It wasn’t a good slumber party if you weren’t making a couple of prank calls. But obviously, you can’t let the people on the other end know who’s ringing them up asking if their refrigerator is running. And the best way to hide your identity was a simple trick you could do right on the landline.
While that’s mostly harmless fun, protecting your privacy can be a necessary component of your security in the modern age. In fact, people reported over $667 million in losses to imposters calling from fraudulent numbers.
Star 67 is a way to keep your phone number anonymous when you make an outgoing phone call. But it’s not the only way to keep your identity safe when it comes to spam and marketing calls. Here’s everything you need to know about star 67.
What Is *67?
While there are now plenty of apps that can help hide your identity when making calls on your smartphone, it hasn’t always been that easy. On older landline phones, you need to use some hidden features.
Star 67 is among a series of codes that you can use on your landline or smartphone to conceal your identity or alter certain features. Other codes include star 60, which lets you block an unknown number or star 72 for call forwarding on a landline phone.
Using this code to hide your phone number is legal if you’re not using it for phishing or fraudulent scams. This includes those seemingly harmless prank calls, so be sure not to abuse these features the next time you decide to conceal your privacy.
How Does *67 Work?
Star 67 is a free process that hides your number when you make an outgoing phone call. All you need to do is dial star 67 before typing in someone’s phone number. On their caller ID, it shows up as “private” or “blocked,” so your number stays secure, and they can’t call you back.
In some cases, you may need to use #31# instead, though both codes do the same thing to cover up your phone number on the other end of the call.
Using *67
There are certain circumstances where using star 67 might make a lot of sense. For one, it’s a great option for online or remote dating. If you need to reach out to a potential new lover, but you haven’t yet met them, you don’t want to trust them with your personal phone number. Using star 67 allows you to make the connection without them gaining any personal insight.
Additionally, using star 67 can be a good idea if you’re working in a business that requires calling customers on a regular basis. It’s normal to be a little bit concerned about security when you’re reaching out to so many people, so you can use this code to hide your number and prevent future scams or spam calls.
This code can also come in handy whenever you are calling someone for the first time. For instance, if you’re picking up a furniture item that you purchased from an online retailer that you may not be able to trust fully, star 67 lets you communicate while keeping your identity hidden.
In general, using star 67 can be helpful if you’re just security conscious in general. Scam calls have only gotten more complex and common due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so now is a more important time than ever to make your security of paramount importance.
How to Use *67 on an iPhone
You can use star 67 on an iPhone, Android device, or landline device. But you can also obtain the same function through some other means. To utilize this feature on an ios device, here’s what you do:
Go to “Settings”
Scroll down and choose “Phone”
Navigate to the calls section and click “Show Caller ID”
On the toggle switch, make sure the switch is white colored or off. This will make it so that all of your outgoing calls show up as “No Caller ID”
How to Use *67 on an Android Phone
To remain anonymous on your Android phone, here are some steps you can take:
Go to the “Phone” app.
Look for the search bar on the menu and click on the three dots near the dropdown menu.
Choose “Settings”
Hit the “Calls” button
Click “Additional Settings”
Click “Caller ID”
Hit the “Hide Number” icon when the pop-up interface appears on your device
On both your iPhone or Android, you can also use an app to keep your number anonymous as well. Burner gives you a secondary phone number that routes all calls to your primary phone number. Not only does this protect your personal number when making outgoing calls, but it also shields it from incoming numbers too.
Conclusion
Star 67 is a simple, temporary way to conceal your number every time you make an outgoing call. It’s one of a few different codes you can dial before entering someone’s number to ensure that your personal number doesn’t appear on their caller ID.
This can come in handy when you’re communicating with someone for the first time, such as in a business transaction or when online dating. And with phone scams becoming more common than ever, now’s the time to make sure you’re keeping your identity safe.
On your iPhone or Android, you can use star 67 by changing your caller ID settings in the phone app. You can also get a second burner number to keep your number a secret during both incoming and outgoing calls.
With so many options, you’ll be able to take your slumber party prank calls to a whole new level. Or, you can just use these features to keep your personal information safe.
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