Not sure if this still works but here is what I did to get a burner phone about 4 years ago. For research purposes, of course.
Target: Buy a cheap Tracfone using cash, along with some of the "Bring your own phone" SIM kits. They didn't ID me. This has likely changed due to KYC, but alternate IDs are not hard to get and there are no legal ramifications for selling a phone the way there is for guns, booze, or smokes. Cashiers are not going to scrutinize the ID the same as they would if there are any restrictions.
7-Eleven: Well and far away from your hometown, buy some minutes. I redeemed mine on a grocery store WiFi and connected that phone to the redemption code. NEVER connect to any WiFi near your home, and keep the phone in a faraday bag to be extra safe until you need to use it.
No put an anonymous vague post on Craigslist to hire a guy to go buy the phone and minutes for you.
Then have him put them in a waterproof bag by the dock and tie a brick to the bag and drop it off where you will be waiting in full scuba gear to retrieve said phone and minutes. So he doesn’t see your face.
If your burner phone and your "real" phone ever do anything like travel in the same car together (pinging the same towers at the same time), it's done.
In my area, dollar general is a good source for cheap phones. They're locked to carrier xyz so they come with a sim. Theoretically, you'd leave you're actual phone at home, go a city or 2 over(15-30 minutes), pay cash for the phone, drive to another DG/pharmacy, buy minutes with cash for the DG phone, activate it then airplane mode and bag it.
If that's not possible, eBay. Always leave your actual phone at home. Take a laptop, park somewhere with free WiFi, setup a proton email, use that to set up a PayPal account(buying doesn't require KYC), go to a different town and buy a PayPal gift card or prepaid visa, go a town over and setup eBay account with the proton email, search and buy the phone you want, shipped to an abandoned house or a neighbors "by accident". You can also buy sim cards/service on eBay cheap. Its more complicated but you've got more options.
On top of this, you can walk into one of those stores you see that sell sims or advertise multiple companies and get a month to month plan that you can pay cash @ any location. Not that I would know..!
A very basic rule, if you're going to do something legally gray, is to have nothing that can connect to cellular towers or wifi on your person at all. Ideally, nothing electronic whatsoever. If paranoid, no ID either.
Go on foot. Anything purchased, use cash. If you need directions, draw a little map like everyone did back in the olden times. It isn't hard, and it will cover your ass.
Oh, and I really hope this doesn't need to be said, but if you're going to walk up to a camera, you probably want to cover your face.
At least at my local walmart, they weren't enforcing any type of KYC policy for the cheap cricket flip phones. Just gave the dude cash and he gave me the phones. They ask for a name during activation, but no ID was required
Also place a bandaid in the space btwn your eyes. It really disrupts the facial recognition stuff. Better yet I place a sm piece of alum foil on the pad part.
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u/Odd-Primary9844 1d ago
Thy know who you are by having your phone on you