Someone sent me a verification code to send back to them. It seems very much like a scam

Question

A Facebook user sent me a verification code that he wants me to send back to him. Obviously it’s a scam. What should I do for the next step? Do you want the phone number he’s using?

Zanzibar · Accepted Answer

Hi Mike Sage, welcome to the free, consumer version of Google Voice (a telephony product) community forum!
 
Well done!  Good for you for paying attention to the warning that says either "If someone requests this code, it is a scam." or "Don't share it with anyone else."  That includes complete & total strangers on the Internet.  The possible messages are shown below.

Since you were smart, at this point your phone may still qualify to sign up for a Google Voice number.  The scammer wanted to use your phone's one-time ticket.  You can link your personal number to a Google Voice account once you already have a Google Voice number, even if you can not sign up for a Google Voice number using it.
 
You have nothing to worry about, due to your wise interaction with the scammer.  The scam artist would not have obtained any information, or access to your account.  They just attempted to defraud Google into giving them a free phone number.  They wouldn't have left any link to your phone, because they wouldn't want calls to their scammed number to be answered by you.  If you were to answer the phone, they couldn't perpetuate their scam very well.
 
Just like you did this time, next time you receive an unsolicited verification code from any source that you didn't personally request, be sure that once again you Don't share it with anyone.  It is ALWAYS a scam.  Luckily Google Voice is not a financial institution, or some other service that could have been devastating to someone that shared the code.
 
Well done!  Unfortunately, there is nothing Google will do to prosecute these scammers.
 
----------------------------------
 
P. S.  Here is a little more nitty-gritty information of why they even perform this scam:
 
The point of the scam is that scammers want to steal Google Voice phone numbers from Google.  The only way to obtain a number is to enter someone's personal number on the Google Voice sign-up webpage, then Google sends a code to that number.
 
If the scammer enters the code on the sign-up page, and the personal number used qualifies, Google issues a Google Voice number to the scammer.  That personal number no longer qualifies to sign-up for another Google Voice number ever again.  This is why the scammer asks for both the personal number, and the accompanying verification code.  Many times they will try to ask for additional personal numbers to use in order to obtain even more Google Voice numbers.
 
What the scammer probably does next, is remove the personal number from the account so there is no longer any linkage to it.  They wouldn't want calls to the Google Voice number to ring the victim's phone.
 
The scammer then likely goes onto eBay or Craigslist, and tries to sell the Google Voice number & account to someone who is unable to qualify on their own to obtain one.
 
There is never any risk to the victim, other than the fact that the victim will never be able to sign up for their own Google Voice number using their personal phone.
 
I hope this answers your question!