Federal Trade Commission

10/27/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2021 23:29

The Google Voice scam: How this verification code scam works and how to avoid it

Share this page

October 27, 2021
by
Alvaro Puig
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

It's Cyber Security Awareness month, so the tricks scammers use to steal our personal information are on our minds. If there's one constant among scammers, it's that they're always coming up with new schemes, like the Google Voice verification scam. Have you heard about it? Here's how it works.

Scammers target people who post things for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. They also prey on people who post looking for help finding their lost pet.

The scammers contact you and say they want to buy the item you're selling - or that they found your pet. But before they commit to buying your item, or returning your pet, they feign hesitation. They might say they've heard about fake online listings and want to verify that you're a real person. Or they might say they want to verify that you're the pet's true owner.

They send you a text message with a Google Voice verification code and ask you for that code. If you give them the verification code, they'll try to use it to create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number. (Google Voice gives you a phone number that you can use to make calls or send text messages from a web browser or a mobile device.)

So, what's the harm? The scammer might use that number to rip off other people and conceal their identity. Sometimes these scammers are after a Google Voice verification code and other information about you. If they get enough of your information, they could pretend to be you to access your accounts or open new accounts in your name.

If you gave someone a Google Voice verification code follow these steps from Google to reclaim your number.

No matter what the story is, don't share your Google Voice verification code - or any verification code - with someone if you didn't contact them first. That's a scam, every time. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Cyber Security How-to Guides

  • How to protect your personal information

  • How to recognize, avoid, and report malware

  • How to secure your home wi-fi network

  • How to recover your email or social media account

Blog Topics:
Privacy, Identity & Online Security, Online Security, Identity Theft
Scam Tags: Phishing Scams
  • Add new comment

Leave a Comment

Read Our Privacy Act Statement

It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC's computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC's Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.

Comment Policy

This is a moderated blog; we review all comments before they are posted. We expect participants to treat each other and the bloggers with respect. We will not post comments that do not comply with our commenting policy. We may edit comments to remove links to commercial websites or personal information before posting them.

We won't post:

  • spam or off-topic comments
  • comments that contain vulgar language, personal attacks, or offensive terms that target specific groups
  • sales pitches or promotions
  • comments that contain clearly misleading or false information
  • comments that contain personal information, like home addresses

Comments submitted to this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personal information. Also, do not use this blog to report fraud; instead, file a complaint.