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Original poster

How can you tell if a number is a burner phone

63 replies

theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity · 11/04/2022 18:21

Any ideas?

OP posts:
thestraitofillinois · 11/04/2022 19:16

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

No idea if married but odd for sure

For instance one weekend he said he would be out of touch for the weekend as he was getting a new phone from work so I said okay well surely you can use your own phone to message me? And he said oh I don't have a separate one I used to have a personal and work one but was too much hassle. Then he came back with this 'new phone' (we'd always communicated by dating app before) and I gave him my number and he messaged me on WhatsApp. His WhatsApp said he had literally joined that day. It's making my spidey senses a bit tingly is all

He probably is married. But on the off-chance he's telling the truth, nothing in his explanation is beyond the realms of possibility, and the WA would show as a new joining on a new phone.
theemmadilemma · 11/04/2022 19:16

My DP binned his personal phone as it was a pain to have both so he just has his work one. Not sure on their policy but it seems to be no problem.

Soupercat · 11/04/2022 19:17

My husbands new phone is working today 😜

Soupercat · 11/04/2022 19:17

@Unforgettablefire

If you’re buying a cheap phone to use and keep it’s not a burner phone. Burner phones are bought for secrecy for a short time and either burned or destroyed.
I’m not sure you can burn a phone. Like literally.
MummaL32 · 11/04/2022 19:20

Sounds so dodgy I wouldn't even entertain it! He Clearly shouldn't be on dating apps and prob for very good reason, RUN

IcedOatLatte · 11/04/2022 19:23

Unless you are super paranoid otrbeing tracked by the secret services I'm sure you don't need to physically get rid of your phone

Just buy another PAYG SIM, it's not rocket science and I agree ”burner phone” should be left to US crime dramas

If dating is causing so you much angst already it might be a sign that he's not worth it

isthismylifenow · 11/04/2022 19:27

Why don't you download Truecaller onto your phone. It's a phone identifier app. Then you can see who the number is registered to.

I hope you are able to access it, I'm not in UK but it is very handy for checking things out behind the scenes.

Unforgettablefire · 11/04/2022 19:33

@Soupercat I wouldn’t know I’ve never tried but apparently they do. The ultra cheap ones are plastic so they probably just melt.

JaneIsInsane · 11/04/2022 19:34

@Crikeyalmighty, that’s a great idea!
@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity, do you have the old number? Putting that into WhatsApp will let you know when he was last active. Is he on FB? Or other social media? If so you could do a trawl and see if he’s tagged with a nice lady who shares his surname or other obvious stuff.

IcedOatLatte · 11/04/2022 19:37

@isthismylifenow

Why don't you download Truecaller onto your phone. It's a phone identifier app. Then you can see who the number is registered to.

I hope you are able to access it, I'm not in UK but it is very handy for checking things out behind the scenes.

I'm pretty sure that doesn't work in the UK, how would it get access to the name of the caller?
isthismylifenow · 11/04/2022 19:42

I'm pretty sure that doesn't work in the UK, how would it get access to the name of the caller?

It tells you who the number is registered to. I am not sure how, it just does. If you get a call, it tells you who is calling. Most of the time anyway. It is a very good tool for using when doing old as you can check any number. And if you don't want spam calls you can block their numbers.

ToothGrinder · 11/04/2022 19:44

The only way is to get him to go on that telly programme: Hunted. They always talk about burner phones on there.

ToiletPoster2 · 11/04/2022 20:37

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

No idea if married but odd for sure

For instance one weekend he said he would be out of touch for the weekend as he was getting a new phone from work so I said okay well surely you can use your own phone to message me? And he said oh I don't have a separate one I used to have a personal and work one but was too much hassle. Then he came back with this 'new phone' (we'd always communicated by dating app before) and I gave him my number and he messaged me on WhatsApp. His WhatsApp said he had literally joined that day. It's making my spidey senses a bit tingly is all

Your are not a superhero, you don't have "spidey senses". That feeling is you being given an obvious BS story and recognising it as obvious BS. The guy has someone who could potentially look at his phone who he doesn't want to know that he's trying to have sex with you. A good rule of thumb is to not give the benefit of the doubt to people you've only ever interacted with online.
samsera · 11/04/2022 20:45

Ask if they bought it from Saul?

Sorry! I thought only criminals, on the TV, had 'burner' phones. 🤣

HirplesWithHaggis · 11/04/2022 21:30

@isthismylifenow

I'm pretty sure that doesn't work in the UK, how would it get access to the name of the caller?

It tells you who the number is registered to. I am not sure how, it just does. If you get a call, it tells you who is calling. Most of the time anyway. It is a very good tool for using when doing old as you can check any number. And if you don't want spam calls you can block their numbers.

Someone using a throwaway phone for nefarious purposes is unlikely to register it anywhere. I never had to register mine, and I paid cash
JustKittenAround · 12/04/2022 02:17

TLDR: Trust your senses and throw this fish back in the sea

Burner phone is a common way to say it where I’m from. Burners are the ditch phones. But I digress…

In the US we can look up a number and at least find out who the carrier is. If it is one that is common for cheap burner type phones then it’s a clue.

It’s also a clue if he does not have a voicemail greeting, or does not use his name in it.

Another thing to look out for is apps that allow a phone to have two numbers. Mine does because I use the numbers for signing up for stuff as I’m sick of spam calls.

It doesn’t look good to me. Hopefully you love yourself enough to trust yourself.

Ulelia · 12/04/2022 02:25

@isthismylifenow it won't work in the UK as you can buy a SIM from just about anywhere, for cash, without any ID, even in a contract. I was surprised when I first moved abroad and was asked for my passport when buying a PAYG SIM. I've since lived in five countries and all require ID.

bigyellowTpot · 12/04/2022 02:25

where does the phrase 'burner phone' actually come from? I always take it to mean one of those cheap, old type basic mobile phones. not a smart phone. usually they just have an unregistered PAYG sim in. But the number will be just like any other mobile number so don't think you can tell if its a burner phone or not.

bigyellowTpot · 12/04/2022 02:31

@JustKittenAround I don't use voicemail on my phone and have always had a PAYG sim as there's some great monthly payg bundle deals out there in UK, I must seem like a very dodgy person then 🤣

user1477249785 · 12/04/2022 02:33

It's not true that a new phone number will require a new WhatsApp account. For various reasons, I have changed my number a bit over the last few years. If I put a new sim in my old handset it switches the number on my WhatsApp account to my new number and notifies all my contacts of the change. All my old messages etc remain.

Original poster
theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity · 12/04/2022 08:58

Yes I have met him but that's another story people would think ffs about ....🙈

OP posts:
Original poster
theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity · 12/04/2022 08:59

It's a giffgaff- are they exclusively payg usually ?

OP posts:
Lifeistooshorttocleanfloors · 12/04/2022 09:00

@CharityShopChic

The only people who can tell a "burner" phone are the people on Hunted on Channel 4.

And can we please ban the ridiculous "spidey senses"?

I love you, @CharityShopChic

I was just feeling murderous about the 'spidey senses' phrase, and your post made me feel much better.

Soupercat · 12/04/2022 09:58

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

Yes I have met him but that's another story people would think ffs about ....🙈
Tell
IcedOatLatte · 12/04/2022 09:58

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

It's a giffgaff- are they exclusively payg usually ?
Do you mean he has giffgaff PAYG bundles or he bought a phone from giffgaff?

Either way what would be suspicious about doing that?

Why are you obsessing about his phone arrangements? There's clearly something not sitting well with you, you don't need reasons to stop seeing him