Google Voice verification code scam: what to do now

How the Google Voice code scam works

The scam uses your phone number to set up the scammer’s own Google Voice account. The FTC describes it this way. Someone answers your Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace listing, or your lost-pet post, and says they want to check you’re a real person first. They then trigger a text from Google with a verification code and ask you to read it back.

That code isn’t about you at all. Google sends it whenever someone signs up for Voice or adds a phone to their account, to confirm they control that phone. When you hand it over, the scammer finishes signing up for a free Voice number, with your real number as the verified phone behind it.

Google’s help page is blunt about it: don’t reply to any request for your verification code, and Google employees will never ask for it. The FTC goes further. Anyone who asks for a verification code when you didn’t contact them first is running a scam, every time.

What the scammer can and can’t do with it

The main harm is to other people. The scammer gets a working phone number that hides who they are, and the FTC says they may use it “to rip off other people”. The FBI’s Portland office adds that scams run from that number “won’t come back directly to him”. Taking your number back removes your phone from any Voice account it was linked to.

What they got	What it lets them do	Your fix
A Voice number verified with your phone	Call and text others under a number that hides them	Remove your number at voice.google.com/regain
Your phone number and name	Target you with more scams	Treat follow-up messages as suspicious
A second or third code, if you sent more	The same trick with each number you gave	Repeat the regain step for each number
Your email address, if you shared it	Phishing, possible account takeover attempts	Check your Google account security (below)

Google’s help page describes this code as one for signing up for Voice or adding a phone, not for signing in to Gmail. Still, take the official warnings seriously. In January 2022 the FBI’s Portland field office said these scammers can also use a code to take over a Gmail account, and the FTC says they sometimes collect enough information to pose as you. That’s why the account check below is worth five minutes.

A volunteer Product Expert on Google’s Voice forum describes one lasting side effect (May 2024). In their account, each phone number gets one chance to sign up for a new Voice number, so after the scam you may not be able to get your own Voice number with that phone. You could still link it to a Voice account you get another way. Google’s help pages don’t state this rule, so treat it as likely rather than certain.

How to take your number back

Google’s official fix is the regain page linked from its “Protect your verification code” help article. Google says to use it if you’re not a Voice user but were scammed into giving away your code. As of October 2026 the steps are:

Go to voice.google.com/regain in a browser.
Enter the phone number you want removed from Google Voice accounts.
If the number is linked to a Voice account, Google texts it a 6-digit code. You can choose to verify by phone call instead.
Enter that code on the same page. Type it only into Google’s page and never send it to anyone.
Tick the box confirming you understand the number will be removed from all associated Voice accounts, then click Continue. Google notifies those account holders.
Repeat for every number you gave the scammer. They sometimes claim a code “didn’t work” to get a second number.

Google’s page only sends a code if the number is linked to a Voice account. If nothing arrives after you tap “Resend the code”, the number probably isn’t linked to one anymore.

Already a Google Voice user? Google’s “Reclaim your Voice number” help page has a route for that too. On a computer, open voice.google.com, click Settings, then “New linked number” under Linked numbers. Enter your number and verify it with the code. If another account is using it, Google asks whether you want to claim it. Click Claim and the number is linked to your account again.

Lock down your Google account

Next, check that nobody got into your Google account, because the FBI warned that’s a risk. These steps come from Google’s “Secure a hacked or compromised Google Account” page, as of October 2026:

In your Google Account, open Security & sign-in, then “Recent security events”. If you didn’t do something listed there, choose “No, it wasn’t me” and follow the prompts.
Under “Your devices”, tap “Manage devices” and look for anything you don’t recognize.
Check your recovery phone number and recovery email. Fix them straight away if they’ve changed.
Turn on 2-Step Verification if it’s off.
In Gmail, remove any forwarding rules or filters you didn’t set up.

If you see unfamiliar activity, change your Google password, plus any other account where you used the same one. Our guide to passkeys and what happens if you lose your phone explains a sign-in method that a code thief can’t reuse.

Google’s 2026 ID check, and avoiding the scam next time

Google added a new barrier in 2026. Since January 30, 2026, anyone who requests a new Voice number can’t send or receive calls or messages until they pass identity verification, according to a community guide post on Google’s Voice help forum. Google’s help page says to have a government-issued ID ready, and that the check “prevents spam and abuse”. Google hasn’t said how much this has cut the code scam, so keep treating any request for a code as a scam.

To avoid it next time, keep the conversation inside the marketplace app, don’t post your phone number in listings, and never read out a code you didn’t ask for. If you also tapped a link the “buyer” sent, see what happens if you click a link in a scam text. Wondering whether your phone itself is compromised? Our explainer on whether dialing *#21# shows if you’re hacked covers what actually works.

What to do next

Stop replying to the “buyer” and block them in the marketplace app.
Remove your number at voice.google.com/regain, once for every number you shared.
Check Recent security events and Your devices in your Google Account, and turn on 2-Step Verification.
Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the FBI’s ic3.gov, and report the profile to the marketplace.

Someone asked for my Google Voice verification code: what now?