ALERT Google Voice Craigslist Scam

[wardmundy]

Forwarded from Matt:

We've been noticing that a lot of Google Voice users have been falling for Craigslist scammers. We want to outline scenarios to watch out for and a few troubleshooting steps if you find yourself in this situation with regards to your Google Voice account.

A typical scamming scenario is as follows:

1. Google Voice user places high priced item on Craigslist for sale
2. Text message received by seller from potential buyer telling them they will need to enter a 2 digit code to speak with buyer about purchase
3. Buyer promptly calls seller and 2 digit number entered which is by “Thank you for setting up with Google Voice”
4. Seller’s number is now listed as a forwarding phone on the buyer’s account.

Now when other potential buyers contact the scammers number (on number other items they are scamming) they will be forwarded to your cell phone. You will not have access to this Google Voice account since you were not the one who set it up and “agreed” to have the calls forwarded to your account when you verified that two digit number.

What you can do if you find yourself in a situation where your mobile number is verified on another google voice account?

You will need to add it as a secondary forwarding phone on an already-configured google voice account. This means you will either have to add it as a second number on your Google Voice account or create a new account with an alternative mobile forwarding phone, then add your compromised forwarding phone