There are a variety of reasons to want to block your caller ID when you make cell phone calls, and there are several ways to do this. Most cell phone providers allow subscribers to block their caller ID, and many cell phones offer caller ID-blocking options in their menus.

If you want your caller ID to always be blocked, the easiest and most reliable method is to simply call your cell phone provider and ask them to block your caller ID. One downside of this method is that your caller ID cannot be "un-blocked" for specific calls without again calling your provider. Many families do not accept blocked calls on their home telephones, which means you will not be able to call these numbers from your cell phone. Also, dialing *82, which unblocks your landline caller ID, doesn't work on cell phones, so you'll have to call your cell phone provider to unblock the number. Note also that dialing *67, which blocks your caller ID for a landline, also does not work for cell phones.

Many cell phones offer the functionality to block or unblock your caller ID at will for specific calls; this means that all you have to do is go through a menu and find the option and your phone number will be blocked. You can look in your cell phone user manual to get the specific procedure for blocking or unblocking your caller ID for your phone.

Remember that blocking your caller ID can help keep regular people from seeing your number in their day-to-day operations, but counting on caller ID to protect yourself from prosecution if you are doing something against the law will not work. Even if you are calling from a blocked number (whether it's a cell phone or landline), the service provider still maintains records of the call, and these records are accessible for law enforcement. The cell phone company can provide the police with your name, address, phone number, call history, and can actually triangulate your approximate current position (just like on TV, although triangulation is not usually not accurate enough to get a specific address). However, many pay-as-you-go plans, with cheap, "disposable" cell phones, do not keep these records, although they still can be used to triangulate your position.

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