Anonymity How an Anonymous Phone linked to the owner?

[Fixxx]

There are numerous myths about how to trace an anonymous mobile phone number. There are three common versions: tracking, meaning identifying the source of the radio signal; using specialized equipment at cellular network base stations to pinpoint the location; and uncovering hidden features supposedly present in every phone. In general, investigators and forensic experts only use advanced tools and expensive equipment in movies. In reality, the investigator's main tool is their brain and paperwork. The primary method is deduction or what we could call "searching for patterns" or "statistics". And then there's Time. Time is always against anonymity: sometimes we do things too timely or not timely at all. If there are logs of our actions with timestamps somewhere we cannot hide. Mobile communication logs are kept for every byte... Let's delve into this further.

How do they identify who is using a fake SIM card?​

You won't believe it: by the "leading" phone - your real one. By carefully reading the following paragraph you will understand how easy, simple and fast it all is. The term "activation" is used to describe the moment when the "anonymous" device connects to the network. So, let's go through different scenarios.

Scenario I

You are using an "anonymous" mobile phone while your real phone is nearby and turned on. Investigators request logs from the entire cell where the "anonymous" device operates or operated. That's all they need to pinpoint you (not only in real-time but also a week or a month later, leisurely sitting in their office with a cup of coffee). They perform recursive queries based on activation intervals to see who else was in the cell besides the "anonymous" device.

For example, if there were 1000 phones active in one cell, 500 were active during the next activation and 20 were active in the following one. Often by analyzing logs from three to four activations, investigators can accurately identify a couple of phones that never leave the cell. Sometimes more activations are needed and in such cases, they try to cross-reference numbers with multiple matches and their owners. If it's a 90-year-old lady who has had the same number for 10 years and hasn't left her apartment in 5 years then that option is clearly ruled out.

Thus, investigators quickly trace back to the real phone number which when investigated for call history reveals everything. Sometimes with just two activations special services can swiftly analyze and rule out hundreds of numbers - it's all about the number of personnel. It can even happen that the real number is identified from the very first and only activation of the "anonymous" device! Don't believe it? You should. Cell dynamics, other devices' behavior, weekdays can significantly simplify the job for law enforcement.

Example: You are surfing the internet anonymously when your real phone rings. You start talking and the internet data traffic drops for a period statistically different from the times between average page loads. Matching all calls in the cell precisely with the data traffic drop takes seconds and your number is discovered. Maybe you just went to the bathroom but it's not difficult to verify if the number found is the correct one. What if you receive two calls?

The criminal activates the device, sends an SMS demanding a ransom, turns it off. The next day they activate it, call to discuss the ransom terms and turn it off. The third time they activate it, provide the meeting place and time and turn it off. We studied the logs from the three activations to see who was in the cell all three times. After the second check only four numbers remain and after the third, only one.

Scenario II

You use an "anonymous" mobile phone while your real phone is deliberately turned off in advance. Incredibly - you have just made it easier for investigators. They simply look at who has disconnected - actually disconnected (the phone sends a signal to the network about it), not just left the network shortly before the appearance of the "anonymous" phone. It can be confidently said that there will be very few or even just you in the cell who have disconnected. To refine the data they compare who activated after the "anonymous" disconnected. And then cross-reference with grandmas and others. As you can see, turning off the real device while using the "fake" one only worsens anonymity.

Scenario III

You leave your real phone at home turned on and travel to another cell where you only activate the "anonymous" phone. Think it's a cunning plan? Not at all. Three factors still reveal your real device. Firstly, the same scheme as in the first scenario is followed but this time across multiple cells. First one, then neighboring ones until they compare the "anonymous" cell with the real one. Secondly and most importantly: your device at home is unattended, unable to answer calls. And missed calls will show up in the logs.

Do you think many subscribers constantly miss calls exactly when you switch to the anonymous phone? No one but your real phone! Furthermore, this method aids in the general search: investigators can quickly call the remaining numbers after comparing cell logs. If a phone isn't answered it becomes suspicious. Thirdly, you can't leave your real device anywhere - it's most likely at home. In other words, it's in one place for each activation.

Scenario IV

You turn off your real phone at home and travel to another cell where you activate the "anonymous" phone (see scenario #3 + scenario #2). In essence, the whole scheme relies on multiple activations from one number. So if you use a number just once and then discard the SIM card and phone will it be impossible to trace you? This strategy only works if your action is a one-time occurrence with no similar actions before or after. Changing numbers won't complicate the search for the real phone. For example, in a blackmail scenario how would changing numbers help when the victim receives calls from the same source?

Investigators will simply cross-reference not just one number with 3 activations but three activations from different numbers. Similarly, in the dark web numbers are easily linked based on common activities. More so, frequent number changes only worsen security as investigators can group numbers and easily trace, for instance, where the SIM cards come from. They can catch you in the act while purchasing new ones or expose the "seller" who may have used the number you called from. Anonymity is not the absence of identification data. Such a scenario is simply implausible in the modern world. Anonymity is a good imitation of a regular identity but not a genuine one.

What does revealing the real phone number give to law enforcement?​

We discussed how easily and simply law enforcement can trace a suspect's real number from their "anonymous" one. But what does information about the real phone provide? Everything except the information about the number's owner. Investigators will see who you called and many of them probably know you personally. They will see who and how the phone was topped up. Most likely, there are payments made from a real bank card via an ATM or from a real wallets. In essence, you've been uncovered.

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How do they track a mobile phone?​

An operational team with a manual locator is dispatched to the cell area where the suspect's phone is located. The locator is not a point-and-shoot screen as shown in movies but a simple radio receiver with a pointer showing signal strength. It has an antenna shaped like the letter N, letter Z, a clever tube or a hyperbolic/parabolic dish (often multiple antennas are included for different working conditions). The base station provides information on the exact frequency the sought device is using at the moment. The operator tunes the receiver to this frequency, rotates the antenna around and looks at the pointer. They move towards the strongest signal. Entering the building, climbing the stairs and measuring the signal they eventually find the correct floor, then the apartment and the "anonymity" ends. In the observed case, it took 25 minutes from the arrival of the operatives' vehicle to the suspect being taken into custody. Considering the time spent on recommendations like "Open up, we'll get in anyway!", gathering and escorting the suspect you can estimate how long it took to find the right one among dozens of buildings, hundreds of entrances and thousands of apartments.

 

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So, what can you do? Is anonymity a myth?​

We thoroughly examined how having a real personal mobile phone prevents true anonymity even with a newly purchased phone and a SIM card bought without proper registration. As we mentioned the available anonymity is a good imitation of a regular identity but not a genuine one. And the absence of a true identity in today's information age is simply impossible. After all, here you are, with an identity, reading this article.

Real hackers whose freedom and perhaps lives depend on anonymity don't use mobile phones in everyday life. They don't use them at all. Only for one-time calls, Skype, etc. And they have no "everyday" lives. Eternal darkness, non-existence. No friends, no family, no habits, no "favorite" places. That's what anonymity is. However, in reality there is a full-fledged different life online with different friends and "places". Often, not just as good but even better than in real life. So it's not all gloomy. Just not the same as for most people. Yet, that's not "anonymity". You have a name, even a nickname, but people know you by it. You have internet friends and places where you can be found online. This explains that not only anonymity is conditional but also freedom and "crime" and "laws" are not absolute but relative to society. And there are different "societies".

By learning a bit about investigators' methods you can take steps to enhance security in each specific case. For instance, in scenario #3 you can set up an autoresponder on your real phone or ask a friend to answer calls. Register your real phone under a real granny's name to pass the "granny filter". Try to randomly combine situations, leave the phone in different places, etc. This will complicate investigator's work but also complicate your "dark activities". Will it help in the "X hour"? Not guaranteed. So, think carefully with criminal inclinations if playing with fire is worth it or perhaps after one or two successful ventures it's better to buy a flat, a car, engage in some sort of legitimate business and bid farewell to the "dark side" forever!