Never give away your number again with Surfshark’s Alternative Number!
This story is sponsored by Surfshark. PhoneArena's opinions in this article have not been affected in any way!
The Internet is full of services, platforms, and apps that require us to register with personal data — name, email, phone number. And, you probably know how the story goes, as this data often ends up in the lists of data brokers one way or another.
Gone are the days when spam was an email thing. Now, we get texts, robocalls, and even phone scams on a fairly regular basis. Which is why Surfrshark’s new product is a very important step in protecting your data and your personal space from snoops and annoyances.
Alternative Number is a new feature of Surfshark’s Alternative ID package. It’s a product specifically designed to help you keep your private data private. With Alternative ID, you can generate a random name and spoofed email for yourself whenever registering for websites, stores, deals — any dubious website that demands more info than they typically should.
Now, Alternative Number takes things further — it will generate an entirely new phone number for you and forward any messages or calls to you, so you can still finish a registration or any business you were doing with the platform in question.
You can pause the service or change your number, too. It’s worth noting that the service itself can’t be used for malicious purposes, as you can’t make outgoing calls or messages with it. You can only pick up calls or reply.
The most obvious reason here is to reduce annoyances. Spam calls and robocalls are not slowing down, so it’s a good idea to minimize the chances of getting one by using a virtual number when filling out non-important registry forms.
But bad actors out there can do more with your phone number than just annoy you. They can easily find you in chat apps, getting access to your name, photos, maybe social media profile. More advanced hackers use phone number spoofing to bypass two-factor authentication. So, keeping your real phone number close to the chest is getting more and more important.
Surfshark Alternative ID is a part of Surfshark VPN — it’s an addition to a service that is already very secure, with features like data encryption, security reports, anti-malware and even webcam protection built into it. Even the entry level plan will allow you to create an alternative email address and alternative persona.
This is in addition to all the benefits that come with a VPN service — use alternative IPs to bypass blocks, protect your location information, and keep your search results unbiased and unchanged due to search history.
Surfshark has a no-logs policy, no device limit, and works on all current operating systems, from Chromebooks, to Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac.
Anyone who is already on Surfshark VPN can subscribe to the new Alternative Number product within the Surfshark app.
What is Surfshark Alternative Number?
Alternative Number is a new feature of Surfshark’s Alternative ID package. It’s a product specifically designed to help you keep your private data private. With Alternative ID, you can generate a random name and spoofed email for yourself whenever registering for websites, stores, deals — any dubious website that demands more info than they typically should.
Now, Alternative Number takes things further — it will generate an entirely new phone number for you and forward any messages or calls to you, so you can still finish a registration or any business you were doing with the platform in question.
Any messages and calls will be coming in through the Surfshark app, so you will very clearly know that it’s not a personal call, but comes from a platform or spam call. On the other hand, if you choose to continue communication with a certain number, you can easily add it to your phone contacts.
You can pause the service or change your number, too. It’s worth noting that the service itself can’t be used for malicious purposes, as you can’t make outgoing calls or messages with it. You can only pick up calls or reply.
Why do you need a virtual number?
The most obvious reason here is to reduce annoyances. Spam calls and robocalls are not slowing down, so it’s a good idea to minimize the chances of getting one by using a virtual number when filling out non-important registry forms.
But bad actors out there can do more with your phone number than just annoy you. They can easily find you in chat apps, getting access to your name, photos, maybe social media profile. More advanced hackers use phone number spoofing to bypass two-factor authentication. So, keeping your real phone number close to the chest is getting more and more important.
Protect your privacy and your personal space with Surfshark VPN and Alternative ID
View Surfshark plans here
Surfshark Alternative ID is a part of Surfshark VPN — it’s an addition to a service that is already very secure, with features like data encryption, security reports, anti-malware and even webcam protection built into it. Even the entry level plan will allow you to create an alternative email address and alternative persona.
Anyone who is already on Surfshark VPN can subscribe to the new Alternative Number product within the Surfshark app.
Things that are NOT allowed: