Google Voice Verification Code Scam on Craigslist
A Craigslist "buyer" or "renter" replies to your ad, says they've been burned before, and asks you to read back a code Google texts you — which quietly links a Google Voice number to your phone.
Part of: Google Voice Verification Code Scam
Last reviewed: 24 July 2026
Craigslist has no buyer profiles, no ratings, no in-app checkout, and no way to prove anyone is real — every reply is just an anonymous email through the relay. That vacuum is exactly what this scam feeds on. A "buyer" answers your for-sale or rental ad, notes that Craigslist is notorious for scammers, and offers to "verify you're real" before meeting. They say Google is about to text you a code; you read it back; and in doing so you attach a new Google Voice number to your own phone line. The tell is permanent: on Craigslist there is nothing legitimate to verify about you, so a code request is the con, not a precaution.
How this scam works on Craigslist
The reply lands within minutes of posting, usually the classic "Is this still available?" to a for-sale, housing, or gigs listing. The contact quickly pushes off Craigslist's anonymous email relay by asking you to text a "real" cell number, since Craigslist gives them no in-app chat to work with. Then comes the caution: "Craigslist is full of scammers, so before I drive over let me just confirm you're a real seller — Google's sending a code to your number, text it back to me." Google genuinely sends a six-digit code, because the scammer has entered your phone number into Google Voice's setup. Your read-back completes the link, binding a Voice number to your line under their control.\n\nBecause Craigslist listings carry no seller history and the relay hides both sides, there's no profile to inspect and no platform record afterward. The same script is blasted to dozens of Craigslist posters a day, and the hijacked number is then used to answer other Craigslist ads and pass phone verification elsewhere.
Common red flags
- A Craigslist reply that pushes you off the email relay to text a personal cell number almost immediately
- A "buyer" or "renter" who invokes Craigslist's scam reputation to justify "verifying" you first
- Being told Google will text you a code as part of confirming you're a genuine seller
- Any request to read back, screenshot, or forward a code that arrived on your phone
- A code text that itself says "do not share this code with anyone"
- Pressure to complete the "verification" fast so they can come see the item or unit
- An interested party who wants none of the usual Craigslist steps — no local meet, no in-person look, just the code
How to protect yourself
- Never read back or forward a texted code to anyone replying to your Craigslist ad — the code is for you alone
- Treat "let me verify you're real with a code" as the scam itself; on Craigslist there is nothing about you to verify by phone
- Keep the conversation on Craigslist's email relay and resist early pushes to move to text
- Read the code's own message: if it says not to share it, that overrides any buyer's request
- Follow Craigslist's own rule — deal locally, in person, with cash for the item, and never prove identity by phone code
- Enable two-step verification on your Google account so a hijacked number can't cascade into account takeover
How to report it
- Flag the reply in Craigslist (use the "prohibited" / spam-overpost flags and craigslist.org/contact scam report form)
- If you read a code back, reclaim or unlink your number at voice.google.com > Settings, then change your Google password
- Report the fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or your national fraud service outside the US
- File with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov if you're in the US, since the same script targets many posters
- Warn others by noting the pattern; the identical message is sent to many Craigslist sellers daily
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Craigslist buyer want me off the email relay so quickly?
Craigslist routes replies through an anonymous @reply.craigslist.org address with no real-time chat, which is inconvenient for a fast-moving con. Moving you to text gives the scammer a live channel and your actual phone number — the number they then feed into Google Voice's setup. A genuine local buyer has no reason to rush you off the relay before you've even agreed to meet, so treat the early push to text as a warning sign.
There's nothing to steal from my listing — what does the scammer actually gain?
They aren't after your item. Reading the code back links a Google Voice number to your phone line, handing them a working, trusted-looking number anchored to yours. They use it to reply to other Craigslist ads, receive one-time codes for accounts they open elsewhere, and keep their real identity hidden behind your number. It can also block you from using Google Voice on your own line until you reclaim it.
How can I confirm a Craigslist buyer is real without a code?
You confirm a buyer the way Craigslist itself recommends: arrange to meet in a public place, deal locally in person, and take cash on handover. There is no legitimate phone-code step in a Craigslist sale, because Craigslist has no verification system for either side. Any reply insisting you relay a texted code is not checking you — it's using your number. The absence of a code request is what a real buyer looks like.