"Hey, it's Mike. Saw your file got approved for up to $250K. Still need working capital? Reply YES to lock it in."
It lands at 7:52 a.m., the third one since Monday. You never talked to Mike. You want to type a paragraph about how you never applied. Don't. Type one word: STOP.
This is Part 7 of Stop the Calls. Part 1 gave you the phone script, Part 2 the written stop, Part 3 the call log, Part 4 the UCC filing behind the list, Part 5 the screener, and Part 6 the questions that trace who sold your number (all at https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/stop-the-calls). The calls got quieter. Now the pitch moves to your messages.
General information, not legal advice.
Why one word beats a paragraph
FCC rules list seven words that count, all by themselves, as a reasonable way to revoke consent when you send them in reply to a text: "stop," "quit," "end," "revoke," "opt out," "cancel," or "unsubscribe." Once you use one, the rule says consent is definitively revoked and the sender may not send more robotexts. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-64/subpart-L/section-64.1200 (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10))
Other wording can count too, if a reasonable person would read it as a request to stop. But a paragraph gives a sender something to argue about. "Who is this, I never applied, how did you get my number" reads like an opening. STOP reads like a door closing.
The same rule says a stop request has to be honored within a reasonable time, no more than ten business days.
A change is pending: an FCC order released Oct. 1, 2026 (FCC 26-67) will let senders name one specific opt-out method, such as a reply word, a website or a phone number, starting 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register (not yet published as of Oct. 9, 2026), so replying STOP is still a reasonable way to opt out today, and if a text tells you which word or method to use, use that one. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-67A1.pdf
The 3-step text routine
When a funding text shows up from a number you don't know, run this every time:
Screenshot the text before you do anything. Save the sender number, the time, the name they used, and any link or callback number. That's a new row in your Part 3 call log.
Decide which kind of text it is.
A pitch that names a company or a rep, with no link to click: reply with one word, STOP. Nothing else.
A text with a link, a "verify your account" ask, or anything that smells like a scam: don't reply and don't tap the link. The FCC's advice is to not respond to texts from unknown or questionable sources. Forward it to 7726 (SPAM), which most carriers accept, then block the number.
Set a reminder for ten business days out. Any marketing text from that same sender after that date goes into the log with a note: "Texted after STOP on [date]."
Copy this as a text shortcut so the reply takes one tap:
"STOP"
That's the whole script. Resist the urge to add to it.
The one text they're allowed to send back
You may get a reply like "You've been unsubscribed." That's allowed. FCC rules let a sender send one confirmation text after a stop request, as long as it only confirms the opt-out and has no marketing in it. If it arrives within five minutes, it's presumed fine (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(12)).
So watch what comes next. "You're unsubscribed" is fine. "You're unsubscribed, but rates drop Friday, want a quick call?" Is a second message with a pitch in it. Screenshot it and log it.
Where texts sit in your rights
- FCC rules say texts sent to a mobile phone with an autodialer need your prior consent, and commercial texts need written consent. Those rules apply even if your number isn't on the Do Not Call Registry. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts
- The National Do Not Call Registry covers personal numbers, not business lines. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/national-do-not-call-registry-faqs
- Whether the TCPA (47 U.S.C. 227) covers a given text depends on how it was sent and the line it went to. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227
A screenshot of your STOP, the date you sent it, and anything that came after it make a record you can use to report texts at https://www.donotcall.gov/report.html or to the FCC at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. It isn't a promise of any outcome. For the bigger map, see Know Your Rights (https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/know-your-rights).
This week
- Save "STOP" as a one-tap text shortcut.
- Add a column to your call log: "Channel" (call, text, voicemail).
- Reply STOP to every named funding pitch that comes in. Forward the link-bait ones to 7726.
- Mark ten business days on the calendar for each STOP you send.
- No log yet? Grab the free CSV: https://mcafax.com/notebook/toolkit/call-log-template
Next part: the voicemails that show up without your phone ever ringing.