Private numbers, used responsibly

• Keeping your personal number private — on marketplaces, dating apps, classifieds and sign-ups that leak or sell numbers.
• Separating work and personal life, or running a small business line without a second phone.
• Travellers, expats and NRIs keeping a number in a country they don't live in.
• Developers testing their own sign-up and verification flows.

Spam, bulk or automated messaging and calling, robocalls, fraud, phishing, impersonation, harassment, evading bans or platform rules, creating fake accounts at scale, illegal content and reselling the service. The full list is in the Acceptable Use Policy.

Platforms also have their own rules. You must follow them — PhoneBorn doesn't help anyone get around a ban or an identity check.

If you received spam, a scam message or a threatening call from a number you believe is a PhoneBorn number, use the contact form with the full number, the date and time (with your time zone) and a short description. A person reviews every report, and we act on credible ones. If you are in danger or have been the victim of a crime, contact your local police first.

Automated limits and checks apply to outgoing SMS and calls (for example rate limits and blocking premium-rate destinations). When we reasonably believe the Terms were broken, receive credible abuse reports about a number, or are required to by law, we can suspend outgoing SMS and calls, suspend or close the account and release its numbers. Details: Terms.

We cooperate with valid, legally binding requests from competent authorities, as described in the Privacy Policy. Because we collect very little personal data — an email address, no ID documents — what we can disclose is limited, but abuse of the service is never protected.

• SMS content: deleted automatically 90 days after the message was received or sent.
• Call and SMS metadata: up to 12 months, for billing accuracy, allowance tracking and abuse investigations.
• Security logs (IP addresses): up to 90 days.
• Full details: Privacy Policy — Retention.

When a number is released, its messages and call records are never shown to a later holder of that number. Why this matters for account security: number recycling explained.