Getting a disposable number or an anonymous line: three practical solutions
So the first question you are going to ask yourself when reading the title of this article is ” But why the hell would I want an anonymous line when I have nothing to hide and am such an honest person as Carlos Ghosn ?! »We enlighten you.
Contents
Safe from disorder
Know indeed that there are sacred advantages to having an anonymous second line precisely so that you keep a peaceful life by not spoiling your “official” number with nuisances.
First of all, and this concerns the biggest problem of our time, for not be the victim of spam and advertising calls all day long. This observation is due to the fact that, more and more often, when registering for anything on the Internet or otherwise, there is always a step where you are asked to provide a phone number. Sometimes, the pretext is advertised as secure in order to verify that you are confirming your identity by receiving a code by SMS. If this is justified for certain official services (bank, tax, etc.), why would your optician need an identification which requires sending a message? Quite simply to be able to send you regular advertisements for its new frames. So we are in pernicious spam.
Another very useful use of an anonymous line is to allow you to put a phone number when asked without once again disclosing your personal number which could end up polluted. If you are a follower of The good corner, of Vinted and other classifieds sites that you sell on, having a line dedicated to this activity for a limited time can be more than practical. And then you don’t have the risk of seeing your official information getting lost in a stranger’s phone who could misuse it, or even harass you if he really didn’t like your selling him a computer that broke down two weeks later.
To prevent you from being spammed by your optician and harassed by a disgruntled geek, we have three solutions to offer you :
SMS platforms
If you are tired of being asked for your number to receive a verification code, there is online platforms that offer so-called “disposable” numbers, available for this sole purpose. So don’t be fooled by the austere visual character of these sites, but the point is that it works. There are numbers per country and, when you use them, the SMS you should receive is displayed as if by magic on the dedicated page. So, for safety’s sake, even if you are supposed to be the only one with access to the answer, perhaps do not use this kind of site to confirm important and private data, but for all that is “leisure”, you can go there with your eyes closed. Receive SMS Online works very well. Receive SMS Now or Receive SMS are alternative solutions but currently do not have French numbers available. All of this is of course free.
Also read: Security, anonymity … How to change your IP address?
Prepaid cards
This alternative only works in the short term, but it has the advantage of existing. You should know that most prepaid card offers (Lebara, Lycamobile…) that you can find on the market, especially in tobacco shops, ask you to send a photocopy of an identity document within 15 days of purchase. Which means you have two weeks during which you can use your line completely anonymously. You may not have an unlimited communication plan available to you, but you can in any case be reached by others after activating your SIM card.
Virtual number applications
Even stronger, many applications today allow you to get a telephone line with a real number … without the need for a SIM card ! The communications are made via VoIP in WebRTC and work in WiFi and via mobile data. So you can simulate and become the holder of a French number, but also from many countries around the world, be it the United States, Japan and many others. Again, you can use this kind of solution to communicate on classifieds sites without potential inconvenience to come. Calls are happening in the purchase of communication credits in addition to a monthly fee.
Several applications offer this kind of service. We think of Toky, Net2Phone and Ring4 which we think the greatest good after our test. The latter even offers videoconferencing calls.
