Scammers are Responding to Online Ads to Steal Your Phone Number

Scammers are criminals, and criminals don’t want to be caught. That’s common sense. They have all sorts of sneaky methods to hide their activities and fly under the radar. One of those many methods involves stealing innocent individuals’ information to look like their criminal activity is coming from that person instead. Their victims don’t lose money – but they do have a trail of criminal activity that leads back to them! Google Voice scams are one of the most common methods that scammers use to hide their crimes behind your info. Learn how they work so you can avoid them.

What Is Google Voice?

Google Voice is a service through Google (as evidenced by the name) that gives you a free US phone number. It’s connected to both your Google account and your existing US phone number. Because it links to your current number, you can have calls to that number forwarded to your phone. But you can also skip the physical phone entirely and answer them in an online portal. It’s often used by small business owners who want to have a separate number for their business or by people who don’t want to give out their real phone number.

Google Voice also has a lot of features for managing phone calls. It has voicemail, allows text messages and video calls, and lets you make and receive both US-based and international calls. There is a charge for international calls unless they are PC-to-PC, but the rates are cheap. You can also screen calls, create blocklists, and do a lot of customization around how you receive calls.

How Google Voice Scams Work

Google Voice scams usually start with you posting your phone number online. Often, this is because you listed something for sale or are trying to find a lost pet. Sometimes you don’t even have to post your number for scammers to try – scammers have been known to contact potential victims on Facebook Marketplace and then ask for their phone number. However you become a target, the scammer contacts you. They want to buy the thing you’re selling, or they found your pet, or anything else that fits with the reason you posted your number.

But they don’t trust you. They know there’s a lot of scams, fake for-sale listings, and suspicious people on the internet. They want to confirm or validate you before they go any further. There are endless reasons they might have for claiming not to trust you, and all of them are fake.

They’re going to text a code to your phone number. Sometimes they may even say that they’re sending you a Google Voice code for verification. All you have to do to confirm they can trust you is send them that code. But once you give them the code, they won’t actually buy your item or return your pet. Most likely, they’ll just disappear.

What Just Happened?

What did that scammer just do? By combining several elements of manipulation, they got you to give them the Google Voice code that was texted to your phone. First, they got your hopes up by telling you they wanted to buy your item or found your pet. Then they gave you a relatable reason for not trusting you, a stranger over the internet, immediately. Especially if you’ve encountered scammers, been scammed, or have some awareness of scams, you’ll understand why someone would be cautious. But you know that you’re trustworthy, and we as humans inherently want other people to like and trust us. So when they tell you there’s an easy way to get them to trust you, you’re already primed to do exactly what the scammer wants.

But behind the scenes, the scammer is setting up a Google Voice account linked to your phone number. Many scammers are overseas, and don’t have a US phone number that they need to create a Google Voice account. Google requires two-factor authentication, so they text a code to your phone number. When you send that code to the scammer, they can finish setting up the account. Now they have a legitimate US-based phone number that they can use to scam more people, and it’s linked to your phone number, not them. As a bonus to them, having a legitimate phone number gets them past most spam filters, and any angry victim trying to call the scammer back gets routed to you.

How to Spot Google Voice Scams

The easiest way to keep yourself safe from Google Voice scams – as well as similar scams like account takeover – is simple. Never, under any circumstances, give out any verification codes that are texted or emailed to you. Often the message that comes with the code says not to share it. Listen to that message! Any verification or authentication codes you get are meant for you and you alone. Treat these codes like passwords and assume anyone who wants you to share that code is trying to scam you, no matter what story they tell you.

Also be aware of other common signs of a scam. These are the ones most likely to show up in Google Voice scams:

• The other person is trying to rush or pressure you or make the situation sound urgent.
• It feels like a stroke of good luck or seems too good to be true (e.g. offering to buy your item for more than you listed it for).
• If the conversation started on another app (like Facebook Messenger), the other person wants your phone number.
• You feel any kind of strong emotion.

Above all, remember that there is no way that a code being texted to you could help someone verify you. If you were texting with a stranger, you asked your friend to send some random numbers to that person’s phone number, and they text you those numbers, you haven’t proven that they’re a legitimate person or that they’re telling you the truth. All you’ve proven is that their phone number can receive text messages from more than one person. Sending them a Google Voice code can’t confirm to them that you’re a real person any more than them texting you a code can confirm they’re not a scammer.

How to Avoid Google Voice Scams

Funnily enough, one of the best ways to avoid Google Voice scams is to use Google Voice yourself! The easiest method is to never put your phone number online ever, and to use a number that’s not your real number if you have to. By setting up a Google Voice account, you’ll have a number different from your real phone number that you can put in online listings.

If you can’t or don’t want to set up a Google Voice account for yourself, stick to options without phone numbers. Email, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and lots of other apps allow you to talk with other people without giving out your phone number. Scammers need your phone number to do Google Voice scams. If you don’t post it and refuse to give it to them when they ask, they can’t run this scam.

General online safety measures will also help you defend against all kinds of scams. Don’t accept money from strangers through payment apps. If you’re selling something, meet in person for local sales or use a trusted site like eBay or Poshmark for things you plan to ship. Keep all communication on a particular site or app. And beware of pressure, urgency, stories that sound too good to be true, and anything that makes you feel any emotion strongly.

What to Do if You Encounter This Scam

If you spot a Google Voice Scam, first and foremost, DON’T GIVE THEM THE CODE! Second, don’t respond to them again, no matter what they say. They’re a scammer. They’re not going to buy your item, return your pet, or do whatever else they contacted you about. All they want is that code.

Take screenshots of any messages they sent you, and save those in a safe place as evidence. If they contacted you on an app like Facebook Messenger, report them as a scammer to the app. Then block them everywhere you can.

Finally, report the scam. You can report a scam you encountered whether or not you actually lost anything – and reporting helps law enforcement track and fight these scammers. You can report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and your state Attorney General. This is where your screenshots will be useful. Provide as much detail as you can; our Scam Report Preparation Guide can help. Make sure you hold onto those screenshots, too. Sometimes law enforcement investigates for years before they need evidence to prosecute.

What to Do If You Gave Them the Code

If you got caught in a Google Voice scam and gave the scammer the code, take action as soon as you realize. Change your Google password. Make it long, strong, and random. Log out all other devices that are logged into your account – you’ll have to log back in on other devices, and the scammer won’t be able to get it.

If you are already a Google Voice user and the scammer hijacked your number, follow these steps from Google to reclaim your Google Voice account. If you need a more detailed walk-through, the Identity Theft Resource Center has video instructions here. You can also follow the steps to disconnect your number from Google Voice if you’re not a Google Voice user and the scammer created a new account with your number.

After getting caught in a scam, it’s always a good idea to monitor your credit reports and bank statements just in case. Also change the passwords on your email accounts and financial accounts just to be safe. You can also check out our comprehensive guide on what to do if you fell for a scam for more ways to protect yourself moving forward.