A verification code you did not request means someone typed your phone number into a sign-up or sign-in form. It may be a typo, someone trying your account, or the first step of a scam in which a stranger then asks you to read the code back. In every case the answer is the same: do not share it, whoever asks.
Three reasons a code arrives unasked
| How it looks | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| A typo by a stranger | One code, from a service you may not even use, then silence | Ignore it |
| Someone is trying your account | A code or login alert from a service where you do have an account | Change that password and turn on app-based two-step sign-in |
| The set-up for a scam | Soon after the code, someone messages you and asks for it | Do not answer, block the contact, report the profile |
An unrequested Facebook confirmation code or TikTok verification code fits one of these three rows.
The "send me the code" scam
The US Federal Trade Commission describes the classic version. Someone answers your Marketplace or classifieds listing, or your lost-pet post, and hesitates. To be sure you are real, they say, they will send you a code, and you only need to read it back.
That code was issued for your number on another service. In the FTC's example it lets the scammer create a Google Voice number tied to your phone, which they then use to cheat other people under your name. The same trick works for messenger and social accounts.
What to do right now
- If you only received it Delete the message or leave it. Do not reply and do not tap links in follow-up messages.
- If you shared it Open the service the code came from, change your password and sign out all other sessions or devices.
- If it was a Google Voice code Follow Google's steps to reclaim your number, as the FTC advises.
- Report it Report the profile on the platform where they contacted you. In the US, the FTC collects reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
| What their own help pages say | |
|---|---|
| Steam | Support and Valve staff never ask for your password or authenticator code |
| Kleinanzeigen | Never asks for your SMS code outside the platform |
| imo | The official team never asks for a verification code |
| Amazon | Tells its delivery drivers never to accept the delivery password by phone or message |
How to stop it happening again
- Move important accounts to an authenticator app. A typed-in phone number then triggers nothing that can be misused. See authenticator app or SMS.
- Keep your number out of public listings. Kleinanzeigen removed the phone field for private sellers because phishing by SMS and messenger had grown. How to sell there without sharing it.
- Hide your number in messengers where you can, so strangers in groups cannot copy it.
- Expect the odd stray code anyway. Anyone can type any number; that alone does no harm.
If you need a code for a sign-up of your own and would rather not give that service your personal number, a temporary number receives it once and then closes.
Common questions
Is it dangerous to receive a verification code I didn't request?
Receiving it is not. It only becomes a problem if you pass it on, because the code is what completes someone else's sign-in or sign-up.
Why did I get a Facebook confirmation code I didn't request?
Someone entered your number on Facebook, by mistake or to get into an account. Do not share the code; if you have a Facebook account, change its password.
A buyer wants to verify me with a code. Is that normal?
No. The FTC calls this a scam every time. Real buyers do not need any code from your phone.
I shared the code. What now?
Change the password of the affected account, sign out other devices, and turn on two-step sign-in with an app. For a Google Voice code, reclaim your number through Google.