Going further · Step 7 of 13

A separate email and phone number

A second email and phone number for public use keeps your real ones in fewer places. Your real ones stay with your bank, your two-step sign-in, and the people you trust.

Why it helps

Every time you give out your email or phone number, it can travel. When you give a company your email address, it might share or sell it to other companies.¹ Some websites that offer coupons, sweepstakes, or insurance quotes collect your information and sell it to telemarketers.²

Your phone number also matters for people-search sites. When the FTC explains how to find your own listing on these sites, it suggests starting with your phone number or address.³ So a number you post in public can lead someone to a report about you.

A second email and number don't make you invisible. But when they get shared or sold, what travels is not the email and number tied to your bank, your family, and your account security.

Which one to use where

Keep your real email and number for your bank and other money accounts, for two-step sign-in codes and account recovery (Step 4), and for family, close friends, doctors, and work.

Use the separate ones for things like:

• online shopping, store rewards programs, and coupons
• contests, newsletters, and apps you are trying out
• forms on websites you don't know well
• opt-out requests to people-search sites (Step 6)
• anything you post in public, like a listing to sell something

Kinds of email options

A second email account. Make a new account and use it only for public things. Don't put your full name in the address.

Aliases or forwarding. Some services make extra addresses that pass mail on to your real inbox. For example, Apple's Hide My Email, part of its paid iCloud+ plan, makes unique, random addresses that forward to your personal inbox.⁴ You can turn off or delete an address you no longer use.⁴ Check whether your own email provider offers aliases or forwarding. If one address starts getting spam, you can turn off just that one.

Kinds of second phone numbers

A second line on your phone. Some phones can hold two numbers at once. For example, Dual SIM on iPhone lets you have two active numbers for calls and texts. Apple gives the example of using one number for business and another for personal calls.⁵ It depends on your phone model and your carrier.⁵

An internet calling number. Some phone services work over an internet connection instead of a regular phone line. This is called VoIP.⁶ If a second-number service uses internet calling, check how it handles 911 first. The FCC says some VoIP providers have limits on their 911 service, and some VoIP service doesn't work during a power outage.⁶

Whatever you choose, keep your real number on your phone for emergencies.

What to do

1. Set up a second email: a new account, or aliases if your provider offers them.
2. Give that email a strong password and two-step sign-in, the same as in Step 4.
3. Decide whether you need a second number. It makes the most sense if you post a number in public or give it to strangers.
4. Use the new email and number for every new sign-up from now on.
5. Switch your shopping, newsletter, and rewards accounts to the new email, a few at a time.
6. Leave your bank, your two-step sign-in, and account recovery on your real email and number.
7. Check the separate inbox now and then so you don't miss receipts or opt-out emails.

Changing the email on an account updates that account going forward. For lists and sites that already have your details, see Step 6 and Step 8.

Last checked: November 8, 2026