Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Phone Number
Today, people pay little attention to their security and anonymity. But this can have negative consequences because company databases are regularly hacked, and your personal data leaks in an unknown direction, after which you find your phone number in the database of some scammers or advertisers.
To solve problems with anonymity, virtual phone numbers were invented to receive SMS messages — it is an easy way to create a new account in any service while not revealing your private phone number. But many people have never encountered such services and do not know about their features, so we decided to tell you about the pros and cons of this new technology.
Advantages of Virtual Phone Numbers
The option provides a wide range of opportunities for business and private use. The main advantages of a virtual phone number are:
- Ease of connection and use. You can order the service at any time, in any place, if you have the Internet. You can use the function to solve any tasks not limited by laws.
- High level of confidentiality. When registering on Internet resources, the user keeps personal information secret. The risk of hacking when using a virtual messaging system is minimal.
- Possibility to register an unlimited number of accounts. One-time offers from providers can create several profiles on social networks and other sites.
- Affordable cost. Prices for this type of service are significantly lower than the cost of an actual number. The purchase does not require the provision of any additional documents.
In addition, the virtual phone number service is not tied to your location so you can get a phone number with the code of any state or region. This will allow you to increase your anonymity and bypass restrictions in some local applications and web services.
Disadvantages of Virtual Phone Numbers
The disadvantages of virtual phones should start with the lack of control. For example, you buy a mobile number to get a confirmation code – after which your virtual phone number will be permanently deactivated. Therefore, virtual SIM cards are not recommended for creating financial or other important accounts that are planned to be used for a long time.
Another disadvantage, although controversial — is a threat to the security of services. Of course, if you want to create one additional account, nothing is wrong with this. However, some people use virtual numbers for fraud. That’s why many services have an extremely negative attitude toward accounts registered to virtual phone numbers and carry out “purges” with some periodicity.
Is it Worth Using a Virtual Phone Number?
If you want to keep your anonymity or get access to blocked services, and you do not plan to use your account for a long time – using a virtual phone number is the best solution. However, in all other cases, we recommend using the main phone number to buy another SIM card or renting a virtual phone number for extended periods.