PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – If you’ve tried to sell something online, you know there are a lot of scammers out there looking to take your money. But one of the biggest scams isn’t after your money — it’s after your identity.
It can happen when you post an item for sale on popular sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp. Scammers will pose as a buyer and text you saying they’re interested, but they say they’re concerned that you’re a scammer.
A verification code then pops up on your screen, and they ask you to read off the code so they know you’re legit. “What they’re really trying to do is set up a Google Voice account tied to your phone number without you knowing,” said Ken Colburn of Data Doctors.
He tells On Your Side that Google Voice works as a secondary phone line for your phone. If you give the scammer that verification code, they can set up a Google Voice number that rings on their phone, but it’s under your name and your real number. “In this case they can pretend like they’re you, use a legitimate number,” said Colburn. “And again, they could probably learn more about you as an individual, so they could really do a good job of posing as you.”
And posing as you is not good. The scammer can run any number of scams, even posting fake ads online, and they can talk with their victims on the phone with little fear of getting caught. “And if somebody traces it back instead of finding the bad guys, they’re going to come back…
