What is a trap phone?

A trap phone, also known as a burner phone, is a prepaid, inexpensive mobile phone primarily used for temporary and often illicit activities. The purpose is to maintain privacy, avoid tracking, and prevent association with a user's primary phone.

• Usage: Trap phones are frequently associated with illegal activities, such as drug dealing (see: https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Drug%20Dealing), avoiding law enforcement, and facilitating anonymous communication. However, they can also be used for legitimate purposes where privacy is a concern.

• Anonymity: A key feature is the difficulty in tracing ownership. They are often purchased with cash and used without registration, or under false identities, making them harder to link to an individual compared to a registered phone with a SIM card tied to personal information.

• Cost: Trap phones are generally very cheap, readily available, and disposable. This makes them easily replaceable if compromised or no longer needed.

• Limitations: While they offer a degree of anonymity, trap phones are not foolproof. Law enforcement can still track them through various means, including cell tower triangulation, call records, and potentially by hacking or obtaining data from the phone itself. Also they don't have much storage capacity.

• Legality: Owning a trap phone is not inherently illegal. However, using it to commit or facilitate crimes (see: https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Crimes) carries the same legal consequences as using any other communication device.

• Alternatives: Encrypted messaging apps and virtual phone numbers provide alternative, sometimes more secure, ways to achieve similar levels of privacy. You can get a virtual phone number (see: https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Virtual%20Phone%20Number) without giving your real phone number.