Cellphone anonymity (tips plz)

[nylonlover]

Hello my fellow MERBites,

After a few years away, I am planning on getting back in.
I would like to get a second cellphone JUST for my SP-related affairs (for calling and texting).
I am not too tech savvy, so plz don't assume I know much lol

For my regular cellphone, I have used the conventional route which happens to be the only route I know lol : going to Fido, picking a phone, buying a 2-yr plan, etc...

What tips can u share on how I should proceed to get a secret second phone plz, because I have never done such a thing before.

When getting the second phone, i would obviously like to avoid having my real name show up on caller id.
Must I give the cellphone provider my real information?
I also would not be using the second phone much.


thx in advance.

NL

 

[Cruiser777]

Hello NL

You have couple of options.

1. Get a second phone with a new number BUT if you want to use a fake name...
A. Some companies will ask for your ID in order to register (So u can't have a fake name). (FIDO).
B. Some companies, you buy the phone, or just a SIM card and register yourself at home to whatever
name you would like to use.

2. Keep your phone and use an App (I assume you know how to download...) LOL (Like Fongo),
Some of these apps will give you a brand new "Virtual" number and whatever name you would like to use.

 

[jalimon]

Hello NL..........
2. Keep your phone and use an App (I assume you know how to download...) LOL (Like Fongo),
Some of these apps will give you a brand new "Virtual" number and whatever name you would like to use.

But regarding #2 more and more agency (and very good one) will not respond with such app... Is that correct?

Cheers,

 

[nylonlover]

B. Some companies, you buy the phone, or just a SIM card and register yourself at home to whatever
name you would like to use.

Thx Cruiser777. Can you list some companies that work in this fashion, plz?

 

[Cruiser777]

But regarding #2 more and more agency (and very good one) will not respond with such app... Is that correct?

Cheers,

Yes, you are correct...unless, somehow they get to know you, then its no problem.

 

[CLOUD 500]

Simple... Get a pay as you go account. Since there is no credit check you can give whatever number you want and you can buy one those cheap $100 cellphones. Go to a Fido kiosk or any BestBuy store choose whichever company you want and usually you have to call the customer service of the service provider to activate and add minutes. It is done all over the phone and you can give whatever name you want even a James Bond if you want they will avcept it. So pay as you go is the most anonymous way to go. Before phone apps escorts used pay as you go accounts. Me personally I use a phone app..

 

[nylonlover]

what about old cell phones that I have lying around? Can i use these phones?
Are these considered "unlocked" phones?

What I mean by "old cell phones", is that they were phones that I had once picked up at, for example, Fido...along with a 2 or 3 year plan. When the plan ended, i took a new phone with a new plan, and tossed the older one into a drawer.

Plz advise. THx.

 

[anaconda]

Generally those phones are locked to the company but depending on the type of phone, there are shops that could unlock it or you can find unlock codes online. You could also go to the company that issued the phone to have it unlocked, but will probably cost you a little more cash. Another option would be to get another SIM from the company that issued you the old phone.

Good luck! Looking forward to reading more of your playboy-type reviews lol.

 

[neverbored]

You can also get a nettalk device.
It costs me something like 30-70-120$ depending if you need to make international calls... best part is it gives me both a dongle to plug in a traditional phone and an app which I can use to SMS as well. Add 30$ / year for unlimited texting. I pay about 60$ per year ( I think)
I use it when travelling all the time

 

[Ricky bonds]

You can go to a 'best buy mobile' store like the one in the eaton center. Choose a 'prepaid/pay as you' go phone kit like the koodo ones which includes a fairly functional phone, charger and sim card. Activate it online under any given name and receive a 25$ activation credit. Pick a basic plan like talk and text for 25$. Enjoy....
Every month you can purchase a top up voucher at most depanneurs.

P.s public mobile has this option as well, but they have no physical stores, retailers, or sales points..so you must provide any unlocked phone and order the public mobile sim card free from their site. Once it arrives in the mail you just plug and play. Public also has their top up vouchers available in many depanneurs.

P.p.s lol.. the big phone companys all have smaller boutique cell phone "companys" that have similar options/plans..
Like chat-r, virgin mobile etc..
Plus they also offer this option themselves (telus, rogers, fido etc) however anonymous 'any given name' activation is a bit trickier with the big box phone companys.

 

[nylonlover]

Thx everyone. And thx for your private messages too, from both men and women!!!!
I did some leg work this week, and here's what i found out :

Koodo is the most expensive. The Koodo rep even told me to go for a cheaper option ("You should go to Best Buy" said one of the Koodo workers to me lol).

Best Buy offers the best options in terms of keeping cost low, offering brand new pre-paid phones in boxes, as cheap as $44 or 45+taxes for crusty flip-phones (upwards of $120+tax for smart phones).
Their cheapest plan is $20/month (but u pay $0.25 per text);

...but the most efficient plan for talk & text is $25/month, which includes 100 outgoing texts (upwards of 100 texts, it costs $0.25 per text).
All plans are unlimited incoming texts.

Last question: Are there even cheaper plans than that, without compromising efficiency ?

...
So, basically $400/year (including phone).I still find it a tad bit expensive.

 

[IamNY]

what about old cell phones that I have lying around? Can i use these phones?
Are these considered "unlocked" phones?

What I mean by "old cell phones", is that they were phones that I had once picked up at, for example, Fido...along with a 2 or 3 year plan. When the plan ended, i took a new phone with a new plan, and tossed the older one into a drawer.

Plz advise. THx.

Sometimes, yes, but the old cell phones can be be purchased for around 10 bucks unlocked and ready to go. Probably going to cost you 20-30 dollars a month to get the text and voice unlimited voice package. If you truly want to go off the grid with another phone this is the way to go. Walk into Walmart and you can be texting in about 10 minutes for about $40. If you simply want to keep your identity unknown, you can get the Line2 app or the Burner app for under $10 a month. This option is great if you are the only one who has access to your phone. If that's not the case, a separate burner phone purchased from Walmart is the way to go.

 

[nylonlover]

If you simply want to keep your identity unknown, you can get the Line2 app or the Burner app for under $10 a month

But, isn't it true that some agencies and indys refuse to deal with "unknown" identities and apps such as these?

 

[IamNY]

But, isn't it true that some agencies and indys refuse to deal with "unknown" identities and apps such as these?

Yes. But, what I meant by keeping your identity unknown is that the app doesn't disclose your actual name (unless you want it to). Your number (a different one than your actual number) can/will be disclosed so the agencies will still deal with you.

 

[hungry101]

This is still confusing. I tossed my hobby phone awhile back after an acquaintance was caught with a go phone by his wife and she called all the numbers and texts that he hadn't cleared from the phone. He was busted. My hobby phone was only good for NA anyway so I chucked it...good riddance. Until I can find a good way to use my work phone dual purpose I will do the following in Montreal: Communicate by e-mail and PM until I check into my hotel and then use the room phone land line and pay the 1$ call charge for a couple of days. Some hotels offer free local calls. Upon check out, pay for the calls with cash and ask the front desk to remove the calls from your bill. I use my global plan on my work cell phone sparingly and for emergencies.

 

[steed]

I have a slightly different problem . I need to arrange an emergency cell phone for an elderly relative . This phone should ideally be use able for talk and text .Hopefully it will never need to be used , so there seems little point to buying a monthly plan
I would like a cell phone which can be loaded with a prepaid amount , and can be reloaded by buying more minutes at a pharmacy or depanneur. This would be similar to the relaltives Opus transit card .
How can I arrange this sort of phone ??
Steed

 

[Cruiser777]

I realize I will be in the minority on this, but is that level of anonymity really a good idea for all parties involved?

But what is the real risk to a customer with the use of his actual cell phone number?

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/communic...ands-of-requests-from-quebec-police-1.3358196

Since Bill-C36 is the law of the land now (Thanks to the conservatives) so anything goes...

What if one day the LE wants the list of all the phone numbers who called agencies ???
If they haven't done so already.

 

[chowzilla]

friend of mine
used his regular iphone and itouch, he would use the itouch to tether to the iphone so that it can get a network connection
on the itouch he would use an app to call/text

if ever he was in a situation of being caught, he would just delete the app.

the only problem is keeping a consistent number so people can remember him, but this would only happen if he had to delete the app.

 

[steed]

Thanks Sam ,
This exactly what I need
Steed

 

[longtimers]

Boysz!

Why bother to paid for another plan and phone instead of using an app.
This will keep your normal life separate from the hobby.
I'm using textme and it's working well to keep the two worlds separated on the same phone.
It's free to use that app.

Happy hunting
Longtimer