Someone asked for your verification code? It’s a scam
In short
- Nobody genuine needs a code sent to your phone. Anyone who asks for one is trying to use your number or your account.
- A common version: a “buyer” on a marketplace asks you for a code to “check you’re real”.
- If you shared one, secure the account it was for straight away, and report the scam.
A verification code proves that whoever types it controls the phone it was sent to. That’s exactly why scammers ask for yours.
How the scam works
The US Federal Trade Commission describes the pattern. Someone contacts you about an item you’re selling, or a lost pet you posted about, and says they need to check you’re a real person. They send a code to your phone and ask you to read it back. In the version the FTC describes, the code sets up a Google Voice number linked to your phone number, which the scammer then uses to cheat other people. With enough of your details, they can also try to get into your accounts.
The messaging app version
On messaging apps, a contact, often a friend’s hacked account, says a code was sent to you by mistake and asks you to forward it. That code is the one that moves your account to their phone. Messaging apps tell you never to share it.
If you already shared it
- Sign in to the account the code was for, change the password, and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Follow the app’s own recovery steps. For Google Voice, Google has steps to reclaim your number.
- Warn your contacts if the scammer may message them as you.
- Report it: in the US at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or to the police fraud reporting service where you live.
Selling online safely
Keep conversations with buyers inside the marketplace’s own messages, and don’t move them to text or another app. Never type a code anywhere except the app you’re signing in to yourself. The less your own number is shared, the less use it is to a scammer: our guide on keeping your number private has more.
Common questions
Why would a buyer want my verification code?
To set up an account linked to your phone number, such as a Google Voice number, which they can then use to scam other people, according to the US Federal Trade Commission.
I already gave someone my code. What now?
Act straight away: sign in to the account the code was for, change the password, turn on two-factor authentication, and follow the app’s own steps to recover it.
Is it ever safe to share a verification code?
Only with the app or website you’re signing in to, by typing it there yourself. Never with a person.