Craigslist is one of the best places to sell items to a local audience. However, it also attracts strange and unusual people. For this reason, posting a phone number in a Craigslist ad is not a good idea.

If you have an iPhone, you can create a temporary cell phone number that forwards to your phone by downloading RingShuffle from the App Store. This allows you to still post a number in an online ad, yet keep your own number a secret.

Open the RingShuffle app, then click the Create Account button.

Enter your telephone number, email address and a password, then click Continue.

Next, enter an area code, then click Display Numbers.  Three numbers will appear with your chosen area code. Touch the number you like best and a green check will appear beside it. Click Save.

A message appears stating the number you selected is now forwarding to your phone. Click OK.

RingShuffle then shows your cell phone number and the temporary number. You are now free to share the temporary number anywhere on the Web without fear of exposing your real number.

By default, temporary numbers last seven days. You can delete a number at any time by clicking the trash can next to the number.

We tested RingShuffle with a Craigslist ad with great success. When we sold the item, we simply deleted the number and did not have to answer any more calls. For true anonymity, be sure to change iPhone’s default voicemail message, which includes your phone number. Otherwise, if you do not answer a call, your real number will be revealed by your voicemail message.

Via online-tech-tips.com