By now, most of us are familiar with authentication codes sent by websites to confirm our identity. Leave it to the scammers, however, to find a way to use that to their advantage.
What is the Google Voice Verification Code scam?
The scam targets people who have posted online about items for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Just so everyone else doesn’t feel left out, the scammer might also target someone who has posted a request asking for help in finding a lost pet, is renting out a room, or is even signed up on a dating website. Obviously, this scam is very flexible.
Everything starts when the scammer gets your contact information from your post. At that point, they can contact you. They’ll tell you they want to buy your item or that they’ve found your pet (or whatever else you posted about). The hitch is that they claim to be worried about getting scammed and are using a service to protect their identity. They want Google to send you a verification code so you can prove your identity.
What’s really happening is that the scammer is setting up a Google Voice account in your name. When you receive the message from Google Voice with your verification code, if you pass it on to the person who contacted you, they’re now able to finish creating an account in your name.
The danger of the scam
Do you really need to worry about someone creating this type of account in your name? Yes, absolutely. The reason is that once a scammer has one account in your name, they can begin building an identity using your information. Not only can they use that to scam others, but they could ultimately damage your credit and perhaps gain access to your finances.
How to protect yourself against the Google Voice Verification Code scam
Tip #1: Never share a verification code that you’ve received with anyone you don’t know personally. If someone tells you they need access to a verification code you’ve received, it’s most likely a scam.
Tip #2: If you are responding to a post and the person you contacted claims they need to send you a verification code, don’t do business with them.
Tip #3: If you fall for this scam, you need to reclaim your Google Voice account (even if you didn’t have one originally). Google has comprehensive directions on how to handle this. You can find those directions here. If you prefer video instructions, check out this Identity Theft Resource Center posting on how to go through this process.
Did you see last month’s scam tip? You can find it at Home repair scams and how to avoid them. Click here to view more Friday Morning Post entries, or you can follow me on Twitter.
That’s a new one for me too! Thanks for passing along this info; I shared it to my Facebook page 🙂
Thanks for sharing the post, Amy. This one has the potential to fool a lot of people (at least for now!)