Lost Account Access due to suspicious activity

[LogeTee]

Hello everyone!
Yesterday evening, when I tried to log in to my store to take care of my orders, I got this message.

"You cannot access your account
For security purposes, we have temporarily limited your access to protect your information until you contact us."

I immediately followed the instructions and received emails from Etsy that I could respond to. However, there has been no improvement and I cannot reach my store. I am in a very difficult situation and I don't know what to do. I have orders waiting for my attention, maybe my messages. Please help me. This is the first time something like this has happened to me and unfortunately I am inexperienced. I wish everyone a good day.
Best regards.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

Your shop is not limited.  The message was from a scammer - hope you didn't give them any banking or financial info.

Your shop is open.

[LogeTee]

I didn't actually receive an email warning, it was a warning box when I tried to log in to my account on Etsy.com.

[MistOllieVintage]

OH no those ppl have no heart!  I can see your shop its cute!

[Vintorious]

And filled with IP infringements.

[Vintorious · Accepted solution]

It may be a scam attempt. ETA: see next comment. You have to contact Etsy if there is a real problem getting into your account. Everyone here is a seller, like you.

It is against the Community Policy to write the text of personal messages from Etsy, or anyone else, in forum posts: they are labeled "private correspondence." One of the reasons for this policy is to make it harder for scammers to mimic Etsy...which they may be trying to do here.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

What exactly were you seeing when you initially tried to log into your account? Were you unable to log into your account or did you just see that message and assume you didn't have account access? Where did these messages come from? Any messages from Etsy would be in your "From Etsy" folder. 

[LogeTee]

I can't log in to my Etsy account. when I enter my email address and password, I get a warning that my access is blocked for security reasons. I'm not logging in from a different site or link. I don't know how this could be fraud. I requested help support from Etsy support and they sent me an email asking for some information. Are you saying Etsy didn't send this?

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

You say you can't log into your account, but I'm assuming this is because you possibly sent scammers your information. What folder are those messages in? Any messages from Etsy would be in your "From Etsy" folder.

[Vintorious]

@LogeTee the advice about "From Etsy" folder is about the internal messaging system. Check the email address carefully: make sure it is actually from an "etsy.com" address, and not some variation on that.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

@LogeTee - As far as the new messages you are receiving regarding this issue, if you contacted Etsy directly and they emailed you then, as @Vintorious mentioned, double check the email address. I'm referring to your initial post where you stated you logged into your Etsy account and received the message that your account access was denied. Any messages you receive on Etsy's site that are legitimately from Etsy would be in your "From Etsy" folder. Where were those initial messages located?

[LogeTee]

The first message I mentioned appeared as a warning box right above my e-mail address while logging into my account on etsy.com.

[LogeTee]

Yes, I checked that. The mail really came through etsy support. After creating a ticket, I can see that my store is open, but I can't access it from my computer or etsy seller app. 

[Vintorious]

In that case, there really isn't anything that we can do to help. Only Etsy support can assist you. Hopefully, they can resolve it quickly.

[LogeTee]

I am really very concerned, why people are trying so hard to take over our businesses and harm us. I was actually using all the apps for my store security. I'm really depressed and I don't know what to do.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

@LogeTee - Unless the scammers have gotten really good, I can't see how they could hack into Etsy's website and create a warning on the log in page. The good news is hopefully you weren't scammed and it is actually Etsy you were giving all that information to. The bad news is, it's Etsy, they aren't exactly known for handling problems quickly. I hope you get it sorted out soon. The odd thing is, why would Etsy keep your shop open if they know you can't access it? I would have assumed they'd put your shop on a temporary hold until this gets sorted out. Again, Etsy isn't known for handling things like this quickly and efficiently. Good luck, keep us posted.

[Vintorious]

I hadn't looked at your shop, but I think I see a few things that might explain why you are locked out. 

Your shop information says you are in "Texas, United States." Your shop "About" section says you were inspired by "the bustling streets of New York." Your shop assistant (your cat), says that their name is inspired by the island they were born on, which is in the Aegean, which is no where near Texas.

Etsy may be questioning the information you gave them when setting up your shop. They may also be concerned about a number of intellectual property issues (Cracker Barrel, Chevy Chase's image, Disney characters and name, Letterkenny quote). 

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

Ahhh, I never went to page 2 and quite honestly, overlooked the Cracker Barrel shirt on page 1. Not sure why Etsy would keep the shop open though. Why lock the seller out of the shop but allow buyers to continue purchasing? More questions than answers on this one, time will tell I guess.

[Vintorious]

@ColorfulCastAndCrew if I were a scammer, I would target new sellers, because they are inexperienced; or established sellers doing questionable things, because they want to stay under Etsy's radar.

[TheCoolingtower]

I'm just speculating -  only Etsy can tell you exactly why, but its possible some one was trying to access your account.  It's standard protocol for websites like this to 'temporarily' freeze access to an account if they noticed multiple failed attempts to unlock it. I know you're worried, but going by the wording of the email message, I'm confident once Etsy  has made contact with you can should be running as normal again. Whatever the reason, just ensure in future you've activated the 2 step login & maybe even consider using a security key. Best of luck.

[BagmakerSupply]

@LogeTee: As an aside, you need to include the licensing information for all of the trademarked and copyrighted names and images in your shop in the listing, otherwise buyers (and Etsy) may conclude they are counterfeits. And a buyer could file a not as described case against you and both get their money back and keep the item. Including the licensing information will show that you are not selling those items illegally.

If you do not have proper licensing, you should be much more concerned about Mickey Mouse and his lawyers coming after you and all of the assets used to manufacture and promote items using their intellectual property.

Plus, we are not supposed to help shops that are breaking the law or Etsy rules.