Texans receive more spam text messages than any other state besides California, and the problem is only expected to grow.

This year, Texans are projected to receive 11 billion spam text messages, according to data from spam blocking app RoboKiller. Here are a few ways you can handle spam texts and keep yourself secure.

Pause, don’t click

Experts recommend not clicking any links sent to you through text messages if you don’t know who the sender is. Some scammers will send messages claiming to be a government agency or a company you know and trust. Before opening any links included in a text, call the company or organization that the text claims to be from or check your account with that company online.

Opt out

If the spam text was sent from a legitimate company, you can typically reply with ‘STOP’ and the company will honor your request to cease receiving text messages. If you don’t know the party on the other end, don’t reply. Replying to a scammer confirms to them that there is a real human being on the other end of a phone number and encourage further spam.

Report

Dallas-based AT&T as well as T-Mobile and Verizon advise customers who get suspicious text messages to forward those texts to 7726 (SPAM) so the company’s spam defense team can take action.

It’s somewhat tedious, but a more immediate action users can take is to block individual phone numbers that send text messages through your phone’s block caller function. Most phones use this list to block incoming text messages.

Protect

Every carrier has its own form of spam blocking/filtering. T-Mobile offers its subscribers a collection of services called Scam Shield. Verizon offers Call Filter. AT&T offers a service called Call Protect.

Additionally, there are third-party companies that provide robocall and spam text message filtering, including RoboKill and Nomorobo.