Who can use College Marketplace?

Any college student with a valid .edu email address. Verification keeps the community students-only.

Does it cost anything?

Browsing and listing items is free. You can optionally pay to feature a listing for more visibility.

How do payments work?

Buyers and sellers arrange payment in person. We recommend meeting in a safe, public spot on campus.

Is my school included?

We support dozens of campuses and add more all the time. Search for your school above to check.

Why does a Facebook Marketplace buyer want a verification code?

They're not verifying you — they're using your phone number to set up or hijack an account (often a Google Voice number or an account in your name), and the code you read back completes it. No legitimate buyer ever needs a code sent to your phone.

What happens if I gave someone a verification code?

The scammer may have created a Google Voice number tied to your phone or gained access to an account. Try to reclaim your Google Voice number at voice.google.com, change passwords on important accounts, enable two-factor authentication, and watch for suspicious activity.

Is the verification code scam only on Facebook Marketplace?

No. It appears on any platform where strangers connect — Craigslist, OfferUp, rental listings, and dating apps — but Marketplace is one of the most common places it happens.

How do I avoid the verification code scam?

Never share any code sent to your phone or email with anyone, no matter their reason. A real buyer confirms a sale by showing up and paying, not by texting you a code.

The 'Send Me a Verification Code' Scam on Facebook Marketplace, Explained

You list something for sale. A buyer messages fast, seems keen, and then says something like: "I've had issues with fake sellers — can I send a code to your number just to confirm you're real?" A code arrives by text. They ask you to read it back.

Do not. This is one of the most damaging scams on Facebook Marketplace, and it has nothing to do with your listing. Here's exactly how it works and what to do.

What's actually happening

The scammer isn't verifying you — that's just the cover story. When they ask for your phone number, they go to a service (very often Google Voice) and start creating a new account or phone number linked to your number. That service texts a verification code to your phone to confirm ownership. When you read the code back, you hand them the final key.

Now they control a phone number registered to you. They use it to run more scams while staying anonymous — and if anyone traces that number, it points back to you. In worse versions, the code is for password recovery on one of your own accounts, and reading it back hands them your account.

A phone receiving a one-time verification code being exploited in a Google Voice scam — Scammers use your phone number and the code you read back to create a Google Voice line or hijack an account in your name.

The tell is simple: the "verification" benefits them, not the sale. A real buyer confirms a purchase by showing up and paying.

Why this one is so effective

It works because it's dressed up as caution. The scammer poses as a careful buyer who's been burned before — which feels reasonable, even considerate. That framing lowers your guard right at the moment it should go up. The request sounds like a safety step; it's the opposite.

What to do if it happens

Stop responding and don't send the code.
Report the profile and listing (tap Report on the account or listing).
Block the user so they can't keep messaging you.

A person declining to share a verification code with an unknown Marketplace buyer — No legitimate buyer needs a code texted to your phone — sharing it is always the wrong move.

What to do if you already shared a code

Act quickly:

Go to voice.google.com and try to reclaim or unlink a Google Voice number tied to your phone.
Change the password on your important accounts — email first, since it controls the rest.
Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere you can.
Watch for unexpected login alerts, password-reset emails, or texts you didn't request.

You're not helpless, but move fast — the sooner you lock things down, the less they can do.

Enabling two-factor authentication to secure accounts after a verification code scam — If you already shared a code, change key passwords and turn on two-factor authentication immediately.

The pattern behind the scam

This trick only works because the person messaging you is a total stranger with an anonymous account and zero accountability. On an open platform, they can burn one profile and make ten more.

That's the structural gap College Marketplace closes: every member is a verified college student using their real .edu email, so there are no throwaway accounts and no anonymous strangers running code scams at scale. You're dealing with people who are actually who they say they are. For the wider picture, see Common Facebook Marketplace Scams Every Seller Should Know and Is Facebook Marketplace Safe?.

Bottom line

If anyone on Marketplace asks you to share a code that was texted or emailed to you — for any reason — the answer is always no. Real buyers don't need codes. They show up and pay.

Tired of dodging scammers? Get College Marketplace and buy and sell only with verified students at your school.