Any suggestions for "burner" phones?

[Kohilus]

Originally Posted by davidt1

A burner phone, to me, is something that is untraceable by LE. None of the suggested methods can work like that.

1) Put on sunglasses and a throw-away hat you don't normally wear. Make sure you're effectively unrecognizable.

2) To to Target (or wherever) and buy a disposable phone. Pay with cash.

3a) Go to an internet cafe. Register your phone.

or

3b) Buy a used phone or laptop with cash, just for the purpose of going somewhere with free wifi (coffee shop, library, etc.) to register your phone. You can do this from your car, just parking near the hotspot.

4) Don't be an idiot. Don't logon to anything with your burner phone that can be traced to you. Use it in areas with lots of people, and not in a pattern from which a place like your residence or workplace can be discerned. Just make your calls to Gus Fring or whoever and keep it at that.

Can it be traced? Sure. To the IP and subsequently to the provider of the signal you used, maybe even as far as the purchaser of the used phone/laptop you may have bought for registration purposes. But then the trail goes cold.

[akrausz]

Doesn't sound like a smartphone is what you want. Sounds like you want a flip phone with the cheapest prepaid plan. Some plans let you bring your own phone. I shop for the plan first and then buy my own phone that works with that plan.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by davidt1

In one of the Jason Bourne movies, he walked up to a phone seller, bought a phone with cash, opened it, and started calling someone. Now that was a burner phone, something I have not been able to buy. I have been using Tracfone's annual pre-paid phones for about six years now. Any phone I use has to be registered with them and activated on their website and thus leaves a trail of digital clues that I own the phone. No such thing as a "burner" phone for me.

^^^^^ Unless it has changed, there's no check against what you register.

You could put Mickey Mouse in the name registration fields, and make up stuff for any other fields as well.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I gather they're called burner phones

You don't want/need a burner phone unless you are planning some illegal activity.

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

You don't want/need a burner phone unless you are planning some illegal activity.

Doesn't have to be illegal to be anonymous. Two different things. They serve a purpose and they are a lot easier to buy and start using. As I mentioned, they sell them at the Dollar Store of all places.