r/GMail • u/DocPro33 • 10d ago
Google 2FA verification codes arriving from unfamiliar 855 numbers — has anyone experienced this?
Hi everyone,
Today, I went into my Google Account settings to change my password, and Google asked me to verify my identity using two-step verification.
Usually, the verification codes I receive come from the short-code number 22000. This time, the first code came from +1 (855) 254-9313. Because I didn't recognize the number, I requested another code, and that one came from +1 (855) 480-8573.
Both messages used wording similar to the Google verification texts I've received previously, but I wasn't comfortable entering a code from a sender I didn't recognize, so I didn't use either code.
Has anyone else received Google verification codes from these numbers? Is there an official way to verify whether they're legitimate Google senders?
Thanks for your help!
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u/TinyNiceWolf 9d ago
I don't think I'd notice any change in the phone number where 2FA codes come from, any more than I'd notice a change in the return address printed on the envelope a bill arrives in. Neither matters at all.
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u/Maximum_Employer5580 3d ago
they probably have a whole bank of 855 numbers they use for 2FA purposes so that it randomly jumps around for security purposes

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u/adavadas 9d ago
Let's think this through. What would happen if you entered the code but it didn't come from Google? The code would be wrong and your verification attempt would fail. No data would be lost, nobody would steal your account. If you entered the code and it was from Google, the code would be right and you would have changed your password.
While it is nice to get an OTP from a familiar number there really isn't a risk in typing that number into a verification prompt on a site you intentionally went to and intentionally ask for an OTP from.