TL;DR - Here's How to Stop/Prevent Job Spam Calls with a Burner Phone Number
If you give your personal phone number to Travel Nursing Agencies you'll get endless calls, texts & voicemails.
Agencies need a phone number so they can reach you.
YOU need to keep job spam calls/texts/voicemails from constantly interrupting your life, wasting your time and driving you insane. 🤬
Google Voice is your easiest option for a FREE phone number. But Google sells your data.
MySudo phone numbers offer you more privacy than Google since MySudo doesn't sell your data. But phone plans start at $1.99 /month.
Keep reading to find my recommendations for free or cheap burner phone numbers to keep job spam calls from wasting your precious time.
FREE Burner Phone Number Apps
We all love FREE, right? Just be aware these free services come with the price of obtrusive ads or having your data shared.
- Google Voice - Free but Google sells your data for ads.
- TextNow - Free but ad-supported
- TextFree - Free but ad-supported
Cheap Burner Phone Number Apps
Your privacy and peace of mind (and ad-free app experience) could easily be worth a $1-3/month with these paid services.
Here's which Burner Phone Number Apps I Recommend
- Full Disclosure: I use Google Voice.
- For extra security, use Hushed or Burner for a cheap fee.
Despite my strong stance against Google's exploitive use of our data, I still use it. 😝
In fact, my StellarNurse business phone number is a Google Voice number.
Google Voice's free price tag and convenience is just too hard to deny. And it's soooo easy to use.
If you're on the fence about getting a burner phone number, start with Google Voice. It's free & there's no ads.
The other free services work great but have ads that can make for a messier experience.
All three of the paid services above work great - Burner even has built-in spam filtering.
I highly recommend any of the three paid services above.
How does a Burner Phone Number stop your spam calls?
Using a burner phone number for new or untrusted contacts gives you privacy and control and prevents spam calls.
The immediate benefit of a burner phone number is separating your travel nursing job search from your personal phone usage.
A Burner Phone number blocks spam by:
- Hiding your real number
- Limiting exposure of your personal phone # to spammers
- Easy to mute or delete phone number
Are the paid Burner Phone Number Apps worth it?
Even with their nominal fees, using MySudo, Hushed or Burner would definitely be worth your money.
Your money pays for
- Built-in spam filtering like Burner has
- Less exposure of your data - Google collects your data
- Ad-free experience - TextNow & TextFree have ads
Do Burner Phone Numbers have risk or commitment?
Burner phone numbers are meant to be disposable & temporary, so there's no risk.
No risk, need to commit - you can cancel your burner numbers anytime.
Remember before cancelling your burner phone number: give a functioning phone number to any agency or person you want to keep contact with!
I use my burner phone numbers with companies or people I'm unfamiliar with and want to vet their jobs and services.
Only trusted businesses and people get access to my personal phone numbers.
Why can't StellarNurse give you a burner phone number?
Short answer: Too many regulations & red tape. 😭
What's a Burner Phone Number?
Burner phone numbers are temporary, disposable phone numbers that connect to your existing smartphone - no secondary device needed.
You can choose to forward calls to your personal phone line or keep your burner phone number totally separate.
There's no commitment - you can cancel, delete or change your number anytime.
These burner phone number services ask for minimal personal information, offer pay-as-you-go plans and are very are easy to set up, use, and cancel anytime.
Before cancelling: Don't forget to update your phone number with companies or people you actually want to keep in contact with!
Pros of Burner Phone Numbers
- Increased privacy
- Decreased spam
- Free or cheap to use
- Easy to setup or cancel anytime
- No commitment
- Keeps work calls out of your personal inbox
- Secure way to connect to sources likely to spam or harass you
Cons of Burner Phone Numbers
- Can't call 911
- Won't work for certain apps or online sign-ups that don't like VoIP numbers.
- Not truly anonymous if you setup using your personal info or pay with your personal card.
- You'll lose your number if you let your subscription lapse.
- May cut into your personal phone plans minutes depending on the plan.
Is it too late? Are Spam calls already overwhelming you?
It's not too late to fix this problem!
Get a burner phone number today, start using it IMMEDIATELY for anyone you don't already trust - in person or online.
Silence all unknown calls - let them go to voicemail.
Block and/or report spam for any unknown callers if they leave voicemails you're not interested in.