726. Most UK mobile networks support the number. For messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, use the block and report features in the app, because you cannot usually forward those to 7726.
Where do you report spam and nuisance calls?
Each type goes to a different place, so check this table first.
What you got
Report it to
How
Live or automated marketing calls
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Online or 0303 123 1113
Spam texts
7726 first, then the ICO
Forward the text, then online or 0303 123 1113
Spam or marketing emails
ICO
Online or 0303 123 1113
Silent or abandoned calls
Ofcom
Online or 0300 123 3333
Abusive or threatening calls
Your phone company and the police
Your provider's nuisance calls team, then 101, or 999 if you are in immediate danger
Suspicious emails that may be scams
National Cyber Security Centre
Forward to report@phishing.gov.uk
A scam where you lost money
Report Fraud, or Police Scotland in Scotland
0300 123 2040, or 101 in Scotland
For a marketing call you did not agree to, note the number, company name and time before you report it. For silent calls, tell Ofcom the name and number of the caller if you have them, how many times they called and for how long it has been happening. Ofcom can fine an organisation that repeatedly makes abandoned or silent calls up to £2 million.
What does the law say about marketing calls, texts and emails?
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 set different rules for each kind of marketing.
Type of marketing
The rule
Live marketing calls
Not allowed to a number on the TPS register, or to someone who has told the caller not to call. The caller must show a number on which it can be contacted.
Automated marketing calls
Allowed only if you have told the caller that you consent.
Marketing emails
Allowed only with your consent, unless the soft opt-in or the charity rule applies.
Soft opt-in
A business that got your details when you bought from it, or discussed buying, can market its similar products, if it gave you a simple way to refuse then and in every message.
Charity rule, since 5 February 2026
A charity can email you to further its charitable purposes if you gave your details when expressing an interest or offering support, and it gave you a simple way to refuse then and in every message.
The soft opt-in does not apply to everything. The ICO gives campaigning or fundraising by political parties as an example, so a party needs your consent before it emails you. The ICO says its nuisance calls guidance is under review because of the Data (Use and Access) Act.
If you are an employee of a company, organisations can send marketing to your work email without your consent, unless the address identifies you. If it does, you can write and ask them to stop, and they must stop as soon as they can.
How do you tell a scam from a nuisance call?
Ofcom treats scams as a different problem: they are criminal acts aimed at getting your money or your personal or financial information. Hang up if you have any suspicion. Do not call back a number you do not recognise, especially numbers beginning 070, 076, 084, 087, 090, 091 or 118, which can be premium-rate. Some scam calls ring once and hang up, hoping you will return the call.
If you shared details or sent money, contact your bank straight away, using the number on the back of your card, or 159 if your bank supports it. Our guide to getting money back after a bank transfer scam explains the refund rules, and our UK GDPR guide explains your wider data rights.
How do you stop junk mail through the door?
For addressed mail, contact the Mailing Preference Service on 020 7291 3310 to remove your address from mailing lists. It can take up to four months for your address to come off some lists. For unaddressed leaflets delivered by Royal Mail, ask Royal Mail to opt you out of Door to Door. Our guide to phone and broadband rights covers call charges and complaints about your provider.
Is reporting different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
For scams, yes in Scotland. Ofcom says to report to Report Fraud, and in Scotland to Police Scotland on 101. The Fundraising Preference Service, which lets you stop charities contacting you, covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our rights guides cover the rest of your legal rights.
Know Your Rights UK. "How to Stop Spam Emails, Nuisance Calls and Spam Texts." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/rights/stop-spam-and-nuisance-calls