Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Update for Thursday, December 16, 2021.
Topics covered in this issue…
• How to give your phone a temporary ‘burner’ number
• Q&A: Can a phone catch a virus from an infected email?
• Does your browser needs to be updated? Find out with one click.
• Is Burger King’s ‘Impossible Whopper’ really healthier than a regular Whopper?
• Info about my photo / file recovery service
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Today’s Quick Tip….
How to give your phone a temporary ‘burner’ number
Have you ever signed up for a one-time or short-term event of some kind only to start receiving an avalanche of nuisance calls after giving them your number?
Many contests, raffles and other types of one-off events require you to provide your phone number before being allowed to participate in them.
All too often, the entire purpose of whatever you’re signing up for is to get your phone number on their list so they can call you send you promotional texts of various sorts in the future.
Even worse, many of those companies and organizations will sell your number to other marketers (and even scammers).
I’m sure you can imagine how this usually ends up. In fact, it might have already happened to you at some point in the past.
Luckily, there’s a simple way to participate in these types of things without having to hand over your real phone number. Give them a ‘burner’ number instead.
There are apps you can install on your smartphone that will let you give out a temporary ‘burner’ number instead of your phone’s actual number.
When someone calls the burner number your phone will ring the same as if they had called your real number. But your real number remains hidden from the caller(s), and therefore stays off of their list. And the same applies for SMS text messages.
Yes, the temporary burner number will end up on their list along as well as the lists of the companies they end up selling it to, but since it’s just a temporary number it won’t really matter.
There are several ‘burner’ apps available for both iPhones and Android phones, some of which will supply you with a temporary number at no charge (at least for a trial period).
Our friends over at MakeUseOf have put together a list of five of their favorite burner apps. Any one of those apps should suffice if all you need is a short-term temporary ‘burner’ number.
Bottom line: There is no need to hand over your real phone number for a one-off or short-term event and have it end up on dozens of marketing lists as a result. Give them a burner number instead.
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips…
• Q&A: Can a phone catch a virus from an infected email?
A reader is concerned that an email she opened on her phone might have infected the device.
• Does your browser needs to be updated? Find out with one click.
Many browser updates are released to patch dangerous security flaws. That’s why it’s very important to install them as quickly as possible after they are released. This post explains how to quickly check all of your browsers on a regular basis to see if an important update is available.
• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
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Rick’s Daily Pick…
Everlasting Comfort Under Desk Office Foot Rest (#ad)
Does your office have a cold, hard floor that keeps your feet cold and uncomfortable all day long?
If so, you need this super-comfortable and ergonomic foot rest.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Is Burger King’s ‘Impossible Whopper’ really healthier than a regular Whopper?
Burger King promotes their ‘Impossible Whopper’ as a healthier alternative to their regular ‘Whopper’ hamburger. But is it really healthier? The answer might surprise you.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• NASA’s most powerful telescope ever is about to change how we see the universe
• Minecraft crosses a mind-blowing 1 trillion views on YouTube
• Are rocket scientists and brain surgeons actually smarter than everyone else?
• Here are the shipping deadlines to get your holiday gifts there on time
• Apple releases ‘Tracker Detect’ Android app to help users discover unknown nearby AirTags
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Rick’s Photo / File Recovery Service…
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.ricksdailytips.com