Almost half of the complaints about Identity Theft Resource Center were about Google VoiceScam.

Almost half of the complaints about Identity Theft Resource Center were about Google VoiceScam.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 49% of the complaints we received last month were related to Google Voice Scam.

Houston-If you’re trying to sell something online, beware of the fast-growing scams.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), 49% of complaints received last month were related to Google Voice Scam.

Previous scope: New legislation could soon reduce illegal robocalls

Google Voice is a popular free phone service on the Internet. Scammers are hijacking phone numbers to commit more scams using your name.

Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Personal Information Theft Resource Center, said: “It’s really explosive and we want people to notice.”

The mechanism is as follows. Post for sale on Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, Craigslist, and more, list jobs and rental homes, and list Google Voice phone numbers. The scammer pretends to be a buyer, but says he wants to make sure you really are a seller. So they ask Google to send you an authorization code.

“The message says we won’t share this code with anyone, but they say,’Read that number,'” explains Velázquez.

Related: New scams appear to target unprotected consumers working from home

From there, they use the code to take over your phone number.

“The scammers can then associate the original person’s phone number with all the fraudulent activity and basically hide their footprints when selling counterfeit online,” Velázquez said.

But get this. You don’t need to have a Google Voice account to be scammed.

Velasquez says that if you have a Gmail account, that means you have a Google account. That’s all you need to set up a Google Voice phone number associated with your account.

More Sullivan Smart Sense

But there is something unusual here. You can and should get your phone number back.

“When you get the number back, it simply doesn’t allow scammers to associate your phone number with their wrongdoing,” Velázquez said.

Here’s how to get it back: Log in to your Google Voice account or set up a new account with a different phone number than the stolen number. Then use the new authorization code to add the stolen number. This will overwrite the hacker’s account and give you control over your phone number.

To protect yourself, do not give your authorization code to anyone.

If you are already a victim, please contact us from the ITRC website or call (888) 400-5530.

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