CROMWELL, CT — You list something for sale on Facebook Marketplace, TikTok or Craigslist. Immediately, you begin to receive responses to your ad from potential buyers that are interested. Generally, the "buyer" (scammer) will state they are very interested, and then ask for your phone number. Big red flag.
The scammer then says they are going to text you you a 6-digit code that you then need to send back to them in the platform (Facebook, Craiglist) to prove that you are a real person, and aren't in fact scamming them.
In actuality, the scammer has quickly created a Google Voice account using your phone number, and code you gave them. Once you provide the 6-digit verification code to them, the Google Voice account setup will be complete. The scammer can now use this Google Voice account to perpetrate other scams. Many times, these numbers are bought and sold on lists to carry out other scams. The scammers are just trying to get the verification code to use your phone number to establish a Google Voice account.
It is good practice not to give our your personal information on social and selling platforms to individuals you do not know. Keep your communications on the platform, using the channels the sites have developed to keep your personal information, safe. Once you tell that "buyer" you want to continue your communication on the platform, and do not give out your personal information, you can also report them as spam/scams to help protect others.
Google is aware of this emerging scam, and has counter measures in place and is actively taking action against Google Voice accounts involved in this scheme. If you gave someone who you suspect may be a scammer a Google Voice verification code, you can follow these steps from Google to reclaim your number.
BBB offers the following online safety tips to keep you and your information safe:
- Value your personal information. Think of your personal information like money: value and protect it. Be careful what sites you visit and who you are speaking with, and be sure everything is legitimate before entering personal information or responding to a request to enter a verification code. Be especially wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true.
- Share with care. What you post on social media can last a lifetime, so think about who will see your posts and photos, how they will be perceived, and what information they reveal about you.
- Own your online presence. Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s OK to limit how and with whom you share information.
- Don’t click on unfamiliar links. Whether at home or at work, don’t click on links from unfamiliar sources or unexpected correspondence. One false click can infect a whole computer… or a whole business.
- Avoid wiring money, or using a cash app or gift card. These payment methods offer no recourse and no way to get your money back if you are the victim of a fraud.
Fraudsters may claim to accept credit cards, but may steal your credit card information to use it in other scams or inform you that payment didn’t go through and request the payment via wire service or gift cards.
To report a scam, go to: https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker
Check http://bbb.org for more information on how to avoid scams.
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