Cambridge Study Reveals Cheap Route to Bypass Social Media Verification
Creating fake social media accounts can cost just a few cents, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study found that one of the key defences against online disinformation—the use of SMS-based phone verification—can be easily bypassed using cheap, disposable phone numbers available online.
Published in the journal Science, the findings show that text-message verification, a standard method to confirm users’ identities, provides little real deterrence to bad actors. “The costs are absolutely trivial,” said Jon Roozenbeek, a Cambridge lecturer and co-author of the study. He noted that the ease of access to such services highlights the low barriers to entry for those seeking to spread misinformation.
A Global Marketplace for Fake Numbers
The researchers collected data over a full year from four SMS activation services—SMSActivate, 5Sim, SMShub and SMSPVA. These providers sell temporary phone numbers that can receive verification texts from social platforms, typically for less than 30 U.S. cents. The analysis showed that numbers linked to the United States could be purchased for as little as 20 to 30 cents, while British, Russian and Indonesian numbers were even cheaper, costing 10 cents or less.
In contrast, stricter markets such as Japan and Australia charged significantly more—around $5 and $3 respectively—due to higher SIM card costs and tighter regulations. The research team also found price variations depending on the platform: obtaining a U.S. number for WhatsApp cost around $3, while one for X, formerly Twitter, cost just 8 cents.
Roozenbeek explained that messaging apps like WhatsApp generally attract higher prices because of stricter verification processes. “Twitter or X is quite lax compared to others,” he said.
Industry Response and Broader Implications
The companies involved offered differing responses. SMSPVA disputed being labelled a “grey market” operator, asserting it was a fully compliant business serving testers, marketers and privacy-conscious individuals. The other providers did not respond to requests for comment.
WhatsApp welcomed the research, stating it was aware of the “industry aiming to mislead internet services” and emphasised that it uses additional “technical and behavioural signals” beyond phone numbers to detect fraud. X did not respond.
Samuel Woolley, a University of Pittsburgh academic and one of the paper’s reviewers, said the study underscored a vital but overlooked aspect of disinformation economics. “SMS verification is a central standard for vetting online accounts,” he said. “Researchers have long been calling for more attention to the economic side of disinformation—it makes sense to follow the money.”
The Cambridge team has made its findings publicly available through an online dashboard, illustrating how cheaply verification systems can be exploited across different regions and platforms. The study raises urgent questions about the reliability of SMS-based authentication in protecting digital ecosystems from manipulation.
with inputs from Reuters
