INDIANAPOLIS — As more spammers and scammers are turning to text messaging rather than phone calls, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is rolling out the first regulations to block annoying robotexts at the network level.

The new order puts the responsibility on mobile carriers like Verizon, AT&T and others to automatically block text messages that come from numbers that are unused, unallocated or invalid. Carriers would also have to block messages from reaching your phone if they come from a number used by government agencies. That’s because government agencies don’t use text messaging, so anyone using one of those numbers is presumed to be a fraud.

“These robotexts are making a mess of our phones,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “They are reducing trust in a powerful way to communicate. So today, we take our first step to stop these unwanted texts at the network level.”

Rosenworcel added: “Scam artists have found that sending us messages about a package you never ordered or a payment that never went through along with a link to a shady website is a quick and easy way to get us to engage on our devices and fall prey to fraud.”

While this seems to be a worthy effort, the FCC also recognizes that scammers are already looking for ways around the new rule, similar to how robocallers have found ways to get around the “Do Not Call” registry.

As a result, the FCC is now asking for public comment and suggestions on how to require carriers to block texts from people and companies already tagged as a robotexters. The commission is also working to clarify that just because you give one-time permission to send a text message, that doesn’t give a company or agency the okay to keep sending messages for other marketing.

A general rule of thumb is to never engage or click on a link in a text from a number you don’t know. You can read more tips about dealing with robotexters on the FCC’s website.