Posted on 05/06/23 09:23 am
Current internet users have many questions about their privacy on the web. For example, how to keep private account on any online service? Or what is a two-step verification and how helpful is this feature? There are really many questions that make people wonder about if they are private when using internet. Those have become especially popular in the light of recent data breaches on large websites and apps. In this article, we will answer all possible questions and also tell about such a feature as disposable phone number that is one of the best tools for increasing online privacy.
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Why would someone try to access account of another person?
Every day there are thousands of people who lose their accounts on social networks and instant messengers. Only a few of them face this situation because they forget their password or get banned. Others fall victim to fraudsters that steal their accounts and use them for their goals. Most often last ones do this for the following reasons:
Blackmailing. This is the most popular purpose. In most cases, fraudsters steal or hack accounts in order to collect private information from correspondence. Then they blackmail the user with it or just sell it on the black market or to the person that ordered this.
Sending fraudulent text messages. Sending out mass mailings most often is more likely to lead to blockage. Thus, stolen accounts are also often used for this purpose.
Saving some money. This is a rare case. However, there are also those trying to access, for example, Netflix accounts that belong to other users. Most often such people just want to save their money on buying a subscription.
You can see that there are multiple reasons why some people try to access the accounts of other people. Those are also just the most common ones from them. One time phone number helps to avoid getting into such situations. This is relevant not only to social networking sites.
What services are under attack?
There is a popular opinion that hacks happen only to users of social networks. But it is not right. You might get attacked when using an online service of any kind. For example, this is also common to get hacked with an online shopping account as well as an email address. There are also those who target profiles on Steam and other gaming stores since some of those have numerous games and other products purchased and thus cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Basically, as stated above, an account on any platform is at risk. It’s just about possibilities.
What is 2FA?
There are many internet users who have no clue about this feature. However, it is one of the best solutions for preserving privacy on the internet and preventing someone else from logging in to accounts. It is also really simple, even though it might not sound like this. Let us explain.
2FA stands for two-factor authentication. This feature has a pretty simple and straightforward concept. Just imagine going to ATM in order to get some cash. You need to have two things for performing this: a bank card and a PIN code for it. 2FA represents one or both of these things. For example, some online services allow setting up a password for the account. It will be impossible to access this account without entering the set password. There are also services that allow not only setting up a password but also receiving a verification code via SMS or call on a mobile phone number. This feature is available for all types of accounts. You can enable it even for a profile that was created with a disposable cell phone number.
FA feature
How to enable 2FA?
Nearly every platform on the internet provides this feature nowadays. Sometimes it is mandatory, sometimes it is not. Making it mandatory helps companies to protect themselves from spammers and bots. But most often this is optional. For example, some websites and apps like Telegram, offer an opportunity to enable it right at the registration stage. You can enable 2FA when creating an account or just skip this step and continue using the service.
If there was nothing during registration, then it is more likely to be on the security settings page. Look for it in your profile. The process of enabling it is simple. You simply set up a password on a related form. If needed, also bind your mobile phone number. It is done by putting it on the same form and verifying it with a one-time password that comes in form of an SMS. Once done, logging in to the account will require entering a password as well as a new verification code from a mobile number. This is an effective way to prevent some random person from accessing an account without permission.
Increasing privacy with a disposable phone number
Millions of people use default security features like 2FA on various websites and apps. It is definitely worth it. However, those features don’t guarantee that account will not get hacked. There are still a lot of precedents. To ensure maximum privacy, it is recommended to use a temporary phone number for creating an account. Such a phone number can be used only to receive OTP from a certain online service. Thus, it is not possible to use it to hack profile registered with it. Here is how to get one:
1. Make an account on smspinverify.com and verify it.
2. Use a fitting payment method to add funds to the profile balance.
3. Proceed to the main page and start setting up parameters for the temporary number. First of all, select the country of issue. You can stick with any available option.
4. The next step is to choose a website or app for registration. It can be done on the second tab.
5. Now just on the appropriate button to buy disposable phone number.
Requested temporary phone number will be given to you automatically and immediately. It is set and configured for registration on the intended website or app. Thus, simply use it in the same way as a regular mobile number to create a new and completely private account.