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"I sent you a code by mistake": the code is the key to your account

Someone says they sent a code to your number by mistake and asks you to pass it on. With that code, the scammer gets into your account in another app and asks your contacts for money.

Also called: I sent you a code by mistake, verification code scam.

How it works

  1. The scammer asks an app for a sign-in code for your number. The code reaches you by SMS.
  2. Right after, they write that they typed the wrong number and ask for the code.
  3. With the code, they get into your account and write to your contacts as you.

Where it usually starts: messaging app, SMS.

How it arrives on Bipe. Simulation with sample people and messages.

How to spot it

  • A code arrived that you did not ask for.
  • A stranger or a contact asks for that code by message.
  • The message is rushed and full of apologies.

What to do

  • Do not pass the code to anyone. A code you did not ask for is never a mistake.
  • Turn on two-step verification in your messaging apps.
  • Passed it on? Warn your contacts another way and contact the app's support.

How Bipe helps

Each item shows where it stands on iPhone and Android.

No SMS codes

Bipe has no SMS code anyone could ask for. Whoever takes your SIM card does not get your account.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

Scam warnings

A warning shows under a message that looks like a scam, such as a rushed Pix, a new number or a boleto. It is on by default, with nothing to set up.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

Message requests

People who are not in your contacts arrive as a request. A message from a new number does not land straight in your chat list.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

What Bipe does not solve here

Bipe has no SMS code, so there is nothing to ask for. But Bipe does not protect your account in other apps.

Bipe only protects the chats that happen in Bipe. If someone in the family still uses another app, a scammer can write to them there.

Who describes this scam

Official pages with the scam's script and what to do.

Other common scams

Scams in Brazil in numbers

Where these numbers come from

Researched on 13 October 2026. We only use numbers that have a source. Surveys by a company or a private association are marked as such.