Setting up new iPhone -- scam phone number appears in iMessage setup

[Ubele]

I'll soon be doing some international travel and am heeding the advice to get a burner phone with minimal personal information on it. I originally was going to get a cheap flip-phone -- but, much to my surprise, there are refurbished 3rd-gen (2022) 64-GB iPhone SE's available on Amazon for about $160. I ordered one and just got it. It's so cute! (My main phone is an iPhone 14 Pro Max.) I also have a 2019 MacBook Air, which I'm going to use as my travel computer. I set it up with a brand-new Apple ID. Next, I configured my iPhone SE with the same Apple ID. I then went to configure iMessage for the phone numbers and email addresses it can use. Oddly, there is already one phone number there: (720) 576-7865. It's spinning, and I can't delete it. I Googled the number, and it's associated with scammers. How did it get there for an Apple ID that literally was created two days ago, and why can't I delete it?

 

[xaqt93]

If I were to guess, it is because it's a refurbished iPhone and the number was used on that iPhone. But I honestly don't know. That is just my best guess.

 

[russell_314]

Before attaching this phone to your account, I would restore it to factory configuration. This will wipe out anything the last owner did. I believe it’s under Settings, General then scroll to the bottom.

 

[Ubele]

Thanks -- that makes sense.

 

[Ubele]

I erased and reset my iPhone, and the problem persisted. The (720) 576-7865 number turned out to be from a deactivated Verizon SIM card that was installed. I removed the card, and the number went away. However, I'm still unable to activate iMessage - on both my iPhone and my MacBook Air. I'm able to sign in to iMessage with my regular Apple ID account on both devices. Also, I got the same model unlocked iPhone SE, along with a new iPad, as travel devices for my wife. I set up a brand-new Apple ID for her. iMessage works fine on her new devices. So the problem is somehow connected to the new Apple ID account I set up for my MBA and the iPhone. I'll repost this in another forum.