A marketplace buyer asks for a verification code

A buyer may say they need to prove you are real before meeting. They ask for your phone number, trigger an automated text and ask you to repeat the code. In a documented Google Voice version, that code can help attach your number to an account controlled by the scammer. The same rule applies to other account codes: a stranger does not need yours to buy an item.

Respond without giving access​

1. Read the code message carefully. Identify which service issued it and what action it authorizes. Never read the digits to the buyer or paste them into a link they send.
2. Keep the conversation within the marketplace's normal messaging system. If the buyer insists on a code, stop the transaction and report the profile through the platform.
3. If you sent a Google Voice code, use Google's official linked-number reclaim instructions. From your own Google account in Voice, add and verify the number you still own, then follow the prompt to claim it if another account uses it.
4. Review your Google account security and any other codes received. If a different service sent the code, follow that service's recovery flow rather than assuming the Voice steps fix it.

Know what this recovers​

Reclaiming a linked number can stop its use in the unwanted Voice association. It does not prove the scammer did not collect other information or impersonate you earlier. The FTC's Google Voice scam explanation describes the buyer pretext. Preserve the marketplace messages and report the attempt, especially if another person may be contacted in your name.