You want to call anonymously? – this is how it works!

Do you have a bad feeling when you call someone with a suppressed number? You don’t want people on the other end to think that a stalker might be trying to get through? Better put those thoughts away quickly. It’s not a crime to call someone with a blocked number. Quite the opposite!

Your cell phone number is one of the most sensitive data nowadays. Therefore, it is not even dishonest or cowardly if you call another person anonymously. Especially when you call a stranger, it is more than understandable that you do not want to reveal your own number. Today we want to show you which ways there are to suppress your phone number.

Why suppress your own number?

You don’t have to feel bad if you don’t want to show your phone number openly. After all, revealing the important combination of numbers can have annoying consequences nowadays. Or have you never had a questionable advertising call including annoying sales talk on the phone? How did they get your number? Maybe you rang through on your last food order or yesterday’s call to the call center with the number open. But apart from the advertising calls, your cell phone number can have other consequences for you that are extremely questionable. For example, you can be contacted via Messenger.

You can’t escape such contact attempts as easily as a simple call. If you use your cell phone number for verification purposes, for example, on Facebook, you should also make sure that it is not openly displayed on your profile. Otherwise, your entire identity can be determined with the help of your cell phone number. At the same time, however, you don’t want to be able to call any phone number without having to worry about possible consequences. Suppressing your own phone number is therefore the best way to reconcile the two.

This is how you can ensure anonymity when calling

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There are different ways to suppress your phone number. We want to introduce you to five different ways.

With GSM code to the suppressed phone number

In our first option, your personal provider comes into play. You can instruct them with the help of so-called GSM codes not to display your phone number to people you call. All you need to do is to anticipate the appropriate code. An example will illustrate how simple this is.

Let’s imagine you want to call the phone number 1234/5678910. Normally, the person on the other end can recognize your number on his display. However, if you type the combination #31# first and then the desired phone number, your number will be suppressed. If you want to do this, enter the following number into your keypad #31#1234/567910.

If you decide to use this GSM code, your cell phone provider will suppress your phone number only once. But there is also the possibility to suppress your number with the help of a GSM code. For this you have to type the code *31# into the phone number field and then call. Now your provider has saved that you always want to call anonymously.

But these are not the only GSM codes that can be used as part of number suppression. If you have decided to suppress your number permanently, you can use the code *31# typed in before the phone number to specify that your phone number is displayed once. It will then be suppressed again the next time you call.

If you call the code #31#, the number suppression will be cancelled again. With all the suppressed and non-suppressed phone numbers, it is easy to lose track. Then the code *#31# will help you. If you call this, you can check your current setting. This prevents you from accidentally not calling anonymously.

But it doesn’t have to be a code that ensures anonymity for your calls. Alternatively, you can simply check the settings on your smartphone. Here you will find options such as “show own number”. However, although this may seem easier at first glance, it also has its disadvantages.

For example, the anonymity per settings is not nearly as far-reaching as it is with the variant described above. Finally, there are now ways to make suppressed numbers visible quite easily. While this works quite easily with suppression via phone settings, it is not possible with anonymity via provider.

Allocate a second SIM

Now we come to the second possibility how you can call another person anonymously. This is simple and ingenious. All you need are two different phone numbers. Sounds crazy? Then take a look at your email inboxes. I bet there are many of you who have an email account for work/serious stuff and a less serious account next to it. The second one comes into play, for example, if you ever want to get a newsletter coupon or sign up for a social network. Why shouldn’t you do the same with your smartphone?

For this, you need a smartphone that has a dual-SIM feature. A distinction is made between devices that offer space for two physical SIM cards and devices that use a so-called eSIM in addition to the conventional SIM card. This electronic SIM card is usually preinstalled in the smartphone. It is often activated via a QR code. It doesn’t matter whether your second SIM card is electronic or physical. In both cases, it gives you a second phone number.

If you get a second cell phone number in addition to your conventional one, you can use it whenever you don’t want your “real” cell phone number to be seen. The big advantage of this is that the person you are calling is not startled because “Private number” or “Anonymous” appears on their display. A normal cell phone number always makes a better impression. And the whole thing is not expensive either. In the meantime, you can get a super-cheap contract with an all-net flat rate.

Get a second mobile phone

You can go one step further by not only getting a second SIM card, but also a second smartphone with a separate contract or prepaid card. This has a decisive advantage over the dual-SIM solution. While you still have to manage everything via one device with dual SIM, you can make a clean separation with a second smartphone. For example, you can have a business cell phone and a private cell phone. Some may also feel the need to use a smartphone specifically for Tinder or other dating apps. The great advantage is that your Tinder number then does not immediately reveal your person.

Create a virtual mobile number

Did you know that you can also create your very own “fantasy number”? Well, a few limits are already set for you within our next possibility. The keyword here is “virtual phone number”. In the meantime, a large market has opened up in this regard with many different providers. In practice, this works as follows. When you call someone, a phone number other than the one on your cell phone is displayed to them. The person you are calling can then call this number back, and thanks to number forwarding, they will reach you again.

This way your phone number remains anonymous, but you can still be called back. What sounds like great magic is now common practice at call centers. However, a clear line must be drawn here between this and the forbidden “call ID spoofing”. This is actually the faking of a completely false phone number. Since you are bound to your area code with respectable providers for virtual cell phone numbers, it does not correspond to the legal prohibition.

Sending SMS anonymously?

Sometimes you wish to call not only with suppressed number. Also an anonymous SMS one would like to send perhaps once. There are also different providers for this. Some cost money, others offer their services free of charge. Depending on how often you want to send anonymous SMS, you should really think about spending money. Why? The providers that offer a free service usually rely on annoying ads. One of the most famous providers of anonymous SMS is Skype. The recipient receives the SMS without your number. He can still reply.