Complete Guide to Mobile Number Protection
How to protect your mobile phone number from unauthorized use.
Mobile number protection is a security service offered by mobile carriers that replaces your real phone number with a virtual number, preventing exposure of your actual number and blocking spam calls and messages.
Table of Contents
1. Service Overview
Mobile number protection is a security service that hides your real phone number and uses a virtual number in its place.
[Key Features]
- Virtual number issuance (070, 050, etc.)
- Real number masking
- Automatic spam call blocking
- Blocked number management
- Call recording (available on some services)
[Supported Carriers]
SKT: T Number Guard
KT: Number Change Notification
LG U+: Number Protection Service
[Monthly Fee]
2,000–3,000 KRW depending on carrier
2. Signing Up and Activation
[How to Sign Up]
1. Open your carrier's customer app
- T World, Olleh KT, U+ Customer Center
2. Go to the add-on services menu
- Search for "Mobile Number Protection"
- Apply for the service
3. Select a virtual number
- 070 or 050 number
- Choose a preferred number (additional fee may apply)
4. Activation complete
- Takes effect immediately
- Your original number remains unchanged
[Auto-Enrollment Eligibility]
- Children under 14 years old
- Upon request by a legal guardian
3. How to Use and Settings
[Using Your Virtual Number]
- Business cards/profiles: Use your virtual number
- Online shopping/delivery apps: Enter your virtual number
- Online communities: Share your virtual number
[Keeping Your Real Number]
- Family/friends: Use your real number
- Work/school: Share your real number
- Financial institutions: Register your real number
[Spam Blocking Settings]
1. Open the number protection app
2. Manage your block list
- Add manually
- Enable automatic blocking
3. Sync with spam databases
- Carrier spam database
- User-reported spam database
[Whitelist Settings]
- Allow specific numbers to reach your real number
- Add to whitelist
4. Number Management and Changes
[Changing Your Virtual Number]
- Can be changed at any time
- Change fee: Free to 5,000 KRW
- Previous number can be reused after 3 months
[Checking for Number Exposure]
1. Search on Naver/Google
- Search your number
- Check which sites have exposed it
2. Request personal information removal
- Contact the site administrator
- File a report with the Korea Communications Commission
[Call Quality]
- Virtual numbers offer the same quality as regular calls
- 070 numbers use VoIP (internet calling)
- Usage may be limited when abroad
[When Switching Carriers]
- Re-enrollment required when changing carriers
- Existing virtual number cannot be carried over
5. Troubleshooting and Cancellation
[Not Receiving Calls]
- Verify that your virtual number is active
- Check if the ringtone/connection tone is working properly
- Check for carrier outages
- Restart your device and try again
[Still Receiving Spam]
- Update your block list
- Use the "Report" feature
- Consider changing your virtual number
[How to Cancel]
1. Cancel through your carrier's app
2. Call customer service
3. Cancellation takes effect immediately
4. Virtual number will be reclaimed
[Alternative Services]
- Hoo Hoo (spam blocking app)
- Naver Safe Number
- KakaoTalk virtual number
- Whited (number search blocking)
Key Tips
- •Use your virtual number when signing up for online shopping sites to prevent spam calls.
- •Share your real number with important contacts and keep it separate from your virtual number.
- •When calling someone with your virtual number, let them know in advance as they may be suspicious of a 070 number.
- •After changing your number, update it with important places such as banks and hospitals.
- •Regularly check whether your phone number has been exposed on the internet.
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