Burner Phones

[strawberrycar934]

OK, so I don't have a burner phone.

How do burner phones work?

How do I explain the need for two phones to family and friends? Or how do I hide it?

Where does one buy a burner phone?

[MsElena]

A burner phone is just a cheap cell phone that you usually pay as you go. You can get one at WalMart and/or Dollar Stores, pretty much anywhere anymore.

Yes, you do hide it. You hide it anywhere your wife/gf won't look.

[Guest121212]

And take the battery out when not in use and keep it separate from the phone (as in not stored in the same place) . . .

[strawberrycar934]

If you pay as you go, will your number change or does it stay with the phone. Thanks for the info, ladies.

[Guest121212]

Depending on the carrier, the number will not change as long as you are reasonable with how often you re-load the phone. I have a burner Straight-Talk that I let lapse for a few months and still got the same number when I reloaded. If that is of concern to you (being issued a different number if you let the plan lapse), use the number you are issued on the burner to get a Google Voice account, the GV account number will not change, and GV will not know if the phone you registered with is out of minutes. That way, if your number changes on your physical burner phone, you can always use the same GV number, regardless.

[Guest022718]

Originally Posted by MsElena

A burner phone is just a cheap cell phone that you usually pay as you go. You can get one at WalMart and/or Dollar Stores, pretty much anywhere anymore.

Yes, you do hide it. You hide it anywhere your wife/gf won't look.

And when you buy it, pay cash. If you are REALLY paranoid, when you activate the service online go through an IP masking site like tor, using a fake name and address.

and, erase the call logs and text logs every time you use it.

[Guest110512]

Hey you can take a look at Security Matters on the main board and the first two or three pages have several interesting threads on hobby phones, google voice and other tid bits of computer related security items. You will have to read it and take it for what it is worth but there is some good info to digest.

As far as a burner phone being double top secret they aren't. Just this past week in the the news was a story about a member of Congress introducing a bill to make the cops get a warrant to get cell phone records. Apparently they can just request them and get them, who knew? Certainly not me! As far as the cops probably being interested in tracking down a burner phone to catch a hobbiest....probably isn't going to happen.

I learned the hard way I should have had one. I would suggest you get one.