How to Call from Unknown Number: The Reality Behind Anonymous Calling in the Digital Age

I've been fascinated by the concept of anonymous communication ever since I accidentally discovered *67 on my parents' landline back in 1998. There I was, a nervous teenager trying to call my crush without revealing my identity, fumbling with the rotary dial (yes, we still had one of those). That simple prefix opened up a world of possibilities – and complications – that I've been thinking about ever since.

The desire to make anonymous calls isn't inherently nefarious. Sometimes you're calling about a sensitive medical issue and don't want your number stored. Maybe you're a journalist protecting sources, or you're simply trying to reach someone who's been dodging your calls about returning that borrowed lawnmower. Whatever your reasons, the methods for masking your caller ID have evolved dramatically since my teenage years.

The Classic *67 Method Still Works (Mostly)

Let's start with the grandfather of anonymous calling. Dialing *67 before any phone number blocks your caller ID on that specific call. It's beautifully simple – no apps to download, no accounts to create. Just those three little digits and you're invisible.

But here's what most people don't realize: *67 doesn't make you truly anonymous. Your phone company still knows exactly who you are. Law enforcement can subpoena those records. And increasingly, many businesses and individuals simply don't answer calls marked "Private" or "Unknown" anymore. I learned this the hard way when trying to surprise my mother on her birthday – she'd set her phone to automatically reject blocked numbers after too many spam calls.

The technical mechanism behind *67 is actually quite elegant. It sends a signal to your carrier to suppress the Automatic Number Identification (ANI) data that would normally accompany your call. Think of it as putting tape over your license plate – the car still runs, but casual observers can't identify you.

Modern Apps and Services: A Double-Edged Sword

The smartphone era brought us a buffet of apps promising anonymous calling. Burner, Hushed, CoverMe – the names alone suggest their purpose. These services work by assigning you temporary phone numbers that forward to your real device. It's like having a PO Box for your voice calls.

I spent a month testing various anonymous calling apps for a project, and the experience was illuminating. The good ones offer remarkable features: multiple numbers, customizable voicemail, even the ability to text anonymously. But they come with significant caveats that the marketing materials conveniently omit.

First, these apps require internet connectivity. No signal? No anonymous call. Second, many of them harvest more data than you might expect. I discovered one popular app was logging my location data every time I made a call – hardly the privacy protection I was seeking. And third, they're not free. Sure, you might get a trial period, but sustained anonymous calling through apps will cost you anywhere from $5 to $30 monthly.

VoIP Services: The Technical Approach

Voice over Internet Protocol services like Google Voice or Skype offer another avenue for masking your identity. These platforms assign you alternative numbers that aren't directly tied to your physical phone. Setting up Google Voice, for instance, gives you a completely separate number that can forward to your actual phone or ring through the app.

The beauty of VoIP services lies in their flexibility. You can call from your computer, tablet, or phone. You can set up elaborate call forwarding rules. Some even offer transcribed voicemail. But they're not designed primarily for anonymity – they're designed for convenience. Google, for instance, knows exactly who you are and maintains detailed logs of your calling activity.

I once helped a small business owner set up Google Voice numbers for her employees. She wanted to keep personal and business calls separate without buying everyone second phones. It worked brilliantly for that purpose, but when one employee tried using it to make truly anonymous calls, they quickly discovered that their Google account information was still visible to anyone tech-savvy enough to look.

The Prepaid Phone Option

Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. Buying a prepaid phone with cash remains one of the most effective methods for making truly anonymous calls. No contracts, no credit checks, no personal information required. It's the method favored by everyone from investigative journalists to people escaping abusive relationships.

But even this method has gotten more complicated. Many countries now require some form of identification to activate even prepaid phones. In the United States, you can still buy and activate a basic prepaid phone anonymously, but the window is closing. And remember – the moment you use that phone to call someone who has your regular number saved, or the moment you log into your Facebook account with it, your anonymity evaporates.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Here's where I need to be absolutely clear: using these methods to harass, threaten, or stalk someone is illegal. Full stop. I've seen too many people assume that anonymous calling gives them carte blanche to behave badly. It doesn't.

Law enforcement has sophisticated tools for tracing anonymous calls when crimes are involved. Your carrier keeps records. Cell towers log your location. Even burner phones can be traced through their IMEI numbers and purchase locations. The anonymity these methods provide is primarily social, not legal.

I once served as an expert witness in a harassment case where the defendant thought *67 made them untraceable. The prosecutor's evidence included detailed call logs, cell tower data, and even security footage from the store where the defendant bought calling cards. The defendant got 18 months in jail and a harsh lesson in the limits of telephone anonymity.

International Calling and Anonymity

Calling internationally adds another layer of complexity to anonymous calling. Different countries have different rules about caller ID display and blocking. What works in the United States might not work when calling the UK or Japan.

Some international calling cards and services naturally obscure your number, showing instead the number of their switching center. This isn't intentional anonymity – it's just how their technology works. But it can be useful if you need to make international calls without revealing your location or identity.

The Future of Anonymous Calling

The trajectory is clear: true anonymity in telecommunications is becoming increasingly difficult. Carriers are implementing STIR/SHAKEN protocols to combat spam calls, which also make it harder to spoof or hide numbers. Governments worldwide are tightening regulations on anonymous communications. The days of easy, untraceable calling are numbered.

But I'm not entirely pessimistic. Privacy advocates continue to develop new tools and technologies. Encrypted calling apps like Signal offer a different kind of privacy – not anonymity from the recipient, but security from eavesdroppers. The conversation is shifting from "How can I hide my number?" to "How can I ensure my communications remain private?"

Practical Tips for Different Scenarios

If you're trying to maintain privacy while apartment hunting in a competitive market, *67 might be all you need. You can call listings without immediately getting added to every realtor's contact list in the city.

For ongoing situations where you need a separate number – maybe you're selling items online or dating – a VoIP service or app-based second number makes more sense. The small monthly fee is worth the convenience and features.

If you're in a situation where true anonymity is crucial for safety reasons, consider combining methods. Use a prepaid phone purchased with cash, only use it on public WiFi, and never use it for anything that could identify you. And please, if you're in danger, also contact appropriate support services or law enforcement.

The Bottom Line

Anonymous calling exists in a gray area between legitimate privacy needs and potential misuse. The tools are readily available, from the simple *67 prefix to sophisticated apps and services. But with each passing year, true anonymity becomes harder to achieve and maintain.

My advice? Think carefully about why you need to make anonymous calls. If it's for legitimate privacy reasons, choose the method that best fits your needs and budget. But always remember that anonymity is not a license for bad behavior, and it's rarely as complete as you might think.

The teenager trying to call their crush anonymously in 2024 faces a very different landscape than I did in 1998. But the fundamental human desires – for privacy, for control over our personal information, for the ability to communicate without immediate consequences – remain the same. How we balance those desires with the needs of a civil society will continue to evolve, one phone call at a time.

Authoritative Sources:

Federal Communications Commission. "Caller ID and Spoofing." FCC Consumer Guide, Federal Communications Commission, 2023, www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/caller-id-and-spoofing.

Greenwald, Glenn. No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State. Metropolitan Books, 2014.

National Institute of Standards and Technology. "NIST Special Publication 800-124: Guidelines for Managing the Security of Mobile Devices in the Enterprise." NIST Computer Security Resource Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, 2013, csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-124/rev-1/final.

Schneier, Bruce. Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World. W. W. Norton & Company, 2015.

Solove, Daniel J. Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff between Privacy and Security. Yale University Press, 2011.