>and I'd be able to convince them to give me an authentication code
Unless you got to know them well (as in personally face to face), a stranger asking for a 2fa code would appear to be an elaborate phishing campaign.
Unless you got to know them well (as in personally face to face), a stranger asking for a 2fa code would appear to be an elaborate phishing campaign.
What they are really doing is signing up for stuff using your phone number.
If someone ever asked me to send them a 2fa I would send them the wrong one until they get mad and stop asking me to do it.
Also, my name is google-able and some "white pages" style sites still list my old phone number, so I could verify my identity in other ways.
You'd be surprised what people will do if you talk them into it, lots of people wouldn't hesitate to give their own credentials up, they're not going to take issue giving a 2fa code for something they're not in the process of signing into.
This isn't a silicon valley area code or any other area where people are tech-savvy, I'd wager there's a 99% chance that whoever registers the number could be persuaded. I can literally have my family with the same (rare) last name meet them face to face.