How to Give a Fake Phone Number 101.

You’re at the bar with some friends and some irritating strangers have just introduced themselves to you and bought a round of drinks. While you and your friends are happy for the free drinks such a display of generosity rarely comes without strings attached and this case is no exception—you are asked for your phone number! Refusing to give a number or stammering out an obvious fake like 555-1234 is perfectly acceptable but it has the potential to ruin the evening, especially if one of your friends is interested in continuing a conversation with one of the drink-buyers. A believable fake number will allow you to extricate yourself from an uncomfortable situation without ruffling any feathers.

1. Step 1

   Prepare for potentially having to give a fake number by coming up with one before you leave your house. The number should be easy to remember just in case you’ve had a few drinks by the time you are asked for it. Try creating a phone number by combining two numbers that you already know well, like the first three digits of your last phone number and the last four digits of a friend’s phone number. Even better, memorize the fax number at your dentist’s office—that way they won’t be bothering anyone when they call.

2. Step 2

   Make sure that your fake phone number contains at least one of the following numbers: 1, 7, or 9. These numbers can be written in such a way that it is difficult to tell them apart from each other. Practice writing these numbers so that they could be mistaken for one another.

3. Step 3

   Insist on writing out your phone number on a piece of paper. There is no chance that your number will be misread if it’s programmed into a cellphone! Write your number yourself—use the excuse that the bar is too loud and that you don’t want to shout your phone number out. As you write the number make sure that any 1s, 7s, and 9s could be mistaken as each other.

4. Step 4

   Only give your first name, but don’t lie about it. A fake first name will give you away immediately if one of your friends calls out to you, but telling someone your last name will allow them to look up your phone number or any mention of you on the internet. If they insist on a last name, give them the last name of the last person you dated. It will be easy to remember and there won’t be any connection to you.

5. Step 5

   Leave immediately. Mumble an excuse about needing to be with your friends right now or needing to use the restroom and get yourself away from this person for the rest of the night. But don’t forget to enjoy your free drink.

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How to Give a Fake Phone Number 101.