I only give my real number to people, not companies

I shudder every time I get a phone call from an unknown number. I dread looking at the hundreds of unread text messages in my inbox. No, I’m not being melodramatic. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been very lax with securing my phone number. Every app, every food delivery service, every shopping website that I’ve logged into has my phone number. At the time of signing up for these services, it seemed like the obvious thing to do. After all, if the delivery guy needs to find my address, he’ll have to call me for assistance. Plus, it makes sign-in so much easier on services that default to phone numbers. As harmless as this seems, it’s opened up a world of pain for me.

For years my phone has been cluttered with spam texts, unwanted messages, and more robocalls than I know how to handle. I’d be pulling out my hair if it weren’t for call screening services like TrueCaller. But even the best of these is far from perfect. The point is, the number that was supposed to connect me with family, friends, and colleagues is now up for grabs as a target for digital advertising. And I didn’t sign up for that. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and there is a way out.

For me, the turning point came one evening when I missed an urgent call from family because I’d switched off my phone’s vibration alert after multiple back-to-back spam calls. That is a no-go. That was it. My phone number is mine, and it should only be available to the people I give it to. The solution? As simple as it sounds — a secondary number. As drastic as it seems, keeping a secondary number has been the easiest trick to keep spammers and scammers at bay.

It might sound like I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but hear me out. Your phone number isn’t just a phone number. It’s how people reach you, it’s how you control your focus, your time, and your peace of mind during a busy workday. As much as our phones are gateways to the internet, that phone number is still a critical part of the puzzle.

And once your phone number is in the hands of a company, it stops being yours. While countries in the European Union might have strong GDPR-based data protection laws, that’s not the case worldwide. Once your number is in their hands, it’s a free for all for ads, for spam, for interruptions, and to be sold further ahead to data aggregators. Moreover, there’s no way to undo it after the fact.

I didn’t come to this rather extreme solution as my first step. I’ve tried apps that offered temporary numbers and email authentication where possible. But neither of these is a permanent solution. Inevitably, you will run into a service that will not let you sign up without a valid phone number. Moreover, I wanted a number that would be capable of receiving two-factor authentication codes. That’s a no-go with a temporary number. So, I settled on the, frankly, easier option of getting a second SIM card.

This SIM card is dedicated for use with apps, online services, and anything or anyone that needs a number but doesn’t need to contact me personally. I’m using a cheap prepaid plan with just the minimal basics to ensure I get verification codes. Honestly, most of the time I just switch off that second SIM unless I’m expecting a text code. When it’s on, I ignore any errant calls. Simple as that. But this singular step towards separating my personal life from my public-facing number has transformed my day-to-day experience. My real phone number is exclusively mine again. When it rings, it’s almost always someone who is actually trying to get in touch with me, and I’m much more likely to pick up the call.

It doesn’t have to be a physical SIM card either. You can use an eSIM instead for added convenience while still getting all the benefits of being able to disable calls, mute messages, or fetch one-time passwords. Personally, I prefer physical SIM cards, but the principle of separation remains the same.

What’s particularly surprising with this approach is how simple it is. The obvious reduction in spam comes with the added benefits of control. The secondary number is effectively disposable, and if spam starts going out of hand once again, I can just toss the number and start afresh. There’s also the mental shift that comes with it. When I sign up for a service, I have the choice of giving it my real number or the burner. In practice, almost no service other than perhaps my bank deserves my main number. It’s made me a lot more deliberate in giving out my phone number. And yes, you can use the same approach when handing out your number to people as well. But hey, you didn’t hear that from me.

In addition to convenience, there are real security advantages, too. When your real number is no longer linked to a service, you reduce the risk of it being exposed in a data breach or leaked through an app. You reduce the chances of phishing attacks or impersonation. You aren’t relying on a single point of contact. Two-factor authentication for critical services, like my bank, still remains tied to my main number. But the likelihood of my bank leaking out data is much lower than the online store I buy t-shirts from. Essentially, bad actors might get access to your disposable number, but this approach drastically reduces the chances of your main number and its associated services being hacked.

Of course, no approach is perfect and this one isn’t either. For one, there’s an extra cost to it. Even if you’re on a prepaid plan with the bare minimum services subscribed to, you’re still looking at some cash outlay every month. It can also be mildly annoying. I tend to keep the second number toggled off, and you’ll have to manually switch it back on anytime you’re expecting a verification code. While you’re at it, expect a barrage of spam texts as well.

Finally, if your phone doesn’t support dual SIM cards or a secondary eSIM card slot, this approach falls flat. You could get an old-school flip phone that only accepts phone calls and texts, but that might be pushing it as far as convenience goes. Barring that, most of these aren’t issues aren’t dealbreakers, but they’re worth keeping in mind.

Now, some might say that this is a lot of effort for dealing with spam. Paying for a second number, managing the SIM for authentication codes, etc. But honestly, once it is integrated into your workflow, the effort is pretty minimal compared to the benefits. In fact, once set up, it doesn’t need much manual intervention at all. I rarely even think about the secondary line unless I’m expecting a verification code. Meanwhile, my life continues as normal on my main number, minus the spam.

Nor is this approach new and novel. People have been using burner phones and disposable numbers for years, but the modern implementation, if your phone supports it, makes it much easier and cleaner. Between eSIMs, prepaid SIM cards, and cheap secondary plans, it’s easy and affordable enough to add a second line and build a digital boundary.

At the end of the day, for me at least, segregating phone numbers isn’t just about spam. It’s about establishing boundaries between what’s important and what’s not. A phone number may look like just ten digits, but in practice, it represents your attention, your time, and your willingness to be interrupted during a busy day or a relaxing vacation.

This small act of separation also changes how you view technology. When your real number is reserved for people, every call and message on that line feels intentional. You stop bracing yourself for or dreading spam calls and instead expect meaningful contact. It’s had a tangible effect on my anger and stress levels. I’m not an angry person by nature, but even the most stoic person would fail to be calm after the 10th call selling you a credit, insurance or a loan. I also think this practice has implications beyond phone numbers. Just like phone numbers, it’s important to be mindful of the amount of data you are giving access to while using apps, email signups or web services. But that’s fodder for yet another article.

If anything, I wish I had started maintaining dual phone lines earlier. The peace of mind I get from knowing my real number is private has made every bit of the effort worthwhile. My daily call log is certainly a lot cleaner, and my texts are from people I know. Most importantly, my phone no longer feels like a public billboard. Companies will continue to demand your number, but they don’t need the real one. They never really did.