Science & Technology: Ebay Classifieds verifies cell phone numbers

The aim is to increase security on the portal and not least to monitor those “who, under the guise of anonymity, sexually molest children, adolescents and young women in particular”.

Regardless of verification, advertisers will still be able to make an individual decision for each ad whether and which phone number should be visible to others. The landline number can also be checked, but only if SMS can be sent and received via the respective contact and phone concerned. Because the six-digit verification code comes in an SMS. Numbers are validated from EU countries only.

The new measure will be rolled out gradually over the next four weeks in the categories of ‘babysitting and childcare’, ‘small and part-time jobs’, ‘animal care and training’, ‘teaching’ and ‘internships’. Anyone placing an advertisement in these areas or communicating in response to an advertisement is required to provide their phone number and verify it with an SMS code.

However, all users can already voluntarily enter a phone number in their account settings. In the next step, according to the information, phone numbers are verified when registering for new registrations. Gradually all other users should be asked to provide a phone number. In the future, SMS verification could also play a role in portal fraud prevention measures.