Is a Virtual Phone Number Really Anonymous?

You may know that today, it’s no longer necessary to give your real phone number for verification on different online platforms and apps. This is crucial for those who value their anonymity on the internet. And for people who want to avoid having their private information compromised in possible data breaches. Instead, you can rent a special service — a temporary or disposible phone number. Essentially, all you need is a phone number to link to your account and a confirmation code to bypass verification.

But then a logical question arises: are virtual phone numbers safe to use? Do they help achieve a greater level of anonymity? Can a social network or online shopping platform where you use such a phone number trace it? And if so, what are the consequences? Let’s explore these questions in today’s blog post.

Anonymity on the Internet — How do SMS receiving platforms work?

The service for receiving SMS messages is a huge repository of virtual phone numbers from different providers around the world. The platforms usually update the database fairly frequently to provide newly issued virtual phone numbers. The service is not a phone provider itself, but an intermediary between a user and a phone provider. The functionality of these phone numbers is limited to receiving SMS.

When you register on a social network or marketplace using such an anonymous phone number and ask for a confirmation code, a special software program forwards it from your virtual number to your personal account on the platform. So you only pay for renting a phone number and receiving a code. And it allows you to create an anonymous account in untrustworthy services or as many accounts as you need. One of the main aims of using virtual phone numbers is to maintain anonymity on the Internet.

At sms-man.com, you can rent a virtual phone number starting from 20 minutes to 3 months for a price from $0.05.

Are Virtual Phone Numbers Safe to Use?

Are these virtual phone numbers for receiving SMS messages really anonymous? Yes, they are, in the sense that they are almost virtually untraceable.

As the database of virtual numbers for receiving SMS messages gets frequently updated, each user receives an exclusive phone number. This means that it is guaranteed that it has never been used to register for the same service. Therefore, the service where you use such a phone number cannot recognize it as a temporary virtual phone.

Using an anonymous virtual phone number also allows you to maintain a high level of online privacy. As, in most cases, an email is enough to register with the relevant service.

What is more, if you have any doubts about the quality of the service, you can always try out toll-free virtual phone numbers first. In this case, you don’t even need to register. But, speaking of a free virtual phone number, is this phone number safe to be applied? The level of privacy is relatively lower compared to the paid ones, because there are not so many of them and they are publicly available. This means that anyone can use them at any time, including signing up for the same platform.

As we said, virtual phone numbers are difficult to trace, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. So if you use an anonymous phone number for malicious activity, the police still have the power to request the data from the service that gave you the phone number. However, this mainly applies to virtual phone numbers with full functionality and not to those for receiving SMS messages only. Since the latter ones seem to be quite harmless.

How to Get an Anonymous Virtual Phone Number for Registration

Here is what you need to do not to expose your personal data to protect your privacy:

1. Register an account at sms-man.com with an email or via social network.
2. On the page “Receive SMS” you can see the prices for the service. After that, top up your account using one of the available payment methods.
3. Rent an anonymous phone number for a short or longer period entering the required tab in the left menu.
4. Without leaving your SMS-man account, copy the phone number from the “History” section at the bottom of the homepage.
5. Open in a new tab the service where you need to register and specify the purchased virtual phone number.
6. To request a verification code, go back to SMS-man and click the “Receive SMS” button next to your number. The code will appear in the field next to it.
7. Use the code to complete the verification.