Can I Block My Cell Phone Number?

Many people want to block their cell phone numbers when making certain calls. Are you trying to get a competitive price quote on a car or other high-dollar item but don't want to wind up on someone's cell phone directory calling list?

You can block your number from appearing by dialing the star key (*) followed by the number 67, then dial the phone number and press "send". This is known as "doing a star-67". Doing this prevents cell phone numbers from showing up on someone's caller ID, and will keep you being added to an aggressive telemarketer's cell phone listings.

If you want to deactivate caller ID on all calls to a particular number, press the * key, followed by the number 82, and the phone number. Hit send, then all your calls to that number will show up as "private number."

Can I Block My Number From Showing Up When I Call?

Many cell phone providers give customers the option to keep their cell phone numbers private for all outgoing calls. When people dial *67, they are blocking their cell phone number from that particular caller ID for that call only.

Some people are more sensitive about their privacy, but don't know where to begin to start blocking a cell phone number. Did you know all it takes is a simple call to your cell phone provider? Ask your customer service rep to add cell phone blocking to your list of optional features. You can add this yourself. Just log into your cell phone account on the Internet, and change the settings there. Go to the Add/Change Features section and check the Caller ID Blocking box.

Can I Keep My Existing "Land Line" Number?

If you have a home telephone number but want switch to a cell phone, you may be able to keep your home phone number as your cell number. Call your cell phone provider and tell them you want to transfer your home number to your cell phone.

You need to be ready to activate your new cell phone account and your old home phone number service must still be active to make the switch. Don't cancel your home phone service! Cell phone number portability depends on having both numbers live at the time of transfer. You can cancel the old service once you have been told that the new account for cell phone service is live.

Reverse Cell Number Lookup

There are a growing number of websites offering reverse cell number lookup services. Some offer the information for a price, while other sites offer cell phone lookup for free. Beware sites that ask you for your own cell number. Some web sites are operated by people who sell information to telemarketers and e-mail spammers.

One questionable site requests your cell phone number, while claiming it does not give your information to third parties. On closer inspection, the site's terms of service clearly states, "In submitting your name and cell phone numbers you accept that you have
voluntarily added your name, city, state, and cell phone numbers to our
database. The Directory is not responsible for the
actions of third party members once they have obtained your contact
information from our site." Whether those third party members are users of the site or telemarketers, by entering your cell phone number, you give consent to your cell phone information being released.

Don't be surprised if you wind up having to add your number to a cell phone do not call list after using such a "free" service.