Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to remind you to stay vigilant against online scams. Scammers constantly devise new schemes, and the new Google Voice verification scam is an example. Here’s how it works:<\/span><\/p>\n Who do they target?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n People selling items on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc.<\/span> The Bait:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The scammer contacts you, pretending to be interested in buying your item or claiming to have found your lost pet. However, they create a sense of hesitation before committing.<\/span><\/p>\n The Fake Verification:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n They might claim concern about fake online listings or verifying you’re the real pet owner. They’ll then send a text with a Google Voice verification code, requesting you share it.<\/span><\/p>\n What’s the Catch?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Google Voice<\/span><\/a> gives you a second phone number allowing you to make calls or send texts from a separate number. If you share the code, the scammer uses it to create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Image courtesy of FTC.gov<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Danger:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The scammer can then use this number to:<\/span><\/p>\n Defraud others: They can impersonate you and potentially steal from others while hiding their true identity.<\/span><\/p>\n Gather more information: Sometimes, the code is just the first step. They may try to collect additional personal details to commit identity theft and open accounts in your name.<\/span><\/p>\n What to Do:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Never share verification codes: This applies to all codes, not just Google Voice. If someone else initiated contact, it’s a scam.<\/span><\/p>\n Recovering your number: If you accidentally shared the code, follow Google’s instructions to reclaim your number<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/span>Report the scam: Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember: By staying informed and cautious, you can protect yourself from this and other online scams. Never share verification codes!<\/span><\/p>\n We want you to be aware so you’ll be safe!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Be Alert! Google Voice Verification Scam Targets Online Sellers and Pet Owners Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to remind you to stay vigilant against online scams. Scammers constantly devise new schemes, and the new Google Voice verification scam is an example. Here’s how it works: Who do they target? People selling items on Craigslist, Facebook\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1678,1680],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29242"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29242"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29244,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29242\/revisions\/29244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPeople looking for lost pets online.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2025\/gcode.png\")