In our modern digital world, where the Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, online security is becoming an increasingly important topic of discussion. The increasing dependence on the Internet, various applications and online services leads to the need to protect our personal information, including phone numbers, from possible threats. So most of the websites on the Internet ask for your phone number during registration and only after its confirmation you can access all the features and services.
In this article, we will look at the issue of security and how using virtual numbers to receive SMS can help keep your personal data safe online. We will also suggest a number of additional measures to help you protect your privacy and personal data.
What is a Virtual Phone Number?
Nowadays, many online services offer a unique service – a virtual phone number. With its help, any user can remotely, namely, without using telephone equipment (SIM-card), receive SMS messages. It is worth saying that such a phone number has the form of a traditional for a particular region set of digits. Such a service today is used not only by individuals, ordinary people, but also by firms, large companies, especially marketing and advertising.
The purpose of using this number is the mass registration of accounts in social networks, messengers and other services. The most interesting thing is that this is a cheap service that can be used by anyone on the Internet. All you need to connect a virtual phone number is any device with Internet access.
Features & Advantages of Using Virtual Numbers
Virtual numbers have become a popular solution for users from various fields of activity. Due to their unique features, they allow you to easily and cheaply get a phone number of any country, which can be used during registrations, activation of bonuses and other tasks.
- Geographical freedom. Virtual numbers allow everyone to have numbers with different country and city codes without being physically present in these places. This is very useful when you need to register for an online service that for some reason is not available in your area.
- Privacy. By using your personal phone number during registrations you run the risk of constantly receiving spam from various companies. In the worst case, your phone number may end up in the hands of scammers who will try to steal your personal information or money. In this case, a virtual number is a great way to keep it safe.
- Flexibility and affordability. Virtual numbers are easy to set up and can be obtained online from anywhere in the world. This allows you to quickly get a phone number at any time of the day or night that will completely suit your needs.
- Low cost. Virtual numbers usually have a lower cost than traditional phone numbers. They reduce your costs because you don’t have to recharge your subscriber account and pay for a data plan.
Bottom line: Virtual numbers provide users with many benefits including geographic freedom, security, low cost, and the ability to register anonymously.
Other Ways to Stay Safe on the Internet
Get a VPN and use it. Whenever you connect to the Internet through someone else’s Wi-Fi network, you should use a virtual private network or VPN. Let’s say you go to a coffee shop and connect to a free Wi-Fi network. You don’t know anything about the security of that connection. Perhaps, someone else on that network without your knowledge can start viewing or stealing files and data sent from your laptop or mobile device. The hotspot owner could be a crook, sniffing out secrets from all Wi-Fi connections. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic by routing it through a server owned by the VPN Company. This means that no one, not even the owner of the free Wi-Fi network, can track your data.
Using a VPN also hides your IP address. Advertisers and trackers who want to identify or geolocate you through that IP address will instead see the VPN Company’s address. Spoofing your location using a VPN server in another country can also help unblock content that isn’t available in your area.
Use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication can be a hassle, but it makes your accounts more secure. Two-factor authentication means you have to go through another layer of authentication, not just a username and password, to log into your accounts. If the data or personal information in an account is sensitive or valuable and the account offers two-factor authentication, you should enable it.