Where a throwaway number helps
A number you can hand out and throw away fits anywhere you give your phone number to strangers. Pick a case to see how it works and what to watch for.
Receive-only: calls ring your mobile, texts land in a web inbox.
Use cases
These are places where people commonly hand out a number. They are examples, not endorsements by any platform, and each site sets its own rules about phone numbers.
CraigslistKeep your real number out of listings and replies, then burn the number once the item has sold.Facebook MarketplaceShare a number when a buyer asks for one, without giving out the phone you use every day.OfferUpHand a buyer a number that is made for the sale and easy to retire afterwards.DatingShare a number early without handing over the one that everything else in your life uses.ResumeGive employers a number that rings your phone and that you can switch off when the search ends.
Second, temporary or disposable number
Three plain-language guides to what each kind of number is, where NumberBurn fits and where it does not.
Hand out a number, not yours
Pick an area code, label the number, and burn it when you are done.