Port St. Lucie - Tuesday October 3, 2023: The Port St. Lucie Police Department is advising residents to beware of a verification code scam that is targeting people who have lost their pets.
Here is how the scam works.
1. The scammer gets your phone number from a lost pet site, Facebook page, or Craigslist post about your lost pet.
2. You then receive a text or call saying that they have found your lost pet. The scammer sends you a 6-digit code and tells you to provide it to them to prove your identity.
3. In actuality, the scammer created a Google Voice account using your phone number. Once you provide the 6-digit verification code, the Google Voice account setup will be complete.
4. The scammer can now use this Google Voice account to conceal their identity while committing additional scams.
PSLPD reminds the public that this is always a scam. Never give out your Google verification code to anyone.
FTC’s warning about the Google Voice scam can be found at: https://consumer.ftc.gov/.../google-voice-scam-how.