Telegram anonymous numbers (+888)
What a Telegram anonymous +888 number is, which country it belongs to, what it costs on Fragment, how to buy it with GRAM, sign in without a SIM card and what renting one puts at risk.
A Telegram anonymous number is a virtual +888 number with no SIM card, operator or country: it lives on the TON blockchain and works only in Telegram. You can buy one on Fragment from its current owner — at auction or at a fixed price in GRAM; Telegram no longer sells them directly. The login code arrives on Fragment's website, not by SMS. On 2 October 2026 the lowest minimum bid at auction was 312 GRAM (about $480), and most numbers cost several thousand GRAM.
What a +888 anonymous number is
Telegram introduced them on 6 December 2022: its blog says an account can exist without a SIM card, using blockchain-powered anonymous numbers from Fragment, which calls them collectible numbers.
- All 136,566 numbers sold out in December 2022; today you can only buy one from its current owner.
- A number is recorded on the public TON blockchain as property of a wallet address; its owner can sell it.
- It works only in Telegram: no calls or SMS, and no sign-ups elsewhere unless a service chooses to support such numbers.
What country is +888
None. +888 is not a country code: in Operational Bulletin No. 1232 (15 November 2021) the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) returned code 888 to the pool of spare codes; it had been assigned to a humanitarian UN office. The numbers are tied neither to a SIM card nor to a country.
How much a +888 number costs
Owners resell the numbers, so the market sets the price. Each lot on Fragment's numbers page shows a minimum bid and an end time, or a fixed price, in GRAM (the new name of the TON coin).
On 2 October 2026:
- Auction. The lowest minimum bid was 312 GRAM (about $480), the next 410 GRAM, the rest 1,575 GRAM and up; rare "pretty" numbers go for tens of thousands of GRAM.
- Fixed price (the "For sale" filter). The lowest was about 2,400 GRAM.
That is a one-day snapshot; see the GRAM rate. Fragment takes a 5% fee on each sale (direct sales and the winning bid at auction), and a small network fee, which it puts at about 1 GRAM, may apply.
How to buy a +888 number on Fragment
- Install a TON wallet where only you hold the keys — Fragment names Tonkeeper and MyTonWallet (about wallets). Lose the recovery phrase and you lose the wallet, the coins and the number for good.
- Top it up with GRAM — see GRAM, formerly TON.
- On fragment.com/numbers connect your wallet ("Connect TON") and your Telegram account ("Connect Telegram").
- Pick a number — the page has a filter ("On auction", "Sold", "For sale"), sorting and a digit search. At auction, bid and confirm in your wallet; if you're outbid, your money is returned to you. A fixed-price number can be bought at once.
- Wait for it: the number appears under "My Assets", and Fragment asks you to allow up to 30 minutes.
Identity check. Fragment's help doesn't mention one, but media reported that since 26 November 2024 the site asks for it, through Sumsub, before purchases of Stars, Premium and numbers. The real address is fragment.com; beware of lookalikes.
How to log in to Telegram with a +888 number
The code doesn't come by SMS but to Fragment: Telegram's API documentation says it is shown to whoever logs in to fragment.com with the wallet that owns the number.
A new account without a SIM card:
- Open Telegram and enter the +888 number at login.
- When the app asks for the code, open the Fragment link it offers and log in on fragment.com with the wallet that owns the number.
- Enter the code Fragment shows.
An existing account. In the mobile app, open Settings, tap your phone number and choose Change Number, as the Telegram FAQ describes; contacts, messages, media and secret chats are kept. Enter the +888 number and take the code from Fragment. The number must not be linked to another Telegram account.
Turn on Two-Step Verification (a cloud password): Settings → Privacy and Security. Telegram says that from then on a login on a new device needs the password as well as the code.
How anonymous the number really is
"Anonymous" describes the number: no SIM card, no operator. The purchase need not be anonymous — the owner is a wallet address on a public blockchain, and Fragment may ask for an identity check. To hide your ordinary number from others, use Settings → Privacy and Security → Phone Number.
Renting a +888 number and buying from middlemen
Fragment sells numbers at auction and at a fixed price and says nothing about rentals. Private sellers and outside services offer them, and the risks follow from how these numbers work:
- The owner gets the login code. A lessor whose wallet holds the number sees your login codes; a cloud password guards against that.
- The owner can dispose of the number. The number belongs to whoever's wallet holds it: if that owner sells it, the login codes go to the new owner.
- No refunds. Fragment's purchases are final; outside Fragment there is no protection at all.
Never give your recovery phrase or login code to anyone: a seller, an "escrow" or "support". See scams on Telegram.
Further reading
See what Fragment is and your name and @username on Telegram. Stars and Premium for any account, +888 included, can be bought in the Shiba Bank bot by @username — no login needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is an anonymous number on Telegram?
A virtual +888 number with no SIM card, sold on Fragment and working only in Telegram.
Can I use Telegram without a SIM card?
Yes, and Telegram has its own way: an anonymous +888 number from Fragment. The account is created without a SIM card, and the login code is shown on the Fragment website (see the section on logging in above). The "virtual numbers" of third-party services are another matter: such a number is not yours, and whoever controls it receives the login codes. Telegram asks you to keep your account on an up-to-date number that you control, and warns that without access to your number you risk losing the account. If you have already used a third-party number, turn on the cloud password.
How much does a +888 number cost on Telegram?
The owner or the auction on fragment.com/numbers sets the price, in GRAM. On 2 October 2026 the lowest minimum bid at auction was 312 GRAM (about $480); most numbers cost several thousand.
What country is the +888 number from?
None: +888 isn't a country code — the ITU lists it as a spare code.
How do I buy a +888 number for Telegram?
Connect a TON wallet and your Telegram account on fragment.com/numbers, then bid at auction or buy at a fixed price in GRAM.
Can I rent a +888 number?
Fragment says nothing about rentals. A number that stays with the lessor gives them your login codes too, so renting is risky.
How do I log in to Telegram with a +888 number?
Enter the number at login, then take the code from fragment.com by logging in with the wallet that owns the number — no SMS comes.
