Let's Discuss Burner Phones

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  • ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,500
    God's Country
    I've begun to research obtaining an additional mobile phone(s) that I can use in a critical or emergency situation where maintaining anonymity may be important to my personal liberty and or survival.

    From my initial investigation this is a very very deep rabbit hole. It seems like anything else worth doing, you need to list the parameters that are important to you.

    Here is where I am at this stage:

    The Device Criteria
    1) Must not be traceable to my identity through the initial purchase. (Sold in stores where I can pay cash)
    2) Needs to have a fairly long battery life while off. 1 week minimum but 2 weeks would be ideal.
    3) Must be able to turn off GPS and Wifi anytime I want and stay off when the device is turned off and also remain off by default when restarting the device.
    4) Must be unlocked
    5) Must have a user replaceable SIM card.
    6) Cost less than $100 but prefer less than $50

    Cellular Service Criteria
    1) Sim cards must be able to be purchase with cash and without providing any personal id. (Apparently Walmart sells quite a few models)
    2) Service must be able to be activated in some way without providing any personal information, or allow the input of information which is not verifiable.
    3) The Cellular service should have reasonable coverage in the areas that I most commonly frequent. For now that is the east coast of the USA from Florida to NY.
    4) The service should have a minimum expiration term of 3 months but ideally the longest term possible is what I'm looking for.
    5) The SIM card/Service can be funded using some sort of Cryptocurrency or with gift cards that can be purchased by cash, or VISA gift cards.
    6) The minimum service should have 120min of voice, 500 txt messages and 1gb of data.
    7) Annual cost of $200 or less per year.


    If I draw on my Firearm Purchase experience, I could saved a lot of time and money if I had asked some intelligent questions and listened to good advice before buying shiny objects form companies who market really well.

    I did find a few seemingly helpful links that I'll share that I've stumbled onto so far, but I value the opinions and experience of this community more.

    Reddit-Burner Phones in the age of Coronavirus and Mandatory Contact Tracing Apps

    LifeHacker - How to buy a burner phone

    The Intercept - How Protesters setup a burner phone (This is an ANTIFA/Leftist Site)

    GraphineOS (Considering using a GrapheneOS Compatible device for even higher security)

    I would really like input from anyone who has already purchased a burner phone and achieved some of the goals that I've listed. Any feedback, advice, input or questions is appreciated. My plan is to do this and eventually share what I've learned here.
     

    TheBert

    The Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 10, 2013
    7,688
    Gaithersburg, Maryland
    1st rule: When you go to purchase, wear a hoody and mirrored sunglasses and in this climate a mask.

    2nd rule: Pay for your burner phone with cash. Don’t use a Credit card or debit card!!! See rule 3 and substitute use your burner phone for buy your burner phone.

    3rd rule: When you want to use your burner phone turn off your cell phone, drive 15 miles away from where you turned off your cell phones. Turn on your burner phone, make your call then turn off your burner phone. Then drive 15 miles and you can then turn on your cell phone.
     

    Semper Noctem

    Desk Rabbit
    Aug 9, 2011
    4,029
    Fairfax, VA
    Also, don't drive your car up to a Walmart to make the purchase. Every store lot has cameras and they will see your vehicle and tag. Walk, bike, or better yet - man in the middle purchase?
     

    welder516

    Deplorable Welder
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 8, 2013
    27,312
    Underground Bunker
    You would also have to take a car that does not have tracking or a navigation system they have data that knows your location . Plus if you really get down to it cameras are at intersections and may catch your tag .
     

    mac1_131

    MSI Executive Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 31, 2009
    3,280
    Add removable battery to your shopping list, so you can really turn it off.

    I think you may be limited to a flip phone with your list of requirements. You should be able to get a 4g flip phone somewhere.

    If you sign in to a Google account on it to download apps, well, need I say more.

    It's interesting only the USA allows burner phones. In most other countries, you have to provide ID to get a pre-paid phone.
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,160
    When the time comes , i am fighting where i stand . I will also die there .

    Yup and I'm standing in the kitchen so I can have that one last sandwich before the inevitable.
    Fascinating thread.
    OP how does (or can) your ham radio play into this?
     

    ed bernay

    Active Member
    Feb 18, 2011
    184
    Don't carry your regular cell phone to buy your burner phone. Your regular cell phone and burner phone should never be in the same place at the same time. I would also keep a burner phone off my property.
     

    Name Taken

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 23, 2010
    11,891
    Central
    One would have to put a ton of effort into this. Do you need a "smart phone" or not? If you do not, and just want a phone, then it is easier.

    There's endless ways of matching cell sites to you. I care not to type out a list of "don't do" because of the public environment of the information. But you'd need to have a long list of things to do and not do in order for it to not be tracked to you, your home, your current phone, your vehicle, your work sites, etc.

    It's very hard to do with a smart phone.
     

    randomuser

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 12, 2018
    5,778
    Baltimore County
    Tbh, the amount of time someone puts into tracking you down is going to be relative to the specific reason they would be searching for you.

    What type of scenario are you looking at? Would be more helpful to answer. You could use something like textnow and make a fake account (dont do it from your home wifi) on an old phone bought from craigslist that IS a smartphone. Then you could use public wifi to make and receive inbound and outbound calls through a say, mcdonalds or library wifi. But if you used that to do something wrong that woudl be tracked and then cameras leading to some clue on who you are would be found unless you're a ghost. Now that we are past that sci fi action movie evasion part. If you wanted to get really crazy you could power it down and put it in one of those bags (brain fart) that blocks shet. The phone being pinged is not what would catch you its the cameras that would be scoured to figure out who you are and where you come from.


    I'd go craigslit smarphone and wifi calling app. for what you sound like you want to do. It's the least "on the books" way to make and receive calls.
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,367
    SoMD / West PA
    Pay cash for prepaid cards.

    Use said prepaid cards to buy burner phone(s), and any activation fees.

    Anonymous enough. Although you could be tracked to video footage at the cashier, if they really wanted you.
     

    JPG

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 5, 2012
    6,996
    Calvert County
    look for these
     

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    trailman

    Active Member
    Nov 15, 2011
    631
    Frederick
    To repeat what others have said, there is a longer list of don'ts than do's for a true burner phone, other than the fact that in this day and age its just in the movies. Basically everything can be tracked on a smart phone even when off. You have to pull the battery. If someone is looking for you you can forget it. The resources tasked against the collection of metadata are enormous. I been looking at this for awhile and the best advice it to get an Android tablet, do not register a google account and use other sources to download communications apps. Of course don't talk to anyone you know, lol. Bet the LEO's on here have something to contribute.

    Two good sources to dig through.

    https://brushbeater.org/category/communications-2/

    https://www.americanpartisan.org/category/topics/tech-and-privacy/

    https://www.americanpartisan.org/2020/11/radio-contra-episode-31/ <-- Useful links for the podcast
     

    randomuser

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 12, 2018
    5,778
    Baltimore County
    If you get to a point where you need a burner phone you might want to consider not reaching out to anyone that authorities would contact or monitor so you would not really need the burner phone anways. Unless you are talking about needing it for something now to avoid, that is why I'm asking the reason for the burner. This thread could get much much better.
     

    eruby

    Confederate Jew
    MDS Supporter
    I've begun to research obtaining an additional mobile phone(s) that I can use in a critical or emergency situation where maintaining anonymity may be important to my personal liberty and or survival.

    I'll not gainsay ToolAA, with whom I hope to tipple and sup on 9/25, but if I'm in a situation where the above is germane, I'm probably already dead, or soon to be so, in a pile of brass.
     

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