My New Burner Cell Phone

Both my kids are watching the Breaking Bad series right now. I've watched a few episodes--the writing is brilliant and so is the acting but binge viewing isn't my thing. "Burner phones" are ubiquitous in BB.

I got one yesterday and setting it up wasn't that easy. As my son watched BB in the backyard, I cracked the package open on my new $15 phone with heavy-duty scissors. I was amused to find that it does just about everything my expensive Wi-Fi device does except it's way more rudimentary.

As I scrutinized the setup directions and attempted to set up an account and buy minutes, I started thinking about the use of burner phones on television. On TV, the bad guys have burner cells. My question is "who sets them up?" Does the average bad guy have the patience to set up an anonymous account online and then make the necessary phone call to the Burner Phone Company to untangle the online mess?

I waited on hold for maybe 15 minutes. Not bad. Then I talked to a young Indian woman for about 30 minutes. I had many questions and apparently these questions were confusing. Finally she said "You are confusing me. Please consult the manual for setup". I respected her gumption. By that time, I was confusing myself.

But if I was a bad guy would I wait on hold? What about paying anonymously? How would that work? Is there a separate manual for bad guys who wish to set up completely anonymous accounts? I can't imagine my well-mannered call center representative explaining all of that to a guy who wants only to get out the door so he can meet the rest of the posse and rob a bank. I just can't see it.

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