⚠️ Scam Alert: Fake Etsy Payment Verification Site Targeting Sellers

[EllevateDesignCo]

SCAM ALERT for Etsy sellers! Just ran into a fake site pretending to be Etsy. If you see anything asking for card top-ups — CLOSE THE TAB and report it. Save your biz and share this with friends who sell!

[ModAngie · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Etsy is actively engaged in preventing scammers from targeting our community members. If you receive a suspicious message, please proceed with caution. Etsy Support will never ask you to provide personal information via Etsy Messages, such as your email address or password. Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder.

If you receive a suspicious message, here’s how to report it:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com and go to Your Account.
2. Go to Messages. 
3. Select the suspicious message from your inbox. 
4. Choose Report.

You’ll find examples of common scammer techniques and phishing messages here in our Help Center. Read our Account Security Checklist in the Seller Handbook for more steps you can take to protect your account.

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, Welcome to Etsy.  I think you mean in Etsy Messages, a scammer contacted you?  They tend to target new Sellers, often appearing within seconds after someone lists an item/s.  It makes me sick to see this happen to people; I have been seeing an increase of new Sellers coming to the Forum for a while now; being bombarded with Messages from scammers. You don't expect to start fresh on a site, and immediately get hit with this garbage. And as a new Seller, I can see where you could be caught by it; it could happen to anyone.

"Verification" is a popular scam, as well as posing as Etsy Staff/Support, etc.   Scanning of QR Codes is another. When you receive a LEGIT Message from Etsy Support/Staff, etc., it will appear in the "From Etsy" Folder (in Messages). If it isn't there, Mark the Message as Spam (so you don't get dinged for S Seller). Messages which pose as Etsy Support (or Staff), should be easy to ferret out; bots should be able to pick up on those, and yet they are still coming through.

Many scammers are posing as "Buyers", stating they need your email for an Order. They don't, Etsy already has it. They are trying to get you to input your banking info, so they can steal from you. When you receive a LEGIT Order, it will appear in "Orders & Shipping" (Left Column of Shop Dashboard); it will also show in your Payment Account. if it isn't there, you have no Order.  Mark the scammer's Message as Spam (so you don't get dinged for S Seller).  And never click on links or engage with them.

Re: Marking a Message as Spam. For the first time, I recently had cause to do this. However, I saw nothing by Messages which said "Mark as Spam". I had no idea where to send the bloody Message. Finally I saw "Report", and clicked it after selecting the Message (and yes, it should say, "Report as Spam" or "Mark as Spam" (or how about "Spam" if character space is an issue).  

Here is the Help Article re: Scams.
https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000343128-How-to-Handle-Scams-and-Suspicious-Messages?seg...

Hope this is helpful to you, and may this garbage cease for you and for others. Best Wishes to you.

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

More to read:

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Protect-Your-Account-From-Scammers/m-p/143158945#M1882

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/How-to-Spot-a-Scam-No-a-Buyer-Doesn-t-Need-Your-Ema...

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/New-From-Etsy-section-in-Messages/m-p/143722497#M1899

If you receive an actual order, you will see it in your "Orders and Shipping" section and you will receive an email from Etsy notifying you that you have a sale, and there will be a notification in your dashboard as well.