Scam texts from an email address, iMessage or RCS: why they get through and how to report them
Checked by TextCheckUK · Last checked · How we check
If a scam 'text' shows an email address as the sender and sits in a blue bubble on an iPhone, it came through iMessage, Apple's messaging service, not through your mobile network: Apple says Messages can use an email address as well as a phone number. Ofcom says iMessage and WhatsApp aren't regulated under the Communications Act, so the networks' text rules and 7726 don't cover them. Report it with Report Spam in Messages, which sends it to Apple, or email a screenshot to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Why a ‘text’ can come from an email address
On an iPhone, Messages handles two kinds of message. iMessages travel between Apple devices over the internet, and Apple says someone can reach you by iMessage at your email address or your phone number. SMS, MMS and RCS messages go through your mobile network. Apple's guide says iMessages appear in blue bubbles and SMS, MMS and RCS messages in green.
So a blue-bubble message whose sender is an email address came through Apple's iMessage service. A green message came through your network and can be reported the usual way.
Written by us; not a real message. [EMAIL ADDRESS], [Courier name], [fee] and [link] stand in for details we leave out.
1. A company name, an email sender
The message claims to be a delivery firm, but the sender is an email address. Apple says Messages can start conversations from an email address as well as a phone number, so the sender line proves nothing about who wrote it.
“With Messages in iOS, you can start conversations with your phone number or with your email address.” (Apple, iMessage from an email address, read 2 October 2026)
2. The link is the point
The NCSC says the aim of a scam text is often to get you to tap a link that leads to a site built to steal passwords or personal details.
“The purpose of a scam text message is often to get you to click a link.” (NCSC, report a scam text, read 2 October 2026)
SMS, RCS, iMessage and WhatsApp: who carries it, who can block it
| Kind of message | Carried by | Under Ofcom's new text rules? | How to report it |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS and MMS (green on an iPhone) | Your mobile network | Yes: Ofcom says SMS and MMS are regulated under the Communications Act | Forward to 7726, then report spam in your messages app |
| RCS (green on an iPhone) | Your mobile network's service; Apple says RCS comes from your carrier, not Apple | It depends: Ofcom says it turns on how each operator runs RCS, and the operator decides first | Report spam in Messages or Google Messages, which can pass it to your network |
| iMessage (blue on an iPhone), from a number or an email address | Apple | No: Ofcom says iMessage isn't regulated under the Communications Act | Report Spam in Messages, which sends it to Apple |
| WhatsApp and other messaging apps | The app's own service | No: Ofcom says apps like WhatsApp aren't regulated under the Communications Act | The app's own block and report option, and a screenshot to report@phishing.gov.uk |
Why network filters and 7726 can miss them
7726 is a scheme run by the phone providers: when you forward a text to it, the NCSC says, your provider can trace where the text came from and block or ban the sender. That works for texts sent through your network's messaging service. An iMessage or a WhatsApp message isn't one, which is why Ofcom's statement puts them outside its new rules: they don't depend on telephone numbers and aren't regulated under the Communications Act. For RCS, Ofcom says whether it is covered depends on how each operator runs it, and that it is for operators to decide in the first instance.
How to report each one
Report a scam message, whatever carried it
iMessage on an iPhone
Tap Report Spam under the message, or swipe left on it in the list and choose Delete and Report Spam. The report and the sender's details go to Apple.
“If you received the message with iMessage, it’s sent to Apple with the sender’s information, and the message is permanently deleted from your iPhone.” (Apple, reporting spam in Messages (iOS 27), read 2 October 2026)
SMS, MMS or RCS on an iPhone
Forward an SMS to 7726 first, then use Report Spam: Apple says that, depending on your network, reporting an SMS, MMS or RCS message shares it with your network.
(Apple, reporting spam in Messages (iOS 27), read 2 October 2026)
Google Messages on Android
Touch and hold the conversation, tap Block, Report spam, OK. The number and recent messages go to Google, and Google Messages may also send a copy to your mobile network.
“This will send a copy of the spammer's number plus the most recent text message to your mobile operator.” (Google Messages, report copied to your network, read 2 October 2026)
Any of them, including WhatsApp
Take a screenshot or a screen recording and email it to report@phishing.gov.uk, the NCSC's reporting address. In WhatsApp, also use the app's own block and report option.
“You can also take a screenshot or screen recording of the text message and send it to us at report@phishing.gov.uk” (NCSC, report a scam text, read 2 October 2026)
From Apple's iPhone User Guide and Google Messages Help (one short quote each, steps in our words) and the NCSC (Open Government Licence v3.0), read on 2 October 2026. Drawn by us; menus can differ by phone and app version. Apple also says reporting isn't possible once you've replied to a message.
How to stop them
Reporting doesn't stop the sender writing again, so block the sender as well. On an iPhone, Screen Unknown Senders moves messages from people who aren't in your contacts into a separate folder without alerts, and Apple notes that blocking a contact in Messages also blocks it in Mail, Phone and FaceTime. On Android, check that spam protection is on in Google Messages. Step-by-step: how to block spam texts on iPhone and Android.
What Ofcom's 2027 rules will and won't change
From 18 January 2027 networks must limit and block scam texts sent from SIM cards, and from 15 July 2027 they must check business senders and stop fake sender names. That covers SMS and MMS, and RCS where an operator runs it as a regulated service. It doesn't cover iMessage or WhatsApp. More in the new UK rules on scam texts and the official scam text statistics.
Whatever the bubble colour, the content tells you most: paste it into the scam text checker. Recent examples that arrive this way include parcel delivery texts and parking fine texts.
Sources
- Apple, iMessage from an email address: Apple Support, 'If your iPhone sends text messages from your email address' (published 19 January 2026): "With Messages in iOS, you can start conversations with your phone number or with your email address." Short quote; the rest is summarised in our own words. — https://support.apple.com/en-gb/101744, read on 2026-10-02
- Apple, iMessage and RCS: Apple, iPhone User Guide, 'iMessage overview': "RCS is provided by your cellular carrier, not by Apple." Short quote; the rest is summarised in our own words. — https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph4e9799206/ios, read on 2026-10-02
- Apple, reporting spam in Messages (iOS 27): Apple, iPhone User Guide (iOS 27), 'Report spam and block senders in Messages on iPhone': "If you received the message with iMessage, it’s sent to Apple with the sender’s information, and the message is permanently deleted from your iPhone." Short quote; the rest is summarised in our own words. — https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph3f94d910d/ios, read on 2026-10-02
- Apple, screen and filter texts (iOS 27): Apple, iPhone User Guide (iOS 27), 'Screen and filter text messages on iPhone': "Their messages are filtered into another folder, and you don’t get notified about them unless you want to be." Short quote; the rest is summarised in our own words. — https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph203ab0be4/ios, read on 2026-10-02
- Google Messages, report copied to your network: Google Messages Help, 'Report spam in Google Messages' (Android): "This will send a copy of the spammer's number plus the most recent text message to your mobile operator." Short quote; the rest is summarised in our own words. — https://support.google.com/messages/answer/9061432?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid, read on 2026-10-02
- Ofcom statement, what the rules cover (para 2.31 to 2.35, 1.9): Ofcom, 'Combatting mobile messaging scams: New rules and guidance', statement published 15 July 2026 (checked on 2 October 2026 against the Internet Archive copy of 29 September 2026, as the live site blocks automated access; footnote numbers left out), overview, paragraphs 1.9 and 2.31 to 2.35: "Setting volume limits for pay-as-you-go (PAYG) SIMs, to make it harder for scammers to message large numbers of potential victims. ... Preventing the use of fake alphanumeric sender IDs, including by corroborating Sender IDs against information gathered through KYC checks ... The new rules and new guidance that apply to P2P messaging will come into effect on 18 January 2027. Those that apply to A2P messaging will come into effect on 15 July 2027. ... The measures do not apply to services that Ofcom regulates under the Online Safety Act, such as online messaging apps. ... Widely adopted online messaging apps such as WhatsApp and proprietary online messaging standards such as iMessage use functionality that is not dependent on telephone numbers and they are not regulated under the Communications Act. ... Messages from these false base stations can bypass network-level protections and tackling them requires a coordinated response from regulators and law enforcement." Ofcom copyright. — https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-3-4-weeks/consultation-combatting-mobile-messaging-scams/main-document/statement-combatting-mobile-messaging-scams.pdf?v=423155, read on 2026-10-02
- Ofcom statement, SMS and RCS (para 2.34 to 2.36): Ofcom, 'Combatting mobile messaging scams: New rules and guidance', statement published 15 July 2026 (checked on 2 October 2026 against the Internet Archive copy of 29 September 2026, as the live site blocks automated access; footnote numbers left out), paragraphs 2.34 to 2.36: "SMS and MMS are regulated under the Communications Act, but the messaging services landscape is changing continually. ... Services such as RCS share characteristics of the traditional messaging services like SMS and MMS but also share characteristics of online messaging apps. Whether such a service is now, or could in the future be, regulated under the Communications Act will depend on how it is implemented in the UK. It is for operators to determine in the first instance whether their current implementation of RCS constitutes a service that is regulated under the Communications Act" Ofcom copyright. — https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-3-4-weeks/consultation-combatting-mobile-messaging-scams/main-document/statement-combatting-mobile-messaging-scams.pdf?v=423155, read on 2026-10-02
- NCSC, report a scam text: NCSC, 'Report a scam text' (published 26 November 2021, reviewed 5 September 2022): "By reporting, you can: reduce the amount of scam texts you receive; make yourself a harder target for scammers; protect others from cyber crime online. 40.9K scams removed across 93.3k URLs as of July 2026 as part of the 7726 service. ... You can also take a screenshot or screen recording of the text message and send it to us at report@phishing.gov.uk ... If 7726 doesn't work, you can find out how to report a text message by contacting your phone provider. ... The purpose of a scam text message is often to get you to click a link. This will take you to a website which criminals use to download viruses to your computer, or steal passwords or other personal information." Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. — https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-text-message, read on 2026-10-02
- NCSC, forwarding to 7726: NCSC, Report a scam text: "Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it's found to be malicious." — https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-text-message, read on 2026-09-29
Quotes from GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, mygov.scot, the NCSC, the ICO and NHS England are used under the Open Government Licence v3.0; material from Ofcom is Ofcom copyright. Other pages are summarised in our own words or quoted briefly, with a link. How we check.
Frequently asked questions
- Why did I get a text from an email address?
- If it shows in a blue bubble on an iPhone, it is an iMessage: Apple says Messages can send and receive with an email address as well as a phone number, and iMessages show in blue bubbles. It came through Apple's service, not your mobile network.
- Can I forward an iMessage scam to 7726?
- 7726 lets your phone provider investigate texts carried on its network, which an iMessage isn't. Use Report Spam in Messages, which sends the message and the sender's details to Apple, or email a screenshot to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- What is RCS?
- A newer form of texting that works over the internet, shown in green bubbles on an iPhone. Apple says it is provided by your carrier, not Apple. Ofcom says whether it is regulated like SMS depends on how each operator runs it.
- How do I stop scam iMessages?
- Report each one as spam, block the sender, and turn on Screen Unknown Senders so messages from people outside your contacts go to a separate folder without alerts.
- Will Ofcom's new rules stop iMessage and WhatsApp scams?
- No. Ofcom says iMessage and WhatsApp aren't regulated under the Communications Act, so its rules for mobile networks don't apply to them.
More guides
- How to forward a scam text to 7726 (iPhone and Android)
Step by step for iPhone and Android, from the NCSC: what 7726 does with your report, what it costs, and what to do if 7726 does not work.
- What is Report Fraud? The service that replaced Action Fraud
Since 4 December 2025 fraud and cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is reported to Report Fraud, not Action Fraud. Where, how, and Scotland.
- I clicked a link in a scam text: what to do now (UK)
Clicked a link in a scam text? What to do depends on what happened next: page closed, password typed, card details given, app installed or money lost.
- How to block spam texts on iPhone and Android (UK settings that work in 2026)
How to stop spam texts in the UK: filter unknown senders on iPhone, turn on spam protection in Google Messages, report, block and forward to 7726.
Last updated 2026-10-02. Independent information service. Number data from Ofcom shows the original range holder; numbers can be ported or spoofed. Not affiliated with any organisation named on this page, including Ofcom, the FCA, the ICO, the NHS, DWP, HMRC, TV Licensing, Apple, Google or any police service.