A Marketplace buyer wants to send me a verification code to prove I'm real — is it a scam?
Yes — this is the Google Voice verification scam, and it targets sellers, not buyers. The “buyer” claims they need to confirm you're a real person by texting you a code; that code is actually a Google Voice setup code, and reading it back lets the scammer register a Google Voice number tied to your phone line — a number they'll use to scam other people under your identity. No buyer ever needs to verify you, and a code that arrives on your phone is for you alone. Don't share it, don't read it back — block and report the account.
Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.
From the research desk — this pattern is one of those documented in This Week's Scam Wave, in Numbers — August 2, 2026 →