Just like with your e-mail address, cell phones are susceptible to unwanted junk mail and spam, too. Especially since they lack the spam filtering services that most computer networks have. Unfortunately it is a trend that is growing, and one that is difficult for cell phone software engineers to keep up with. There are a few steps that can be taken to reduce the amount of spam you receive in your cell phone’s inbox, but there not pretty.

#1: Your own service provider. Due to the lack of cell phone spam blockers, your very own ISP might be your best choice. Check with them, either over the phone, in person, or online, and see if they offer any kind of spam blocker – many companies do.

#2: SpamArrest. This program blocks cell phone spam before it even reaches your cell phone. Unfortunately it is rather costly and somewhat complicated for the average computer user.

#3: Vanquish VQme. This cell phone spam blocker operates much in the same fashion as SpamArrest, but it costs less and supports up to 5 users; a feature that SpamArrest doesn’t have.

#4: Spam Assassin. If you’d rather try a free cell phone spam blocker, you may want to consider Spam Assassin. It is quite complicated, however, and is definitely not recommended for those who are anything less than technologically-savvy.

#5: Sync your phone with your desktop inbox. Because your desktop computer probably already has some effective and comprehensive spam filtering in place, you may want to sync up your cell phone so that your phone’s inbox will be scanned before you retrieve any messages. Not all phones support this option however, and it is not exactly an easy task.