I repeat this to you quite often, but in 2024 2025 our personal information has become a real currency. And among this sensitive data, our telephone number occupies a central place. Whether it's signing up for an online service, making a purchase, or simply communicating, we often share it without thinking about the potential consequences. It is to meet this growing need for protection that Surfshark, already known for its VPN or its antivirus, launched Alternative Number.
Alternative Number: what is it?
Alternative Number is a fairly recent feature (launched mid-2024) offered by Surfshark which allows you to generate a virtual phone number. This number can be used in place of your real personal number during your online interactions, providing an extra layer of protection to your privacy.
Basically, Alternative Number provides you with a US phone number (for now, but other options are coming) that you can use to receive calls and texts. This solution proves particularly useful in many everyday situations, as we will see later.
Why is protecting your phone number so important?
The risks associated with recklessly sharing our telephone number are numerous and often underestimated. In 2023, phone scams were the second most common way scammers contacted their victims in the United States. Even more alarming, in 2022, Americans lost an estimated $39.5 billion to vishing.
Data leaks also pose a major threat. Web giants like Facebook and LinkedIn have already suffered massive security breaches, exposing the personal data of millions of users, including their phone numbers. This information then often ends up in the hands of cybercriminals and data brokers who then use them for various malicious activities.
The consequences of a phone number leak can be multiple:
1. Spam and unsolicited content : your number can be used by spammers to flood you with unwanted calls and messages.
2. Phishing : Cybercriminals can impersonate legitimate companies to try to extract sensitive information from you.
3. Identity theft : Combined with other personal information, your phone number can be used to steal your identity.
4. Social engineering exploitation : Attackers can use your number as part of social engineering techniques to manipulate your loved ones or colleagues.
In short, there are quite a few possibilities to screw you over, and that's just based on your number.
Alternative Number offers a simple and effective solution to minimize these risks. When you are asked for your phone number online, you will simply give your fake number, like any good self-respecting forger (the thrill of leading a double life ^^). Here are some concrete use cases where this functionality is really useful:
1. Online shopping : Use your virtual number when shopping online to receive delivery notifications without exposing your real number.
2. Service registrations : whether for dating platforms, booking sites or newsletters, use Alternative Number to register without fear.
3. Travel : Keep a US number active when traveling abroad, convenient for reservations or local communications.
4. Short term rental : Communicate with hosts on rental platforms without sharing your personal number. Plus, if you pretend to be a Yank, you might be entitled to a little French specialty gift when you book your next AirBnB. Just have a convincing accent 😉
5. Promotions and discounts : take advantage of special offers or participate in competitions that require a telephone number without the risk of ending up on spam lists.
By using Alternative Number in these situations, you significantly reduce your digital footprint and limit the risk of your personal information falling into the wrong hands.
Setting up Alternative Number is quick and easy. Once you subscribe to the service, you will automatically receive a virtual US phone number. This number can be used to receive calls and text messages, just like a traditional number.
Subsequently, each time you receive a call or a message on your virtual number, you will receive a notification via the Surfshark application. You can then decide whether to respond or not, while keeping your real number confidential.
Important to note: Alternative Number is sold separately from Alternative ID, another Surfshark feature that generates a complete online identity. For the moment, only US numbers are available, but Surfshark plans to extend this offer to other countries in the future, with no specific date yet.
The advantages of Alternative Number
1. Privacy Protection : without leaving your real number lying around, you keep control over who can contact you directly.
2. Spam reduction : unwanted calls and messages are directed to your virtual number, thus preserving the peace of your personal line.
3. Increased security : Minimize the risks of becoming a victim of phishing or other types of phone scams.
4. Flexibility : You can use this number for temporary needs without fear of compromising your personal number in the long term.
5. Separation of private/professional life : ideal for keeping a clear separation between your personal and professional activities.
The protection of personal data is becoming a real subject of concern and a tool like Alternative Number from Surfshark offers a simple and effective solution to preserve our privacy. Not the only one of course, but it is another option which will be all the more useful if you use your smartphone a lot (recruiters, human resources & Co).
I will come back in a future article on the alternative identity functionality (Alternative ID) which offers similar protection, but this time for your email address. Once again Surfshark presents itself as an increasingly complete toolbox: VPN, antivirus, email alert system, having your information removed from the web (via Incogni) ….
Source link
Subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest posts delivered right to your email.
Comments