Khanacademy: Internet Safety: Some Online Accounts Ask You To Type In Your Phone Number: Should You?

Some sites online, when you set up new accounts, say:

“Please type in your phone number.”

Or sometimes:

“Please type in your Email/Gmail address.”

But… is that safe? Are those people trying to find out how to really get into your account, and steal your money, or muck around on your profile, and make you look dumb?

Well… sometimes. But, more often than not, it’s the opposite.

Most of time, people who are asking for the phone numbers of Email Addresses are asking for them to protect your account.

For example, pretend you’re the owner of a bank. A new person is trying to set up a bank account.

In case they get robbed, they want to be able to message the people, telling them, and try and find the robber!

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So, yes, it’s important to usually give your phone number to new accounts!

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Thanks for reading!