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It was popularised by the TV show The Wire - a 'burner' or temporary phone number that is simply discarded after use.

Now, the system has been brought into the app age.

Burner, described as 'a privacy layer for your phone' lets people use temporary phone numbers - for a price.

The app allows people to have as many numbers as they want - and tio 'burn' them and get another one at any time.

'Keep in touch with clients, customers, and teammates without giving out your personal cell,' the firm boasts. 

'Top use cases for Burner include a secondary personal phone line, multiple business lines, service forms and online dating.'

The system can even work in a web browser, using a Chrome plugin to put numbers into forms. 

Users can have multiple numbers, all controlled from a single inbox.

When they create a new number, they can pick their own area code - or have one assigned at random. 

When no longer needed, they can simply be 'burned' and a new one set up.

The firm recently unveiled a major overhaul of its app, with MMS support for both iOS and Android users.

Users can send and receive picture messages with anyone, across all U.S. and Canadian carriers, right from Burner's standalone native mobile app.

'We're seeing a huge expansion in use cases for secondary numbers, especially given the growth of online marketplaces and sharing-economy services,' said Greg Cohn, co-founder and CEO of Burner. 

'Text messages have become the 'new email' and have created even more everyday situations where it makes sense to use Burner.' 

Burner also released a Chrome extension, giving customers one-click access to Burner numbers while completing online forms and other web-based activities where they do not want to give out their primary mobile number.

 For the past year, Burner has consistently been ranked as one of the top three grossing apps in the App Store's 'Utilities' category and one of the top 15 apps in the 'Communications' category on Google Play.