Is this my first Sale, or a Scam? Help!

[SketchySeagull]

Hi there, I'm a brand new seller who only just listed her third item. So I was surprised to receive the below message just hours after I'd listed it!

'Hello, Dear Seller. Welcome to Etsy technical support! Your item has been paid for by the buyer, but an error occurred in the order processing and the order cannot be displayed in your personal account, please enter your 𝐞-𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 in this chat to receive a customized form to verify your store. Thank you!' 

Trouble is when I reply it won't recognise my email address. it just throws up an error message saying "not a recognised username of an Etsy seller"

The email appears inside Messages section on the genuine Etsy site, but I don't know how to get in touch with a real person at Etsy to help me? The 'help' section is pretty useless (no matter how well I phrase the question in Search).

I'm worried I'm genuinely going to lose/mess up my potential first sale. Any help would be much appreciated!

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

Hello,

We recommend that you do not engage with this person messaging you in any way. Please mark their message(s) as spam, so your Star Seller ratings will not be affected.

Check out this article to learn how to protect your Etsy account: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Protect-Your-Account-From-Scammers/td-p/143158945

[PlatypusDream]

@SketchySeagull 

This is an ACTUAL person from Etsy - the best personalized help you can get here!

[sharonjenkins1]

Sorry, it’s a scam.  Don’t provide any information-

[SketchySeagull]

Thank you.

[AJWArtisans]

This is a scam.  Mark it as 'Spam', and do not reply to it.

[VintageRescueSquad · Accepted solution]

It's a SCAM. Your shop is showing no sales.

see how the futzed up 𝐞-𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 ? They are trying to get around the spam filters.

The reason you can't respond is because the filters already caught this shyster.

If a payment doesn't go through, it just kicks it out. You will not get notifications like that from "support".

When you get a real sale, it will show up in your payment account. It's all done behind the scenes.

For now, mark the message as spam. No need to contact etsy

[bradgoodell · Accepted solution]

Exactly.  They will either misspell or throw in something from a Cyrillic (or other) alphabet to throw off the spam catchers.  

They will also sometimes ask you to message them on Instagram, through text/SMS, or through WhatsApp.  

[SketchySeagull]

Thanks so much for your reply.

[ChillwolfArt]

NO! Do not click or Respond; Mark as SPAM!

I'm really sorry you were hit by these fools.  They have been targeting new Sellers as well as seasoned ones. Please see the Announcement at the top of the Forum re: Scams. There was a link to it in our Dashboards for a short time, but Etsy removed it.

[SketchySeagull]

Thank you!

[mailordervintage]

the scammers are working overtime right now....I just received a message also that someone wanted to collaborate on operating a store...they only want a wee bit of personal info...very good advice here ...never give out any information or click any links someone gives you...when you get a sale it will be unlikely that it will come with a list of 'sorry...etc.''....But I do want to tell you that your prints are wonderful...art work can take time to sell so just keep filling your shop with these lovely prints and you should do well...

[bradgoodell]

They want YOU to open the store, and that makes you complicit in any scam they run.  They will gladly scam you along with everyone else.

[SketchySeagull]

Thanks so much for the encouragement and answer.

[lepropostedimari]

SCAM!! Etsy does not send messages to complete a sale and never asks for your email for an order. There are many posts on this topic. Move the message to the spam folder and do not click on any links! Good luck!

[bradgoodell]

@SketchySeagull 

1. When you get a legit sale, it will show on your shop dashboard and the money will be in your shop payment account.
2. If there is an issue with your account, Etsy will NEVER ask you to click on a link in an email.  They will refer you back to your shop, and the request for information will usually show on your shop dashboard.

[HeilsteinSchaetze]

Ich habe ebenfalls so eine Mail bekommen, 5 Minuten nach Shoperöffnung. Leider habe ich darauf geantwortet, da ich mich nun noch garnicht auskannte mit Etsy und deren Handlungsweise. Es sah wirklich echt aus. Was kann ich nun tun? Bin sonst nicht so leichtgläubig.

[ImmerseArtStudio]

@SketchySeagull yes it's a scam as said above from others. They try to ask your email address to start message with you outside the platform and trying to steal bank account information and so on. Mark as spam and sadly go on

[OwlAlwaysKnit]

@HeilsteinSchaetze  if you gave out any bank or credit card information you need to contact your bank immediately and cancel your card.

Sorry you were caught out by this

[HeilsteinSchaetze]

Vielen Dank, das ist schon erledigt

[SketchySeagull]

Thankfully after taking the advice I received from the Etsy community I avoided any contact with the scammers. Therefor they got nothing from me and I'm much wiser now about the emails I receive. Thanks for your concern though.

[ImmerseArtStudio]

@SketchySeagull you are welcome and stay safe :O)