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Phone screen asking the user to verify an account
Dating scam guide

“Send me the code” account takeovers

Also known as: Google Voice code scam, 2FA code scam, WhatsApp account hijack

How it works

A match says they want to 'make sure you are real' and asks for your phone number, then sends you a six-digit code and asks you to read it back. The code is actually a login or setup code for one of your accounts, or for a Google Voice number linked to your phone. Sharing it lets the scammer create a disguised number in your name to scam others, or take over your WhatsApp, email or social account and use it to target your contacts. On WhatsApp the approach often comes from a hijacked friend's account claiming the code was 'sent to you by mistake'.

Who is targetedAnyone who gives out a phone number to a new contact – online daters and online marketplace sellers are common targets.
How fast it movesEarly in contact, as soon as a phone number is shared.
Typical routeDating app -> text/WhatsApp -> SMS code from Google, WhatsApp or another service -> account takeover

Red flags

  • A match asks you to read back or forward a verification code sent to your phone
  • They say they need a code to prove you are real or not a bot
  • You receive a login or setup code you did not request
  • A friend's account messages asking for a code 'sent to you by mistake'

Check your match against all 44 red flags

Recent cases

Real cases reported by courts, police, regulators and the press. People facing pending charges are presumed innocent, and private victims are not named.

2024-08-13 · USA
AARP warned the Google Voice verification-code scam, first flagged by the FTC in 2021, had appeared on dating apps as well as marketplace sites; victims can reclaim a hijacked number via voice.google.com/regain.
2023-03-27 · UK
Action Fraud warned WhatsApp users after more than 60 reports of criminals using hijacked contacts' accounts to ask for the six-digit WhatsApp activation code, then locking victims out and targeting their contacts.

The numbers

  • IC3 received about 4,700 account-takeover complaints with $359.7 million in losses (impersonation of financial-institution support). (2025) source

If it is happening to you

  1. Never share any verification code with anyone – FTC advice is not to share 'any verification code' with someone you don't know.
  2. If you shared a Google Voice code, reclaim your number at voice.google.com/regain.
  3. Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp (Settings > Account > Two-step verification) and on email/social accounts.
  4. Change passwords and check account recovery details if you shared a code; warn contacts if an account was taken over.

Where to report

United Statesreportfraud.ftc.gov – FTC – ReportFraud.ftc.govic3.gov – FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – type www.ic3.gov directly; IC3 never contacts victims by phone, social media or chat
United Kingdomreportfraud.police.uk – Report Fraud (replaced Action Fraud) – reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040stopscamsuk.org.uk/159 – Call 159 to reach your bank's fraud team safely (covers >99% of UK retail current accounts)
Canadareportcyberandfraud.canada.ca – Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre – reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501, and your local police
Australiascamwatch.gov.au – Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au); ReportCyber via cyber.gov.au; IDCARE 1800 595 160 for identity recovery

Related scams

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A scammer builds an online relationship using a fake or borrowed identity, often over weeks or months, and invests heavily in attention and affection.

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Sextortion and image blackmail

The criminal poses as an attractive person (often a young woman) on a dating app, social media or game, flirts quickly, and persuades the target to exchange nude images or join an intimate video call that is secretly recorded.

Sources

Research compiled 28 September 2026.