General Reports

[GMan7547]

Do not make the phone unlockable with your fingerprint. Use a passphrase.

Or, handle the phone with a glove. Yes, might be starting to get a little too tinfoil hat approach but I guess if one wanted to be truly safe.

[CuriousVaMan]

The NoVA Board has an OPSEC Section. FYI.

[SilKill]

Wow! Excellent list! Good job!

Do not make the phone unlockable with your fingerprint. Use a passphrase.

[GMan7547]

Here is a list of Don'ts that anyone can follow for a burner phone. Feel free to add to it.

1. Don't purchase at a location that you normally frequent. Same with the minutes that go on the phone.

2. Don't get a flip phone unless it's a one and done usage.

3. Don't leave the phone on. Only turn it on when you have done your research and are ready to make some calls.

4. Don't turn it on anywhere near your home, business, friend's house, etc. Go somewhere like a library or grocery store parking lot.

5. Don't log into any personal accounts.

6. Don't use any apps for transferring money.

7. Don't always have the phone with you. Figure out an easy place to store it and prepare a story beforehand if it's ever found.

8. Don't keep any photos or videos on the phone if you record your hobby. Transfer them ASAP then delete off the phone..

Wow! Excellent list! Good job!

[CoopDawg]

Discretion, not discrimination. Effing autocorrect.

[CoopDawg]

Burner phones require no warrant. Like you said, they can be tracked and it's how they can be tracked. They ping on every tower so they actually give a step by step of where you have been. They still collect and save the same data as your regular phone. If you use it near your home, use it to contact people on a regular basis, log into personal accounts like this one, you're at risk. The place that you purchased it from does it have a camera? Seen a provider more than once? Paying cash does help, but do you change your SIM card regularly? That's why criminal organizations like drug dealers change their phone so often and spend thousands on these phones. They also travel from state to state to make the purchases. My information and both of my businesses come up as well. The thing is, I don't present as a "mark". I'm not saying you do, but many on here do. Blackmail only works if you let it work IMO. I've never had an issue and only one provider has ever called to ask me for money. I didn't even respond and it has never happened again. Just my thoughts.

Stay safe.

BLK.

Everyone has different levels of tolerance when it comes to discrimination in this hobby and I think what you and I both said hold a lot of truth and value. Lots of good info being shared and hopefully it will help keep us all a bit safer.

[Billinokid]

Here is a list of Don'ts that anyone can follow for a burner phone. Feel free to add to it.

1. Don't purchase at a location that you normally frequent. Same with the minutes that go on the phone.

2. Don't get a flip phone unless it's a one and done usage.

3. Don't leave the phone on. Only turn it on when you have done your research and are ready to make some calls.

4. Don't turn it on anywhere near your home, business, friend's house, etc. Go somewhere like a library or grocery store parking lot.

5. Don't log into any personal accounts.

6. Don't use any apps for transferring money.

7. Don't always have the phone with you. Figure out an easy place to store it and prepare a story beforehand if it's ever found.

8. Don't keep any photos or videos on the phone if you record your hobby. Transfer them ASAP then delete off the phone.

9. Don't get attached to the phone / have anything personal on it. Be prepared to leave / lose it if you are caught up in a situation.

10. Don't just throw it in the trash if you need to get rid of it. Factory reset it, break it into pieces, then throw the pieces away in different places.

Good info!

I'd recommend Tracfone as it's extremely cheap imo. Decent smartphones for around $100, decent camera, data rolls over, and they have multi-month plans. Haven't tallied up cost but I'm definitely under $$ per year (plus phone).

I'd say it's worth it, specially to those mongers with more to loose. Keep your text conversations like you would with any other casual hookup. Make sure it's password protected and keep turned off when not in use. Be prepared to part ways with it at any time.

Probably more useful for those with significant others.

Dream safe.

BNK.

[LifeLine]

Here is a list of Don'ts that anyone can follow for a burner phone. Feel free to add to it.

1. Don't purchase at a location that you normally frequent. Same with the minutes that go on the phone.

2. Don't get a flip phone unless it's a one and done usage.

3. Don't leave the phone on. Only turn it on when you have done your research and are ready to make some calls.

4. Don't turn it on anywhere near your home, business, friend's house, etc. Go somewhere like a library or grocery store parking lot.

5. Don't log into any personal accounts.

6. Don't use any apps for transferring money.

7. Don't always have the phone with you. Figure out an easy place to store it and prepare a story beforehand if it's ever found.

8. Don't keep any photos or videos on the phone if you record your hobby. Transfer them ASAP then delete off the phone.

9. Don't get attached to the phone / have anything personal on it. Be prepared to leave / lose it if you are caught up in a situation.

10. Don't just throw it in the trash if you need to get rid of it. Factory reset it, break it into pieces, then throw the pieces away in different places.

[MmceStep]

Burner phones require no warrant. Like you said, they can be tracked and it's how they can be tracked. They ping on every tower so they actually give a step by step of where you have been. They still collect and save the same data as your regular phone. If you use it near your home, use it to contact people on a regular basis, log into personal accounts like this one, you're at risk. The place that you purchased it from does it have a camera? Seen a provider more than once? Paying cash does help, but do you change your SIM card regularly? That's why criminal organizations like drug dealers change their phone so often and spend thousands on these phones. They also travel from state to state to make the purchases. My information and both of my businesses come up as well. The thing is, I don't present as a "mark". I'm not saying you do, but many on here do. Blackmail only works if you let it work IMO. I've never had an issue and only one provider has ever called to ask me for money. I didn't even respond and it has never happened again. Just my thoughts.

Stay safe.

BLK.

I agree with most of what you've said. The only pushback I'd give is that contacting a decoy ad is certainly enough probable cause to get a warrant for your phone for a felony investigation. The stings have judges on hand to sign search warrants. On the other hand, if you have a very good attorney and have remained silent, paid for the burner with cash, your attorney is going to argue "My client has never seen that burner phone that you allegedly found in his car before", and without you self snitching they are going to have a tough time definitively linking it to you. Certainly not impossible, but they're going to have to work for it. If they get a warrant for your personal phone, it is in fact your personal phone. So they can easily prove chain of custody to tie any evidence obtained on it back to you. Remember, with solicitation it is likely going to be ALL ABOUT THE PHONE, because in NC there is no in-person decoy used these days (unless it's a street sting, and I haven't heard of any of those in a long time).

[BlkScorpio1]

Why is it you believe a burner phone is less secure than using your main number?

I use a burner, paid for it and load minutes it it with cash. There's literally zero way to link that phone or number to me. LEO could potentially track its movement, maybe, and do the same with my regular phone and see that they are together at times but that's really about it.

If you Google my regular number you will find my address, businesses I have owned and a ton of other info about me. That would givea crackhead provider a lot of ways to make your life very difficult.

Burner phones require no warrant. Like you said, they can be tracked and it's how they can be tracked. They ping on every tower so they actually give a step by step of where you have been. They still collect and save the same data as your regular phone. If you use it near your home, use it to contact people on a regular basis, log into personal accounts like this one, you're at risk. The place that you purchased it from does it have a camera? Seen a provider more than once? Paying cash does help, but do you change your SIM card regularly? That's why criminal organizations like drug dealers change their phone so often and spend thousands on these phones. They also travel from state to state to make the purchases. My information and both of my businesses come up as well. The thing is, I don't present as a "mark". I'm not saying you do, but many on here do. Blackmail only works if you let it work IMO. I've never had an issue and only one provider has ever called to ask me for money. I didn't even respond and it has never happened again. Just my thoughts.

Stay safe.

BLK.

[MmceStep]

Also there's no need to buy a burner phone anymore or worry about cash and what not LOL it's 2025 guys there's a dozen apps that give you free numbers to text off of LOL choose any area code, switch whenever you want and best part you don't have to carry two or more phones! I personally have like 5 apps I use all with different numbers and area codes. Helps to set up dreams since sometimes a provider won't answer one number but will the other. Or to price check and see if they charge different prices which sometimes they do! And if you want to haggle on one number and see what's the bottom price and then text from another number and cut to the chase it makes mongering so easy and safe. Idk what the upside to using your real number would be LOL unless you don't have a smartphone but no one's looking up stg on a flip phone right? Lmao.

Yes, you're right. And this is a mid-step in opsec improvement that will protect you from civilians (providers, pimps, blackmailers). However, if you use a 'burner app', HSI can easily see your phone device I'd, and Apple / Samsung / Google I'd's, which identifies you in a few minutes. This is why each HSI Human Trafficking Team has two Secret Service agents as members. SS was given extraordinary powers by the courts (and thus corresponding equipment capability) over wireless comms in their executive protection capacity. That agency has cheated quite a bit in scope and they regularly use the capabilities in non-court approved ways. One of the major reasons why HSI became the umbrella organization to oversee all the other agencies was for SS to loan this capability to other agencies, and for wider scope purposes. There's not much worry that your method will reveal you to the local vice guys, but your method leaves you unmasked to the big HSI stings (that are again coming once they move past their immigrant detention mission). An actual physical burner is the way to make yourself more invisible to these stings, provided you're not using it to communicate with decoys from your home (location tracking).

This is why during last year's 'Operation Milestone', (which was reported on this forum), most of the guys were actually grabbed from their homes. Literally all they had to do to meet solicitation requirements was to 'agree to meet'. Once they did that, SS identified them electronically and sent the locals to the monger's house to collect or interview them. Note that this was before the new law, so to bump this up to a felony they had to have the decoy behind the STG ad say something like "Hey I'm glad you want to see me, but I have a confession. My ad says that I'm 26, but I'm actually 16. Is that still okay?" I think most mongers said "No, it's not fucking okay! But if they replied with "Yes", they got a visit at home, which began the investigation into them. In NC today, there's a felony charge for just saying "yes" to a 26 yo provider.

Increasing your opsec with a physical burner paid for with cash will increase your safety immensely. But, I can also understand how being married and in possession of a burner could also be a problem. I am single, so it's a bit different for me. The thing to remember here is that you now face low level drug dealer type penalties for solicitation. According to my defense attorney friends, the low level drug dealers who don't get caught have fantastic opsec.

[NotMattLauer]

I have always used my number and I have had the same one for about 25 years. I am single now but even when I wasn't, I used my same number. Burner phones aren't really all that safe unless you always pay cash and change it every few weeks or so. They actually are less secure than a phone registered to you. I've never had any threats or fake cops calling. Maybe some spam calls but who hasn't? Can't even say it was a result of using my number.

Guys that go through things like scams and blackmail is because they present themselves as a "mark". Think about it, everybody has something to loose, regardless of their situation. Everyone isn't an easy target and everyone is worth being a target.

Stay safe.

BLK.

Also there's no need to buy a burner phone anymore or worry about cash and what not LOL it's 2025 guys there's a dozen apps that give you free numbers to text off of LOL choose any area code, switch whenever you want and best part you don't have to carry two or more phones! I personally have like 5 apps I use all with different numbers and area codes. Helps to set up dreams since sometimes a provider won't answer one number but will the other. Or to price check and see if they charge different prices which sometimes they do! And if you want to haggle on one number and see what's the bottom price and then text from another number and cut to the chase it makes mongering so easy and safe. Idk what the upside to using your real number would be LOL unless you don't have a smartphone but no one's looking up stg on a flip phone right? Lmao.

[MrSmithwick]

Not to mention that you have to have factual information with your regular service provider and that makes it much easier for unwanted people to have access to you in this game. Google my reg number and all my business comes up along with my home address, linkedin, social media and several LLC's I own. No thanks. I'll stick with my burner apps / phones. Somy hobby guys are sloppy and that's ok, if that's what you want to do. In my hobby life, only 10 providers have known my real name and had my actual number.

Why is it you believe a burner phone is less secure than using your main number?

I use a burner, paid for it and load minutes it it with cash. There's literally zero way to link that phone or number to me. LEO could potentially track its movement, maybe, and do the same with my regular phone and see that they are together at times but that's really about it.

If you Google my regular number you will find my address, businesses I have owned and a ton of other info about me. That would givea crackhead provider a lot of ways to make your life very difficult.

[CoopDawg]

I have always used my number and I have had the same one for about 25 years. I am single now but even when I wasn't, I used my same number. Burner phones aren't really all that safe unless you always pay cash and change it every few weeks or so. They actually are less secure than a phone registered to you. I've never had any threats or fake cops calling. Maybe some spam calls but who hasn't? Can't even say it was a result of using my number.

Guys that go through things like scams and blackmail is because they present themselves as a "mark". Think about it, everybody has something to loose, regardless of their situation. Everyone isn't an easy target and everyone is worth being a target.

Stay safe.

BLK.

Why is it you believe a burner phone is less secure than using your main number?

I use a burner, paid for it and load minutes it it with cash. There's literally zero way to link that phone or number to me. LEO could potentially track its movement, maybe, and do the same with my regular phone and see that they are together at times but that's really about it.

If you Google my regular number you will find my address, businesses I have owned and a ton of other info about me. That would givea crackhead provider a lot of ways to make your life very difficult.

[GMan7547]

Guys that go through things like scams and blackmail is because they present themselves as a "mark".

From what I read, the ones who got blackmailed were the ones using their real numbers.

But, I digress.

I'm continuing to play it safe and at least make it as difficult as possible to find me. And if they can still find me after all the precautions I take, it's very low-hanging fruit to find those using their real numbers.