Barely a day goes by without news of privacy violations and associated crimes. As a local business owner, it’s only natural to wonder how to disguise your phone number from prying eyes. But as an entrepreneur, you know that it isn’t an easy choice.

As the owner of an independent business or as a freelancer working from home, you can’t be selective about who you share your number with. If you use the same number for personal and business communication, this means you end up sharing your private number with everyone.

On top of the individuals you share it with, it could be on your Google My Business profile, website, social media pages, business cards and even storefront signages. Anyone, including some unscrupulous individuals, can have access to it. This can lead to some unpleasant situations that may make you wonder how to disguise your phone number.

Why people want to hide their phone number

Privacy: Your phone number gives non-stop access to your life. Along with it, your personal information, residential address and other identifying details are also at stake when someone has your phone number

Peace of mind: If telemarketing was a constant headache, robocalls have taken it to another level. When your personal phone number is out there, you can expect calls that will ruin your mood and get you agitated no matter where you are or who you’re with

Focus: You could be with your team members, developing a product, out on an evening walk, watching your favourite series or engrossed in a paperback. All it takes is one unsolicited call to distract you

How you can disguise your phone number

There are three common ways to hide your phone number when you make a call. While the first two are things you can do on your phone within its existing settings, the third one requires external intervention.

Block when calling back

Let’s say that you’ve got a missed call from a number you don’t recognise. You’re not sure whether this number is a potential business associate or a telesales caller. Either way, you don’t want to share your phone number with them. Fortunately, there’s a way to disguise your number if you choose to call them back.

Dial *67 before you dial the number and the receiver will only see “Private” or “Blocked” when they see your call. This also works on landlines if you dial *67 before dialling the number.

Hide your number in settings

Occasionally, you may not have the time to figure out if you want to dial *67 before dialling a number. But moments after you dial their number, you’d wish that you’d hidden yours. To avoid this from happening, you can make the necessary changes in your phone’s settings.

iPhone: Open Settings and then go to Phone. Here you’ll see Show my Caller ID. It’s usually set to On. If you turn it Off, the phone will hide your number

Android: On the Phone app, go to Settings. There, go to Calls and then, Additional Settings. Click on Caller ID and then Hide Number

Second phone numbers for business

While you may have valid reasons to disguise your phone number, hiding it isn’t a permanent solution, especially if you run a business. The goal should be to limit the exposure of your phone number. One of the most effective ways to do that is by getting a second phone number.

This is especially true for local business owners who are forced to share their personal phone numbers with potential customers, clients and business associates. A second phone line app safeguards your privacy while delivering several value-added benefits.

Separation of personal and professional lives: After business hours, you can route all incoming calls and messages to either voicemail or auto-reply

Dedicated channel: You can organise all your business communication in one place, away from your personal calls and messages

In short

While everyone needs to worry about digital privacy, local business owners have more at stake. Their contact information is more widely shared with little control over who can access it. If you’re an independent business owner, freelancer or solopreneur, the solution isn’t to temporarily disguise your phone number: it’s to get a second phone line number through an app.