From Popular Science, March 16, 2021:
No, you don’t need to buy a new phone.
The first time you heard of burner phones—cheap prepaid mobiles intended for temporary use—was probably while watching a crime drama. But an extra cell phone comes in handy even when you operate on the right side of the law.
An alternative number can help you stay safe while chatting with strangers online, establish a business, and protect your privacy. Also, these days you don’t need another phone to have a burner. Several apps make it easy to put a second (or third or fourth) number on the same phone.
Why you need a burner phone number
Burners are temporary, and largely anonymous, so a having a one is useful in any scenario where you need a number that’s one or both of those things.
Think about any one-time occasion when people might have to text or call you, but you don’t really want to give out your main number. If you’re organizing a wedding, going to a festival, or helping arrange any kind of local event, you’ll need to get in touch with lots of new contacts, but you might not want them to contact you outside of that particular context....
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