XPost: alt.privacy, alt.privacy.anon-server   
   From: invalid@dont-email.me   
      
   In article    
   Robin Goodfellow  wrote:   
   >   
   > When you use a free 2nd line on your phone - how can they trace it back to   
   > your "real" phone number?   
   >   
   > This is not a "can they do it" question; it's an "how can they do it"   
   > question (because I'm sure they _can_ do it). I'm curious how they do it.   
   >   
   > Case in point...   
   >   
   > Recently a college freshman needed to send money to her friends over her   
   > iPhone or PC, where I was texted by her as to how she could transfer money   
   > freely, quickly, and as privately as humanly possible on short notice.   
   >   
   > My initial thought was "bitcoin", but the learning curve perhaps would have   
   > been too steep for an inconsequential $25 transaction which needed to be   
   > done that moment (as I've never mined bitcoins myself, nor bought any).   
   >   
   > I googled and found _lots_ of choices for anonymous money transfers over the   
   > iPhone or PC from kid to kid separated by states as new college Freshmen,   
   > and, to hone my skills, I asked of this newsgroup for even better ideas.   
   >  *College kids needs to send 25 bucks over the phone or the PC*   
   >     
   >   
   > Since the goal was anonymity (at least from my side of the equation), I   
   > created a Venmo account using completely bogus information, which was:   
   > a. A fake "legal name"   
   > b. A throwaway email address   
   > c. A throwaway 2nd-line phone number   
   >   
   > Vemmo texted a security code (twice) to the throwaway 2nd line phone number   
   > 1. First, when I created the account on the PC   
   > 2. Second, when the kid used that account on her PC or iPhone (I didn't ask)   
   >   
   > My question is simply how can they trace that transaction back to me?   
   > A. Certainly they can easily trace the debit card transfer to her   
   > B. But how do they trace 2nd-line phone texts back to the original phone?   
      
   That's an error.  Using a primary phone and associating it with   
   a "2nd-line throwaway".   
      
   The "2nd-line" must have an association with a primary phone   
   number to function, hence there are a multitude of "temporary"   
   records created in numerous places most would never consider.   
   The only assurances you have are with the party providing the   
   temporary "2nd-line".  Those assurances don't extend to other   
   carrier parties once communications leave the point of initial   
   entry.   
      
   Also, governments monitor cellular calls and look for frequent   
   patterns involving specific numbers.  One or two random calls   
   may disappear in the billions of calls made each day, but   
   regardless of any anonymity claims made by a provider of   
   throwaway numbers, a call was made and a record established.   
   EMC ($torage) and Ci$co (Buggy network equipment...) are both   
   participant$ in this deception.   
      
   Someone would have to be interested enough to look for the   
   transaction and work backwards from the endpoint.   
      
   Did you create interest?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)