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Getting started

NumberBurn rents receive-only US phone numbers that you hand out and throw away. This page covers what it does and the steps you follow.

What NumberBurn is

A NumberBurn number is a real US phone number that you give to a stranger, a marketplace buyer or a website instead of your own. It only receives. Anything sent to it reaches you, and nothing about your own number is shown.

  • Calls to the number ring one confirmed real mobile phone of yours. The caller only ever sees the NumberBurn number.
  • Texts land in a web inbox, tagged with the number that received them. There is no app, and you cannot reply.
  • One tap burns a number. Forwarding stops at once, your message history stays visible, and the number rests in quarantine before it returns to the carrier pool.

The trial

Every new account can start with a 7 day trial for $1. The trial holds 1 number and 100 forwarded minutes. Details are on the billing and usage page.

How it works

  1. Choose an area code

    Pick one of the supported US area codes. NumberBurn finds an available number there and assigns it to your account.

  2. Verify your mobile

    Text START <code> from the mobile you want calls to ring. The 4 digit code is shown to you at that step. See verify your mobile.

  3. Hand out the number

    Give the number to whoever needs it. You can label each number so you remember who has it.

  4. Use your inbox

    Open the web inbox to read texts and codes. Calls ring your verified mobile. See receive texts and calls and minutes.

  5. Burn it when you are done

    Burn the number in one tap. See burn a number for what stays and what goes.