Is it safe to post your phone number online?

Former Member

Hi guys

I'm involved with a uni society and basically have all my contact details posted there as you would expect. I've tried to obscure them to the best of my ability (although, I'm tempted to write them into an image and do it that way?). I haven't been subject to spam as it is fairly easy to hide email addresses i.e.

gmail - exampleone (that would exampleone@gmail.com)

Anyway, one other thing I was wondering was phone numbers because at times it's useful for people to get in contact with me as I am the kind of go-to pester answer-finder guy (basically: secretary) and so how safe is it to post a telephone number on the internet?

Thanks guys.

edit: lookie here one of my lecturers, his office number and email addy unobscured:
http://www.york.ac.uk/management/staff/StaffProfiles/KAnderson.htm

so it can't be that dangerous, can it? I mean I know better than to put it on a myspace or something like that but when it's something relatively official... i dunno

Former Member

I think it'd be ok. My number is probably all over the web estimating by all the online forms and stuff i've filled in. There are thousands of numbers posted on facebook as well so you'll be fine.
I've never really had anything noticable happen with my phone - had a couple of 'would you upgrade your phone' calls but i think everyone gets those occasionally anyway

Former Member

I can't imagine how it would be dangerous. It might be annoying if you got lots of phone calls but that's about the limit of it.

Personally if it were for business or something that's not related directly to you like uni clubs or whatnot, then I wouldn't use my own personal number, I'd want a seperate number. But that's just because if you give out your own personal number you can't then turn that phone off without turning off your own phone.

Former Member

If sensitive details were entered while the browser's address bar started with HTTPS (instead of HTTP), then I think it's safe.

Former Member

Monserrat, it would be posted publicly on the interwebs so that people can find me as and when they need to.

Not sure if it's going to be an open invitation to unsolicated text services and the like though.

Former Member

I'd have thought it might have been a better idea to buy a cheap £15 pay and go mobile and used it to recieve calls, that's if you really are worried about prank calls.

My work mobile is posted all over the internet, email system and in all the schools I work in. I've yet to recieve a prank call, so if 10,000 school kids can resist I'm sure some uni students can

Former Member

Whowhere wrote: »

I'd have thought it might have been a better idea to buy a cheap £15 pay and go mobile and used it to recieve calls, that's if you really are worried about prank calls.

This is what I was saying.

To me it's not to do with having the number on the internet per se, it's to do with using your own personal number to give out to all and sundry. You need to give out a number that you can turn off.

Former Member

Yea I mean it's already appendixed automatically onto any emails. I'll leave it for the time being I guess

Former Member

Go ahead mate but I wouldn't personally. I always make sure my number is safe whenever I give it on online forms and what not! Get enough prank calls as it is fs!