About of spam message

[BlueBeamStudio]

Dear Etsy community !

I am new on the platform so not quite sure wether this has been an ongoing problem for a long time on the platform or if it’s only me, but ever since I’ve set up my shop account, I have received almost daily spam messages from “supposedly” Etsy (although they’re obviously not) saying :

“congratulations item sold” or “there has been an issue with your order”.

I always report them immediately but nevertheless this is quite bothering. Has anyone else faced the same issue? Is Etsy aware of those and can’t they do anything to limit the amount of spam messages ?

[UppNorthEh]

It's not new.  Has been going on since at least June 2023.

Etsy is very aware.

https://community.etsy.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&q...

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, Welcome to Etsy. I'm sorry you guys were targeted by scammers. They tend to hit on new Sellers, often appearing within seconds after someone lists an item/s. I have been seeing an increase of new Sellers coming to the Forum lately; some are being bombarded with Messages from scammers. You don't expect to start fresh on a site, and immediately get hit with this garbage. It sounds like it's coming from within the App (please correct me if wrong).  And as a new Seller, I can see where you could be caught by it; it could happen to anyone.

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); 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.

"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).  

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.

[UppNorthEh]

@ChillwolfArt  - it won't stop any time soon.  There are still daily reports here of sellers giving out their bank and credit card info, signing up for Revolut accounts and losing big sums of money.  Scammers have a good thing going here.

[ChillwolfArt]

@UppNorthEh  It died down for a bit, but there has definitely been an uptick (and that's only from the Sellers we hear about). I think there is more going on here. And it shouldn't be that easy for scammers to pose as Etsy Support. It shouldn't be that hard for bots to catch them. Overzealous bots do wide sweeps of this and that; this kind of thing should be a snap for them.

[UppNorthEh]

There has been an increase lately.  Lots of new sellers for the new year?  I don't know.

[ModKenneth · 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 Mark as Spam.

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.

[LynnsLittleShop]

Etsy is aware, keep putting them in your spam file and eventually they will give up on you rising to their bait. This from Etsy is in announcements:

• Protecting you from spam and scams: Human connection is what makes Etsy so special, and we want to make sure that connecting and communicating with buyers is a safe and productive experience. We’re already in the process of significantly increasing our efforts to minimize spam and scam attempts on Etsy, including via Messages. We're also providing more education and resources to help you protect your shops on and off Etsy. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@BlueBeamStudio: While some new shops seem to be targeted, it appears that incomplete (no about, location, policies, etc) shops like yours are prime targets. Undoubtably the scammers can create new accounts faster than Etsy can identify and close them.

[DougsVintageStore]

Dont click on the Links!

Best of luck.

[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