How safe is it to give your number to a complete stranger?
 

I've been thinking about this. I always thought cell phone numbers couldn't be traced by the ave joe. Is that true? I've given my number to strangers before, and not thought a thing about it. They have been from all over the place, but some ppl have said to me I need to keep better tabs on who I give my number to, cause you don't know who might be crazy and look you up and come after you. That just sounded bizarre to me. I mean, who would do that? I just give it out cause sometimes voice convo's are much nicer than IM's. But now, these couple of ppl have put a bug in my ear about this whole giving my number out.

Tell me there is nothing wrong with it.....so I can move on and keep giving it out...lol But if you really don't agree with it, please let me know, and give your reasons...Thanks.

It is not safe to give out personal info of any kind to strangers. Including telephone numbers. Unfortunately there are creeps who will misuse this information. In this age of stealing identities it pays to be super careful.

HI BornToFly,

I am a police dispatcher, I hope this information helps. Cell phone number subscriber info is not available to the average person. Cell phone companies have 24/7 "hotlines" for police agencies to call and obtain the billing information. Your name and address can be obtained within 3 seconds assuming it is current. These hotlines numbers do not generally change. The only people who know/have access are cell phone company employees (not sure who in the company would exactly know) or police officers/employees. Cell phones cannot be triangulated unless in extreme emergencies (ie. confirmed kidnapping/ransom - and this can take days - as per cell phone company policies)

So you can give out your cell if you'd like, the only problem would arise from a psycho cell company worker or cop. LOL.

Although I would personally recommend giving out an email address because if the calls are unwanted you don't have to change your number (you can block a cell number, but a truly nutbar person will call you from multiple sources, and that's just a pain)

I give my cell # out, but never my home #.

I think giving your cell # is ok, if you are comfortable with it. I would never ever give out my home phone though.

If in doubt, don't do it. Give your e-address instead

I gave my cellphone number to this guy I met online. We met at the mall and went out for a week, but then it got creepy when he wouldn't stop texting me. I had to change my phone number. Luckily I didn't give him my house phone, or My mom would be..not in a good mood, lets say. Lol

I can tell you (from first hand experience) a cell phone number, an email addy or even a license plate can be traced within a few minutes. With the information you can get addresses, credit reports, cell phone records, police records, price of home, home plat--possibly a floorplan, and a whole host of other things.

You'd be surprised where your info might actually be. I just got an email from some guy wanting to know about an apartment I used to live in. Luckily he wasn't a creeper, but he was able to just get my info from the school database because my name was still on the mailbox there. Oi!

Thanks for the info everyone. I enjoy talking with new ppl and usually don't mind giving out my phone number. A lot of times these ppl I have never met, let alone even see what they look like. Some ppl just put a bug in my ear saying what if I give it to some crazy person and they are able to somehow look me up and come looking for me. I never really thought about that before. :?: I just like to keep busy talking with new ppl. I've formed some great friendships through the internet by doing that.