I keep getting added to random group chats

[gazo]

This has been happening for a while now, every once in a while I get added to a group chat with like 19 other people. I keep leaving but it happened again a few minutes ago, how do I stop this from happening and how do I prevent it from happening again?

[gazo]

IT HAPPENED AGAIN

[VerbumVeritum]

To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to prevent your number from being added to group chats. I realize it's annoying, but you will have to remove yourself each time. Try to block the number that added you if you can.

[realaud]

If you are using Google Messages, you can long press on the chat and report it as spam.  Future messages from that chat will end up in the spam section of the app, hidden away.  Won't even be disturbed by notifications of it.  I assume the originator's number will be reported to carriers as spammers and blocked.  This is a new phishing scheme - some rando is adding random numbers to a group chat in order to farm personal information.  I do not think there is a similar feature in Samsung Messages, but I don't know.

[gazo]

I'm using the Samsung messages. I don't wanna keep having to block numbers constantly. Does leaving the group chats put me even more at risk? I need a way to block these weirdos from putting me in group chats

[realaud]

Switch to Google messages and report each group chat as spam when you get added. It will block every number that is in the chat. Sansung messages doesnt have the same kind of blocking, so you will have to block each number individually. You are only at risk if you respond to any message or click on any links. Don't even respond to say remove me or stop. If you don't know the people in the chat, it's best to ignore and delete and block.

[gazo]

Does blocking any number there get put into contacts blocked numbers?

[realaud]

If you block a group chat as spam, all conversations in that chat will be marked as spam and blocked, whether that blocks your contacts from sending individual texts to you if they are included in that group chat, I do not know for sure, but if it does, you can unblock them in your contacts app. I thought you were saying that random people you don't know are adding you to a group.

[melvis27]

I blocked all numbers in these group chats and they still get through to annoy me. Going to switch from Samsung messages

[realaud]

You should be using Google Messages anyway.  As I mentioned before, they have the spam and block.  You have to block the group chat itself, I think it automatically blocks all the numbers individually.  If it only blocks the numbers associated with the group chat, if one of those numbers messages you independently if might not be blocked.  Spam control is one of the areas where Google Messages is superior to Samsung Messages.  Do you know anyone in these chats, are are you just being added by a random stranger?

Another thing you can do in Google Messages is go to the group chat settings and turn notifications off, or silent, for that (or any) chat.  (assuming you have notification categories turned on in the notification settings).  You will still get the messages, but not hear the notifications (assuming you didn't or couldn't mark the chat as spam).