Americans receive an average of 2.56 billion robocalls per month — a 20% increase over the previous year. With spam calls on the rise and personal phone numbers readily available on data broker sites, protecting your phone number has never been more important. Here's how to make your phone number truly private.
Hide Your Number on Outgoing Calls
Use *67 for Individual Calls
The simplest way to hide your number on a single call is to dial *67 before the phone number. For example: *67 555-123-4567. The recipient will see "Private," "Blocked," or "Unknown" instead of your number.
Important limitations of *67:
- It only works for that single call — you need to dial it every time
- It does not work for toll-free numbers (800, 888, etc.)
- It does not work for 911 or emergency services
- It does not hide your number from text messages
- Your carrier and law enforcement can still trace the call
Enable Permanent Caller ID Blocking
On iPhone
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Show My Caller ID and toggle it off. This hides your number on all outgoing calls.
On Android
Open the Phone app > More Options > Settings > Supplementary Services > Show Your Caller ID and select "Never." The exact menu path may vary by manufacturer.
Through Your Carrier
Call your carrier (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) and request permanent caller ID blocking on your line. There may be a small monthly fee.
Check After Updates
Caller ID settings can reset after a phone software update. Check your settings periodically to make sure they're still configured correctly.
Remove Your Number From People Search Sites
Hiding your caller ID is only half the battle. Your phone number is likely listed on dozens of people search and data broker sites where anyone can find it by searching your name. Here's how to remove it:
Manual Opt-Out (Free)
- Search for yourself on major people search sites like Whitepages, Spokeo, FastPeopleSearch, MyLife, and PeopleFinder
- Follow each site's individual opt-out or removal process
- Check back every few months, as your data can reappear
Google Removal
If your phone number appears in Google search results, you can request removal. Log into your Google account, find the search result containing your number, click "More" > "About This Result" > "Remove Result" > "It Shows My Personal Contact Info" and submit. Processing takes a few days.
Register With the Do Not Call Registry
Register your number at donotcall.gov for free. Registration is permanent and takes effect within 31 days. However, it only stops legitimate telemarketers — not scammers, charities, surveys, or political calls.
Get a Secondary Phone Number
One of the best ways to protect your real phone number is to use a secondary number for online sign-ups, shopping, and other situations where you'd rather not share your primary number.
Google Voice (Free)
Visit voice.google.com or download the Google Voice app. Sign in with a Google account and choose a number with your preferred area code. Use it for calls and texts while keeping your real number hidden.
Paid Burner Number Apps
- Burner ($4.99/month annual): Up to 3 numbers, delete numbers with one tap
- Hushed ($1.99/month): Numbers in 40+ countries, pay-as-you-go plans
- CoverMe: End-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, anonymous SMS
These are ideal for online dating, marketplace selling, freelance work, and service sign-ups.
The Reality of Phone Privacy
It's nearly impossible to remove your phone number from every database on the internet. Some opt-out forms actually require you to submit additional personal data. The goal is to significantly reduce your exposure, not achieve total erasure.
Protect Yourself From Spam and Scam Calls
- Don't answer unknown numbers — 75% of Americans already follow this practice
- Enable your phone's built-in spam filter (iPhone: Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers)
- Use a spam-blocking app like Truecaller, Nomorobo, or Hiya
- Never press buttons when a robocall asks you to — this confirms your number is active
- Delete personalized voicemail greetings — scammers can use your voice for deepfake attacks
Let PrivacyOn Handle It
Your phone number appears on dozens of data broker sites, and manually opting out of each one is time-consuming and needs to be repeated regularly. PrivacyOn automates the removal of your phone number and other personal information from 100+ data broker sites, with continuous monitoring to catch new listings as they appear. Stop the spam at its source.