HARRISBURG, Pa. — You already know that when selling or buying things online, there's always a risk of a scam. Now, scammers have created a new way to try to get your information when you post something on Facebook Marketplace.
FOX43 Finds Out how you can spot the scam.
Facebook Marketplace can be a great place to buy or sell things, especially as kids head back to school.
Need a backpack? There are plenty. Or maybe you want to sell an old couch and make some quick cash to offset inflation. That's easy, but you never really know who is on the other end of that "is this still available?" message.
Scammers are now trying to make you prove who you are in a multi-step scam. They'll send you a text message with a six-digit Google Voice verification code and ask you for that code. If you give it to them, they'll try to use it to create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number.
The Federal Trade Commission has been warning about this for a while now because once the fraudsters have that code, they can use your phone number to conceal their identity and rip off other people.
Make sure if you get a text with a code, not to give that code to anyone.
If a scammer catches you off guard though, you can quickly reclaim your number.
If you have a story you want Jackie De Tore to look into, FOX43 wants to find out. Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.