What is the phone verification code?
Recently, subscribers have been receiving SMS messages from various websites and services asking them to enter a code in a form to confirm registration. But why they come to specific people who are not related to the site mentioned in the message is another question, which we will also look into. SMS to confirm registration today is necessary for resources for any purpose - online banking, shops, for restoring pages on social networks, and so on.
Verifying mobile phone numbers is important for websites that people use. Today, the phone has become the key that opens many of the websites we use. This is the only identifier that confirms the real owner. Since the smartphone is always at hand. While an attacker who can somehow gain access to the account does not. Previously, this key was an email address.
But over time, this type of identification of people online turned out to be not reliable enough. Confirmation by phone number works as follows: the user must enter his phone numbers into the form on the website. After some time, an SMS comes from the servers with a code that needs to be entered on the site. Immediately after this we get access to our personal account.
VKontakte account activation
Next, you click the registration button and enter the security code from the picture. A message will appear on the screen stating that an email has been sent to you. In order to confirm your registration so that your VKontakte account can then be activated, you need to follow the link provided in the letter. That's what you do, that is, go to your mailbox, look for the letter you need, and activate your account using the link. You are immediately taken to your VKontakte website page. That's all. You have activated your account; this operation is only needed during registration. Well, then click on “edit page” and start entering your missing data and photos. You will also be asked to link your mobile phone number to your account, you will receive an SMS message with an activation code, you must enter it in the required field on the site. This does not allow many accounts to be registered for selfish purposes. One account for one phone.
Attention! Registration on the site is absolutely free. If you receive letters on behalf of the administration with offers to pay for registration, this is a scam.
Why do SMS arrive on a mobile phone without a request?
Most often, messages from unknown sites asking you to enter a code arrive on your phone randomly. It’s too early to worry that someone is going to guess the password to your accounts. Most likely, this is the work of a software algorithm or script that randomly selects numbers for authorization or registration on different sites. Other users can do this so as not to use their phone number. The reason for such actions remains unclear, because the entered phone number cannot be accessed.
Another possible option is that someone is trying to register on the site and accidentally made a mistake with one or two digits when writing down their number. As a result, I managed to enter another phone number instead of my own. And the erroneous combination coincided with the digits of your phone number. Such circumstances most often occur during registration. If no action occurred after the SMS, then all that remains is to ignore the event. Especially if this is the first time you see the name of the resource from which the message with the confirmation code came.
In some cases, it doesn’t end with just one SMS message. The flow of messages continues, several messages arrive per day. In this case, someone wants to gain access to your account. If you don’t react to them and use some additional means of protection, then you don’t have to worry about it. As long as only you know the code, nothing can happen to your account. But be careful and do not share the code with anyone. It’s better to immediately delete it from your messages forever, so that you don’t receive verification codes from various suspicious sites on your smartphone later.
This may be useful: error 28, 38, 50 when sending SMS.
Why may the VK reset call not be received?
If you see a message that the VK reset call has already been sent, but you have not received it, check the following points:
- Balance on your mobile phone account (must be positive);
- Connected Internet (mobile or Wi-Fi);
- This phone number is attached to this page;
- There is no forwarding to another device.
If all the points are met, but there is still no call, we advise you to wait a little. There may have been a technical error on the site's part. Or technical work is currently underway, the system is rebooting, or updates are being installed. Please try again in a few hours.
The last resort is to write to the support service (through another account, for example, a friend).
Situations when SMS are received from attackers from different sites
If the code for confirming login to your account, changing your password or other actions comes from the service you use (registered here), then you need to take some actions. For example, for financial sites (online banking, web money, etc.), you can enable two-factor authentication. This is a way to log into the site with additional security. After enabling it, you will not only need to confirm your entry with the code from the SMS message, but also the code from the letter sent to your Email.
Enhanced protection is available on all financial resources. You can find out more about it in support or on the website in the help section. It is also worth informing support that unknown people are trying to access your account. It is recommended to immediately try to change the password for your personal account on the website. And also change some contact information. For example, an email address. Not a single resource will require you to provide a password to gain access to your personal account.
Therefore, such calls from “operators” and other employees must be ignored. Find out the support phone number on the website and do not trust any information to subscribers who call from other numbers. If messages with a verification code keep coming to your phone from different sites, you can use phone applications that block calls and SMS from certain numbers.
Is it possible to get around?
If you are interested in how to bypass the reset call in VK, unfortunately, we will not be able to help you. To restore the required page, you must have access to the mobile phone linked to it.
- If you don’t have this SIM card, but you are definitely the owner of your VK profile, and it has at least one clear photo of you, you can contact the support service, explain the situation to them, send your selfie with a copy of your passport (the page with the photo), and then , wait for a decision. Most likely, your access will be restored, but then you will still need to attach a new phone. To do this, you will have to agree to a reset call from a unique VK number or to a code in SMS.
- If the problem is precisely the call reset - you don’t want them to call you specifically (for any reason), below the field for entering 4 numbers there is a link “Send code via SMS”, click on it. If you make it before the call arrives, you will receive a code in a message.
- If you don’t remember the treasured 2 pairs of numbers, and for some reason the number is deleted from the call book, click “I didn’t receive the code” (or something similar) and wait for the call again.
SMS blocking application
To stop the flow of SMS from unknown numbers and services, use the Call Blocker mobile application. If messages are coming from services you use, you can stop the flow temporarily. To do this, you need to install the application on your mobile phone. And set it up. Add the number that is bothering you to your blacklist. Also, if they call from numbers that are trying to extract the code to enter your personal account, they can also be added to the list of prohibited ones.
The program can also block hidden numbers. She needs to provide a message or call, and the number will be sent to the emergency department. Using the settings, you can create black and white lists with numbers. Set up Do Not Disturb mode and add numbers to it that can be called. While your number will be unavailable to others. The application can also stop spam from numbers that will be recognized by the prefix - several digits of the number.
There are a large number of antispam systems. Most frauds involving cards and mobile phone numbers have already been exposed. Moreover, many people know it. But attackers continue to find loopholes to gain access to users’ money in phone numbers, bank accounts, and online money accounts. You must always be on your guard. Do not trust any codes from SMS or email. All this data is of great value to those who intend to make easy money.
How to enable login confirmation on VK
In the top menu in the right corner, click on the button with your miniature and select “Settings” from the drop-down list:
At the next stage, go to the “Security” tab. At the very top we find the “Login Confirmation” section and click on the “Connect” button:
Next, we are provided with a whole petition about confirming your password using a mobile phone. They write how good it is for you and how bad it is for attackers. They also warn that if you enable this function, password recovery by phone number will become unavailable, and therefore we are asked to link the current email and indicate all the correct data on the page. So that it can be easily restored later. (How to restore a VKontakte page).
We read all this and click on the “Proceed with setup” button
A pop-up window pops up in which we need to enter the password for the page and click on the “Confirm” button:
Next, we are asked to confirm our actions via phone. Click on the “Get code” button:
We enter the confirmation code that should have arrived on our phone and click on the “Send code” button:
The following window pops up, in which they write to us about backup codes and ask us not to forget to print them.
Reserve codes – a list of 10 access codes. These are constant numbers, they do not change and can be useful if you want to go to the page and your phone is unavailable at that time. You can enter one of these codes and get to the page. That's why it's important to print this list and have it with you.
Click on the “Finish setup” button:
Backup codes can be viewed in the same “Security” section. We find the phrase “Backup codes” and opposite it click on the “Show list” link next to it.
Can they access the site without a verification code?
In emergency situations, many subscribers are confused if they are not familiar with the operation of the sites. And also with the process of registration, authorization, etc. The verification code from SMS is an important factor in confirming the identity of the account owner. Without this code it is impossible to access the site. Or withdraw money from a card or web wallet account. Otherwise, attackers would not try to get it. Experts in this matter recommend not using your phone number in online services that people use to communicate.
To limit scammers’ access to your data, it is better to purchase a separate SIM card in order to link it to a bank card, account, mail or QIWI, Yumoney, etc. wallet. Do not use SIM cards that you use every day for communication. In this case, you reduce the risk of your phone number getting into the database of numbers for “cold calling” and into the hands of attackers. Take care of your personal data and do not use it on entertainment resources.
How to enable login confirmation via SMS on VK
Greetings! In this detailed step-by-step instructions, with photographs, we will show you how to further protect your page from unauthorized access on the VKontakte social network.
By enabling login confirmation via SMS, in addition to the login and password that you use to access your VKontakte page, you will also need to enter a one-time code that will be sent to the phone linked to your profile.
In other words, even if someone else finds out your username and password, he will still not be able to log into your VKontakte page because Additionally, you will need a code that will be sent to your phone in the form of an SMS message.
This protection technology, which is referred to as “two-factor authentication,” not only protects against hacking, but also against page theft. Cases have become more frequent when fraudsters using fake documents received duplicate SIM cards, which were subsequently used for hacking and stealing pages.
Restoring access in this case takes some time, which is quite enough to commit illegal actions: sending spam and viruses, and if the user is also the head of a large community, then this kind of action can cause serious damage to the reputation and even blocking a group or public .
Taking into account all these circumstances, with “two-factor authentication” activated, the ability to recover the password to the VKontakte page via SMS becomes impossible, and if such a need arises, password recovery via the E-Mail linked to the page is used. By the way, you can read about how to link an E-Mail to your page in this article.
It should be noted that even with two-factor authentication enabled, it is possible to create a list of trusted devices, from which additional SMS confirmation will not be required when logging in.
To do this, during the authorization process, you must tick the Remember browser checkbox.
While on the VKontakte website, click on the menu in the upper right corner. In the list that appears, select Settings.
On the page that appears, click on Security. In this block, among other things, login confirmation via SMS is enabled and configured. The service is provided completely free of charge.
To enable this feature, click the Connect button.
This will display a window telling you the benefits of verifying your login using your mobile phone. Read through them and click the Proceed to Setup button.
During the setup process, you will be asked for your current password, and then a confirmation SMS will be sent to the phone linked to your profile.
When finished, the Security page will display settings that allow you to generate one-time backup codes in case something happens to your mobile phone.
The Remove confirmation option is responsible for resetting the list of trusted devices for which additional SMS confirmation is not required.
At this point, setting up login confirmation via SMS can be considered complete.
If someone uses your username and password when “two-factor authentication” is activated, a pop-up message about this will be displayed on your page.
If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.
