INTERNET FRAUD - Are you a victim?

[BrazenDesignStudio]

It's come to my attention that many of you have registered your domain names through a 3rd party, Sarah's Marketing Service. This individual is no longer associated with Etsy and has had their accounts deleted.

If you have registered your website through them, you can pull the WHOIS information http://www.ip-adress.com/whois/ and find out the fake name this individual has used to register your site and get your domain name back.

You can then use that information to make a formal complaint to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as you have been a victim of Internet Fraud.

The Canadian Anti- Fraud Centre:

Toll Free: 1-888-495-8501

Toll Free Fax: 1-888-654-9426
Email: info@antifraudcentre.ca

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As well, for US citizens, please contact the Federal Trade Commission:

www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

You may also call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

Also contact your State Attorney General.

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As well, please contact Etsy Trust & Safety at trust@etsy.com and forward your complaint to them. The more information Etsy has on these individuals the better equipped they will be to fully remove their presence from this site.

[FabulousWire]

If someone ask me, I alway tell them, if you can not, or don't know how to register a domain yourself and have to use a third party to register for you, you are not ready to have a website of your own domain.

[Former_Member]

I never did trust that marketing service. It just seemed hinky to me.

[BrazenDesignStudio]

Unfortunately some sellers have also used her Facebook marketing ploy and those accounts promised are fake. Exposing her has created a huge backlash across their Facebook pages so getting rid of her presence has proved difficult for them.

Remember...if something is too good to be true, it usually is.

[wildwomanbeads]

Good for you, Brazen.

[decembermoondesign]

I've been following your posts, great follow through Brazen!

[BrazenDesignStudio]

Thanks Ladies! My husband calls me a pitbull, once I get something in my teeth I don't let go. lol Served me well when I used to work for the RCMP but the stress was killer so now I paint. :) Fortunately for us, I don't think either of these individuals knew who they were dealing with so I'm thankful people came forward and we were all able to piece it together. The internet may be large but Etsy is a small community, we look out for one another.

[Former_Member]

wow!!1 never knew :0 But thansk for the heads up!!

[Former_Member]

Katie, you have just spammed a very important thread and now it risks being closed down.

[Former_Member]

Thanks Brazen for the heads up!!! Apparently they have contacted many of us shop owners!

[Former_Member]

Sorry, it was realised while I was writing/posting it.

[Former_Member]

There is still a presence (not on Etsy) but it is falling by the day by the looks of it.

[BrazenDesignStudio]

I think with more exposure their online presence elsewhere will fade as I'm sure those reputable blogs wouldn't want to be associated with someone known to be so unethical.

I'm hoping Etsy writes a blog post educating sellers against the dangers of using disreputable marketers as well, many shops have fallen victim at one point or another and it's a very real concern.

[Former_Member]

This is great Brazen! You've made a lot happen in just a few days time. I've followed a number of threads about this topic/these people and I'm happy to see you've gotten Etsy's attention.

[Former_Member]

is this the lady doing the fraud??

http://www.sarahsmarketing.com/etsy.html

[BrazenDesignStudio]

If you've used Paypal to pay for any of her services, you can report the problem in the Resolution Centre by opening a dispute with Paypal for a fraudulent transaction and have them investigate it. If it's the same service that Shop Marketing Helper used (ClickBank) then it will get resolved quite quickly.

You can also report them to their ISP abuse@websitewelcome.com

Their domain is also registered with GoDaddy so you can report them for abuse and illegal activity as well:

supportcenter.godaddy.com/Abuse/SpamReport.aspx?ci=22420

[Former_Member]

I used this service..... :( She had a picture with a baby... I thought I could trust.

[wildwomanbeads]

So did I, and for the same reason, but I was badly burned. I applaud Brazen for starting this alert last week and not giving up. Together, three of us were able to piece the story together and make a very coherent report. Etsy has been very responsive, to their great credit.

I echo Brazen's reason for setting up another thread. If you have fallen victim to this couple's fraud, please report to ETsy, and to appropriate authorities in your country. They aren't in the US so this is an international effort to stop their use and abuse of Etsy as a platform for their dastardly deeds.

We've had each other's backs on this (thank you, Brazen and Claire), and will continue to hold them until this wrong is righted. Again, I echo Brazen: They didn't know who they were dealing with this time.

Let's cull out the truly bad apples.

[barebranchjewelry]

Wow, I had no idea anything like that was happening! Thanks for the heads up! Good luck to all who are dealing with such nasty folks!

[RachelNaderDesign]

Hi guys, Thank you so much for this thread. I purchased a 'Marketing Package' from her last year (when I was still quiet the newbie) that promised more views, hearts, etc. & basically I got 0 views. I guess I kind of just let it go thinking it was my fault, that it was because my store wasn't up to scratch. I had completely forgotten about it until I read this. So I just emailed her & said I wanted a refund (even though it was over 7 months ago). She wrote back saying she will refund it back into my paypal account. I'll let you know if she does. If you have bought something from her (no matter how long ago) request a refund & see if you can get your money back, worth a try.
Thanks again

[Former_Member]

Not yet, thank God:)

[Former_Member]

Wow...I saw her ad on Craftcult about a month ago and paid for some advertising. I thought she was legit! Now my stomach is churning...this sucks! Lesson learned!

[Former_Member]

Oh, and thanks Brazen!!

[RachelNaderDesign]

hi again guys, she just issued me a refund. definitely doesn't hurt to ask if you've purchased something from her. Might get your money back. & thank you to Brazen! we need more people like you!

[BrazenDesignStudio]

I'm glad to read that's she's offering refunds, perhaps she's hoping to escape criminal charges.