Greg's Corner

Google Voice scam targets owners of lost pets

By Greg Collier

Proving, once again, that there is no bad situation they won’t take advantage of, scammers are targeting people who have recently lost their pets. In the past, when a pet owner takes to social media asking for information about their lost pet, scammers would claim they found the lost pet while trying to extort money from the pet owner. More recently, scammers have changed their tactics to use lost pet owners for a less obvious scam.

In Seminole County, Florida, police there have reported an upswing in the number of scam attempts on lost pet owners. In this scam, lost cat owners have been receiving text messages after posting to lost pet Facebook groups and lost pet websites. The scammers then ask for an authorization code that was texted to the pet owner that the scammers will say is used to verify the pet owner’s identity.

This is a scam that has also been used against online sellers. It’s the Google Voice scam, where scammers will try to use someone else’s phone number to obtain a Google Voice number. Google Voice is a service that allows you to have a second phone number. The second number is not only tied to your Google account, but it’s also tied to your primary phone number.

The authorization code is for when you sign up for Google Voice. If you give that code to a scammer, they’ll get a Google Voice number they can use in future scams that is linked to your phone number. Then the scammers can use the Google Voice number tied to your phone to commit other scams.

The best way to avoid this scam is to sign up for your own Google Voice number. This way, scammers can’t use your phone number in their scam, since you’ve already signed up for the service. You don’t even need to use Google Voice as it has a do not disturb setting.

If you ever lose a pet, ask the caller for a picture of the pet. If the caller gives you excuses why they can’t, it’s more than likely a scam. Another good way to help prevent this scam is to get your pets microchipped, even if they’re indoor pets like some cats.