alt Hacker NewsSince I do not have a smartphone or a cell carrier, I only have a voip number, which most sites think is a fake number. As a result I often have to use these shady SMS verification services to get my own personal legitimate accounts open.
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Doesn’t that allow the shady sms service to take over your account?
Tell support you’ve lost access to email and they might allow you to change it if you can still verify sms code
I’d be curious to hear about your experience not having cell coverage in the modern world. What’s it like?
Not sure if it flags as fake but I'd look into getting a dedicated Twilio number, then just forward incoming texts to your email or something like that. It would at least get the "shady" part out of the equation as Twilio is pretty trustworthy.
Would it not be easier to get a dumphone and a super low end phone plan?
What device do you use the voip with?
If you live in US, get a tracfone with an annual 1500 minute plan for around $20-$30
You can just get a fliphone clamshell, they still do those and don't need a full smartphone (ironically the clamshell still runs android)
They boot fast and battery can be pulled after
This is how I do all the 2-factor that demands real SMS
I use them to avoid giving my real number to any shitty online service.
If you're in the US you can get a real cell phone number with VoIP and SMS that works without a phone for $20/mo with Google Fi. You'd need a phone to set it up but after that you could just turn it off and still use VoIP and SMS from any web browser.