What to Do About Threatening Text Messages
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise: don't delete anything or argue back, save the whole conversation with the dates and the sender showing, keep a dated log of what else happened, and report it to your local police. Threats and harassment by text can be crimes, and a court can issue a protective order.
A threatening text is easy to dismiss as words on a screen, and just as easy to lose: one deleted thread or a new phone and it's gone. The order below puts saving the messages before anything else, because the police, a judge and your own attorney will all ask to see them.
What should you do when you get a threatening text?
1.If you are in danger, call 911
A threat of immediate harm is an emergency. Call 911 first; everything else on this list can wait until you are safe.
2.Don't delete anything, and don't argue back
Keep every message, including ones you sent. A reply in anger can be read later without its context, so if you answer at all, keep it short and calm.
3.Save the whole conversation
Screenshot each threatening message so the sender's number or name and the date and time are visible, then save the full thread as well: an export from the phone keeps every message in order with its date and time.
4.Keep a dated log
Write down the date of each message and anything that happened around it, such as calls, voicemails or the person showing up. Write it the same day, while it is fresh.
5.Report it
Call your local police (the non-emergency line if there is no immediate danger), bring the phone and your saved copies, and ask for a report number.
6.Ask the court about a protective order
The court clerk or the court's self-help center can tell you which order fits: a domestic violence order if the sender is a partner, ex or family member, or a stalking or harassment order in many states if not.
Are threatening texts illegal?
They can be. Every state has laws against threatening to harm someone and against harassment, and most of them cover texts and other electronic messages; the names vary (criminal threatening, terroristic threats, harassment, stalking). Federal law also makes it a crime to send a threat to injure someone across state lines, which can include a text (18 U.S.C. § 875(c)). Whether a particular message meets the definition depends on its wording and the circumstances, which is a question for the police, a prosecutor or a lawyer. Messages that aren't threats but keep coming can still be harassment; see how to prove harassment with text messages.
How do you save the texts so they hold up?
Two kinds of copies work together. Screenshots show the threatening messages exactly as they appeared, with the sender and the time visible. An export saves the entire conversation in order, so nobody can say the screenshots were picked out of context. Keep the phone itself too, and don't reset it.
- iPhone: saving a conversation without a computer, or exporting iMessage with a computer
- Android: printing Android texts or exporting Samsung Messages
- WhatsApp, Messenger and other apps: our export guides
Your carrier account can also show when texts arrived from that number, which backs up the dates; see what your phone carrier can give you.
Should you block the number?
Save everything first. After that it's a judgment call, and worth talking over with the police or an advocate. On an iPhone, messages from a blocked number aren't delivered at all, so any later threats won't be on your phone. Many Android messaging apps instead file them in a spam or blocked folder that you can still open. Some people keep the number unblocked and mute the conversation so new messages are still recorded.
What happens when you report it to the police?
An officer takes a report and looks at the messages. Bring the phone, your screenshots and export, and your log, and ask for the report number before you leave. A report also helps later if you ask a court for a protective order, because it shows you raised it at the time.
How does a protective order work?
A protective order (also called a restraining order or order of protection) is a court order telling the person to stop contacting you, and sometimes to stay away from your home or work. If the sender is a partner, ex or family member, most states have domestic violence orders; for anyone else, many states have stalking or harassment orders. You usually fill out a petition at the courthouse, and a judge can issue a temporary order quickly, followed by a hearing. Domestic violence petitions are often free to file. Your saved texts are usually the main evidence, so bring copies. For help deciding what to do, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and confidential: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
How can Verity help with a long conversation?
When threats are scattered through months of messages, Verity can put the exported conversation in order: a numbered list of every message with its date, and a report that quotes the messages matching patterns such as threats, with their dates. You can hand that to an attorney or advocate instead of scrolling through the phone together. The file is read in your browser and is not uploaded. It is supporting documentation, not a legal finding about whether any message is a crime.
This is general information, not legal advice, and laws differ by state. Verity is not a law firm. If you are in danger, call 911.
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