Someone Asked for My Google Voice Verification Code: What to Do If I Shared It

You were selling a couch, a phone or a bike online. A buyer asked for a code that Google texted you, and you sent it. Now you wonder what you gave away. This guide explains how the Google Voice code scam works, how to take your number back, and what else to check.

How the Google Voice code scam works

The FTC describes it like this. Scammers target people who sell items on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or who post online about finding a lost pet. They pose as a buyer or the pet’s owner and say they want to make sure you’re a real person. Then they ask for the Google Voice verification code that was sent to your phone (FTC, October 2021).

The code is the trick. With it, the scammer can create a Google Voice number linked to your real phone number. The FTC warns that they may use that number to commit fraud and hide their identity, and some scammers also want enough personal information to impersonate you (FTC, October 2021).

You may not notice anything at first. Then another victim, a business or the police could trace a scam back to a phone number that is yours.

The rule that protects you

The FTC puts it simply: no matter what the story is, don’t share your Google Voice verification code or any other verification code with someone you didn’t contact first. In a separate alert on verification codes, it says that anyone who asks you for your account verification code is a scammer (FTC, March 2024).

Why? A verification code is the second step of two-factor authentication. It proves it’s you (FTC). If you hand it to someone else, that proof is theirs.

What to do if you shared the code

1. Stop talking to the person

Don’t reply, don’t send another code and don’t “fix it” by following new instructions. Before you block them, take screenshots of the messages, the listing, their profile and the number or email they used.

2. Take your number back

The FTC tells people who shared a code to follow Google’s steps to reclaim their number (FTC, October 2021). Google’s help page for a number that another account claimed says that if you still own the linked number, you can add it back to the Voice account where you want to use it (Google Voice Help). In short:

1. Go to voice.google.com and open Settings.
2. Under linked numbers, add your phone number.
3. Verify it with the six-digit code that Google sends you. This is a code you asked for yourself, on your own screen.
4. When Google asks whether you want to claim the number, choose Claim.

Menus change, so follow what Google’s page shows when you get there. The help page I checked does not describe a separate form for reporting a number someone else used without your permission, so don’t pay anyone who says they can do that for you.

3. Check the accounts the code protected

If the code you sent was for something else (a bank, an email account, a store), treat that account as taken. Get into it if you can, change the password, and change it anywhere you used it. Turn on two-factor authentication (FTC). If you’re locked out, follow the provider’s recovery steps. The FTC’s guide on hacked accounts says to run a scan if you think your device is infected, follow the account recovery instructions, change your password, sign out of all devices and check that your recovery email addresses and phone numbers are yours (FTC).

See also my email was hacked and someone is using my phone number.

4. Look at what else you shared

Many of these scams don’t stop at the code. The FTC’s alerts for sellers also mention an overpayment check, where the buyer offers a check for more than the price, and tell sellers not to accept a mobile payment from someone they don’t know (FTC, July 2022). Did you also:

• Send money? Use the table below.
• Deposit a check? See I deposited a fake check.
• Give your name, address or ID? See a scammer has my personal information.
• Tap a link they sent? See I clicked a phishing link.

If you also sent money

The FTC says it’s always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there’s a way to get it back (FTC). Act fast, because your money might already be gone.

How you paid	First step (FTC)
Payment app (Venmo, Cash App, PayPal)	Report it to the payment app immediately and ask it to reverse the payment.
Zelle or bank transfer	Report it to your bank or credit union immediately and ask it to reverse the payment.
Credit or debit card	Call the card issuer or bank, using the number on the back of the card, and ask for a refund.
Gift card	Contact the issuer using the number on the card and say a scammer got the number and PIN. Keep the card and the receipt.

Selling on Facebook Marketplace? See what to do after a Marketplace scam.

How to report it

1. FTC: report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include the buyer’s name, the phone number or email they used and the website or app where you met.
2. The site or app where you met them: report the listing and the account using the site’s own reporting tool, if it has one.
3. Your state attorney general: if you lost money, you can contact your state’s office through the National Association of Attorneys General’s directory (NAAG).

Keep track of what you’ve done with the scam recovery checklist.

Watch for the follow-up scam

The FTC says scammers buy and sell lists of people who’ve already been scammed, expecting that they’re good targets for another scam (FTC).

• Someone says they’re from Google, the “Google Voice team” or law enforcement and asks for another code. Don’t give it. Anyone who asks you for a verification code is a scammer (FTC, March 2024).
• A caller says they’ll recover your money or your number for an upfront fee. The FTC says never to pay upfront for a refund or help with a refund, and that government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund (FTC).
• A text or email says your account is at risk and asks you to tap a link. The FTC says legitimate companies won’t email or text with a link to update your payment information (FTC). Use a phone number or website you already know is real.

How to avoid it next time

• Don’t share a code with anyone who contacted you first, whatever the story is.
• If a buyer wants to “verify” you, offer to meet in a public place or use the platform’s own tools instead.
• Don’t accept a mobile payment from someone you don’t know, and don’t deposit a check for more than the selling price (FTC, July 2022).
• If you get a code you didn’t ask for, someone may be trying to get into one of your accounts. Don’t share it, and consider changing that account’s password.

What varies

• Google’s screens. The menus and wording for linked numbers can change, so follow Google’s current help page.
• Whether the scammer got further. If the code was for a bank, email or payment account, the steps depend on that company.
• Your payment method. If you also sent money, a refund depends on how you paid and on the company’s decision.
• Age of the guidance. The FTC’s main alert about this scam is from 2021, so check consumer.ftc.gov for newer ones.