Fake support number?

[RMStudiosLtd]

My wife was trying to get support, so she found this support number -[This content has been removed by Moderation. Do not share phone numbers in the Forums.]. She says she found it on the Etsy site. The person had her download a remote desktop app for her iphone and logged in, then had her check the website haveibeenpwned.com. Then they told her that her account could only be unlocked by buying a Nordstrom's gift card and then calling them back, at which point she hung up.

I called the number myself and they said they were etsy support. But hung up once I began asking questions. Now I am concerned about her data.  Thoughts?   Thank you, Quentin

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

There is no Etsy support phone number. She was scammed. 

Edited: I deleted my advice because others here are much more knowledgeable about this type of situation. 

[PrevntProducts]

They seem to already have access to her phone

All of this below should be done on a different phone or device

- Change all passwords.

- Enable 2FA (2 Factor Authentication) using a google voice number on computer

Call your bank, explain enough for them to know the risks and follow their advice. Remove any credit cards you have stored on your phone.

If you have a phone plan, w/ a company that has a store. Go there now and ask them to best course of action.

They most likely know now that your number is closely related to the one (hers) they were just communicating with.

Unfortunately Etsy doesn't have a phone number (anymore) for sellers or customers to call. Only callback requests can be made.

[PrevntProducts]

Remove the remote desktop app from the phone as well. Please be cautious doing anything else on the same phone. Any attempts to change passwords are most likely being viewed in real time.

Additionally, remove any wifi passwords, wifi connections, etc from that phone and put it into airplane mode.

Since you said it is an apple, if you have the ability to go to a store for service and advice I would go there now

[Amaradorn]

I'm afraid that's a scam. Etsy doesn't have a phone number you can call.

Your wife's device has probably been infected with malware (ransomware). You will need to do a full factory reset on the phone which will unfortunately wipe all data. Take it to a reputable phone shop if you need help with this. 

You will also need to contact banks and stop any cards which are linked to the device.

I suggest you log into Etsy on another device and change the account password immediately.

If you are unsure about how serious this is please seek the advice of your bank and/or a reputable phone shop or IT professional.

[vintageNCtreasures]

@RMStudiosLtd It is probably NOT a good idea to post a Fake Etsy phone #, someone might not think it's fake and call it or go to that website addy you posted.
You have an hour to edit your post and remove the phone # and that website URL.

Etsy does not publish a phone # on their site.
She didn't find this # on the Etsy site.
If your wife found the # through google/bing/etc then it was a FAKE #.

The ONLY way to contact Etsy is through the help pages > Contact us > pick a topic.
You'll get one of 3 choices, to send a message, chat or request a call back.

Etsy or any legit business would never ask you to send a gift card to have an account unlocked.

Since she downloaded an app, she has probably given those scammers complete access to her phone, passwords, banking and credit card info, anything on her phone those scammers can probably see now.

She needs to change her Etsy password on another device and call her bank/credit card company before those scammers steal her money.

[bradgoodell]

Fake Etsy site, fake Etsy support number.  The thieves simply direct the number to a scammer call center and the scammers answer it "Etsy Support!"  Easy enough to do.  

Since she gave them permission to enter her phone, she needs to take her phone to a reputable repair place and make sure they didn't download malware or a keystroke logger.  What she did was extremely dangerous, and they could already have stolen her passwords or spoofed her phone.  

Why anyone would think they needed to buy a Gift Card of any kind to activate something on Etsy (or to pay the IRS, similar scam) is a mystery to me, but thousands of people fall for it every year.  

Some reading to protect you for the future:

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

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...

Next time, just have your wife ask the questions here in the forum, and someone will direct her to the right place.  Good luck.

[PrevntProducts]

This is not legal advice but is how I would proceed.

1) Factory reset phone right now

2) Call your bank's fraud department and explain. Freeze/cancel all cards, ANYTHING that has ever been logged into/used on that phone

3) Go to apple store / Your cell phone carrier store (If you use prepaid plan, call them from another phone after factory reset)

4) On a separate device (PC preferably) change all passwords. Do not do the "forgot password" method as they might be in your email inboxes to catch this. 

There might be some "mean" responses that come in this thread. If they aren't helpful, ignore them, tech is moving very fast nowadays, and scammers know that small business owners are stretched thin and are the sole "defense" against them.

I run a fairly busy store and this is why nothing financial is every logged into on any phone of mine. Things happen, and nowadays, you don't even need to click on anything w/ executable text messages.

Don't beat yourself up, but now is the time to be very reactive and then develop a plan after this to be on high alert.

Sorry to hear about this, please message me if you need any help.

[ZehOriginalArt]

Great advice. The scammers are more and more clever and even very aware people are getting scammed.

[GoodStuffToGoShop]

i filled out an email form and someone called me but when I call the number back it says that this etsy number is not valid and go onto etsy support. I did receive a phone call and the person could have been scamming me because he told me he would send a message to tech support and they'd email me but i got nothing. Also, the chat help didn't respond to me after several back and forth basic comments....no support there either.

[ZehOriginalArt]

@GoodStuffToGoShop 

Where did you get the 'email form' you filled out? Did you go through your Shop Manager > Help > Contact Us?

You cannot call Etsy. If someone says you must call them back, that is a scam number. The only thing you can do is get a callback from Etsy by going through Contact Us as I outlined above.

If you did get a genuine callback from Etsy, they may forward your problem to the appropriate team, and it may take a while to get the email back. Definitely do not try to call any numbers that you find online for Etsy as those are scam numbers.

[nineteen27]

i have tried to get etsy to remove the scam phone numbers.

but for some reason they do not.

the scammers pay for google ads that link to a real profile page on etsy.

with the scammers phone number.

and it says *etsy support*.

and still etsy does nothing even though they *assure* me...

it is being investigated.

that was 2 or 3 months ago.

the profile with number is still here.

so i give up.