Robocall Guide · Texts
Text message TCPA violations
Three kinds of spam texts cross the legal line: no consent, after you said STOP, and autodialed marketing. Each one can be worth $500 to $1,500.
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Short answer
Under the TCPA, the most common text violations are: marketing texts sent without your written consent, texts that keep coming after you reply STOP, and automated marketing blasts to your cell. The law treats a text like a call, so each violating message is worth $500, or up to $1,500 if willful, and after-STOP texts are a classic path to the higher amount. The amounts stack, you don’t need to be a customer, and you don’t need to identify the sender to start.
The violations at a glance
- No consent: marketing texts you never agreed to in writing.
- After-STOP: texts that continue after you revoke consent.
- Autodialed: automated or mass-blast marketing to your cell.
- Each violating text is $500 to $1,500, and they stack.
Why texts are treated like calls
The TCPA was written for phone calls, but courts and regulators applied its protections to text messages too. A text sent by an automated system to your cell is the same kind of unwanted intrusion as a robocall: same equipment, same missing consent. The violations below are the text versions of the rules that govern robocalls.
Violation 1: No prior written consent
This is the foundation. A business generally needs your prior written permission before it can send automated marketing texts to your cell. No permission, and the text is a violation.
What this looks like in real life:
- A marketing blast from a company you never gave your number to.
- A number a company bought from a list and texted without asking you.
- “Consent” buried in fine print you’d never read as agreeing to texts.
- A pre-checked box you never actively agreed to.
For the full picture of what does and doesn’t count as agreement, see marketing texts without consent.
Violation 2: Texts after you said STOP
Even if you once agreed, you can take it back, and replying STOP is a clear way to do it. A company that keeps texting after your STOP reply is texting you without consent, because you revoked it.
You don’t need magic words to revoke. STOP works, and so does any clear statement that you want the texts to end. If a company ignored your request to be removed, those follow-up texts can be the strongest, most valuable part of a claim. See calls after you said stop.
Violation 3: Autodialed and mass-blast texts
The “robo” part matters. The TCPA targets texts sent by automated systems, the equipment that fires the same message to a huge list of numbers at once, rather than a person typing to one recipient.
You can often spot the signs: a message that reads like a template, a generic greeting, a short code or unfamiliar number, and an offer or link sent to thousands of people. You don’t have to prove the technical details yourself, since that’s part of what an attorney establishes, but the pattern is usually obvious from the text itself.
What these violations are worth, and how to act
Because the TCPA fixes the value of each violating text, the math is simple: number of illegal texts × $500 to $1,500. After-STOP and other willful violations push toward the top of that range, and every message stacks. A company that blasted you, then ignored your STOP, can owe a meaningful amount.
Two facts stop people from acting, and shouldn’t: you don’t have to be a customer (wrong-number texts count), and you don’t have to identify the sender first (tracing the campaign is the attorney’s job). Keep the thread, see spam text evidence, and get a free read from Max Morgan, Esq. No fee unless you recover. Start with do I qualify.
Related: TCPA text message rules · Marketing texts without consent · Calls after you said stop · Do I qualify?
What kind of calls are you getting?
Each of these is a real, recoverable claim under the TCPA.
Wrong-number robocalls
Prerecorded or auto-dialed calls meant for someone else. You can have a claim even though you’re not a customer.
Learn more Highest valueWrong-number debt collection
Auto-dialed collection calls for a debt that was never yours. Illegal twice over — and it pays.
Learn more Highest value“Stop calling me”
You told them to stop and the calls kept coming. Each one can be a separate violation.
Learn moreSpam text messages
Marketing texts you never agreed to count under the TCPA too. Screenshots are often all the proof you need.
Learn moreDo-Not-Call violations
Registered your number and the calls didn’t stop? Continued telemarketing may entitle you to damages.
Learn morePrerecorded cell calls
Robotic or artificial-voice calls to your cell without consent are a clear TCPA violation.
Learn moreText message violations: FAQs
Which text violation is worth the most?
Often the after-STOP text. Continuing to message you after you revoke consent is a clear example of a willful violation, which raises the amount toward $1,500 per text. The others start at $500 each, and all of them stack.
How do I know if a text was autodialed?
You usually can’t be certain from your end, and you don’t have to be. Templated wording, a generic greeting, a short code, and an obvious mass-blast offer are common signs. Whether the sender used an automated system is something an attorney establishes as part of the case.
Can a wrong-number text be a violation?
Yes. If a text is clearly meant for someone else, about an account or service that isn’t yours, the sender can’t rely on that other person’s consent. You never agreed to anything, so an unconsented automated marketing text to you can still be a violation.
Do I need many texts to have a claim?
No. Even a single illegal text can be a $500 violation, or $1,500 if willful. More texts simply mean a larger potential claim, because each one stacks. It’s worth a free review even if you only have a few.
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