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Code and verification scams

Someone asks you to read back a code from a text. Do not

A buyer, a pet finder or a caller asks for a code texted to your phone. How the Google Voice verification scam works and why you never share a code.

The Editors4 min read

A smartphone on a table showing a text message with a six digit code, next to a cup of coffee
Image by MarieXMartin from Pixabay

The problem

You have put something for sale online, or posted that you lost a pet. Someone contacts you, friendly and interested. They say they want to be sure you are a real person, or the pet's real owner, and ask you to read back a code that has just been texted to your phone.

The code feels harmless. It is not. It is a verification code for an account the scammer is setting up in your name.

How it can happen

The FTC explained the mechanics in October 2021. Scammers target people selling items on sites such as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or people posting about a lost pet. They pretend to be a buyer or to have found the pet, then feign hesitation and say they need to verify you. They trigger a Google Voice verification code, which is sent to your phone. With the code, they can set up a Google Voice number linked to your phone number.

The scammer can then use that number to defraud others while hiding their identity, so any trail leads back to you. They may also gather more of your information to impersonate you or open accounts in your name.

The FTC's July 2022 alert on selling online repeats this and adds other tricks aimed at sellers: fake payment notifications from payment apps, bogus refund requests and cheques for more than the price with a request to return the extra.

More broadly, the FTC's page on verification codes explains that banks and others text codes as a second step, a method known as two-factor authentication. Scammers want the code because the password and the code work together. The FTC states that anyone who asks you for your account verification code is a scammer.

How to avoid it

  1. Never share a code unless you contacted the company yourself, whatever story the person gives.
  2. If someone asks, do not engage. The FTC advises that you hang up, block the number and stop responding.
  3. Sell locally where possible. The FTC suggests meeting in person and accepting cash when you can.
  4. Be careful with payment apps and checks. Do not accept payments from people you do not know through mobile payment apps, and do not cash checks for more than your asking price.
  5. Check with the real company. If you are worried about an account, use a number you trust, such as one on your statement or in your app.
  6. Report the contact at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

If you already shared a code

The FTC says to follow Google's steps to reclaim your number, at support.google.com/voice/answer/159519. Then watch your accounts for signs of misuse, because the scammer may hold other information about you. Change passwords where you can, and read what to do after you shared a code or gave someone access.

Codes are also the centre of bank scams. See the WhatsApp code request for that version, and the fraud department call for one that asks for a code on the phone.

Things to watch

  • A buyer or finder who wants proof you are real.
  • A code arriving from a service you did not use.
  • An urgent request to read it out or type it into a chat.
  • A buyer who offers to pay more than the price.
  • A refund request after a payment you cannot see in your own account.

You do not owe a stranger any proof. If a sale depends on a code, it is not a sale.

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