No one likes spam texts or calls, and sometimes it feels like a losing battle when blocking numbers never helps. Even worse, many of those messages come from a random email address, making them nearly impossible to fully block. Today, Verizon Wireless just rolled out a new tool that lets customers easily block all email-to-text scam messages in seconds.

We've all received silly text messages saying, "Free Msg: Your bill is paid for August. Here's a free gift, etc.," or a spammer claiming to have your lost FedEx or Amazon package, then sending a malicious link. It's a huge problem that nearly every carrier is fighting. Now, Verizon Wireless customers can text the word OFF to 4040, and it'll instantly disable all email-to-text messages on their account. According to Verizon, over 80% of all email-to-text messages are spam, so adding an off switch to those types of messages is one way to cut back on the spam. One text message to 4040, and you'll never receive another one of those text messages.

Every carrier in the U.S. has a way to report spam, like forwarding the message to "7726," but let's be honest, that never does any good. Now, those on Verizon Wireless can take matters into their own hands.

For what it's worth, I had an influx of these spam texts last year on AT&T and ended up turning off all email-to-text messages on my account. However, that took tons of research, multiple calls to customer support, and a special code found on Reddit from a former AT&T employee. It shouldn't be that difficult, and now it isn't. If you're on Verizon, just text the word OFF to 4040, and you're all set.

Remember that some businesses, employers, or online tools use email-to-text services for communication or SMS message forwarding, so make sure you won't miss anything important by disabling it on your Verizon account. If so, you can re-enable the feature by sending the word ON to the same 4040 number. So, if you're getting an unmanageable amount of spam text messages on Verizon, try this new tool today.

Source: Verizon