Member of Etsy scam

[madebymanos]

2 months ago I got a message from an Etsy member (orange symbol by the profile) that they want to include some of my pieces to a press promo.

That etsy employee asked me to post to a home address. I did. 

2 months later I keep getting excuses why I haven't got my pieces back and I get reply a week later every time.

I need to escalate with someone on etsy. 

Anyone knows how?

Based in UK

Thank you in advance.

Manos

[OneEyeCatStudio]

Honestly, I don't know that Etsy can or will do anything about someone impersonating them.  Is the person still an Etsy member?

But you can always try....

Request a Callback

Submit a request – Etsy

[TheVintagePineapple]

It's probably very simple to put an orange E on an avatar.  I also think that any promo piece would be sent to their Brooklyn HQs, not the ''employee's'' home.

[LastCentury]

I've dropped off items to a PR agency in Toronto for etsy promo. Could be a similar "farmed out" situation in the UK. I at least got my items couriered back to me after a week or so.

Keep on it... but do some google searching to see if this person / address is legit / with etsy connection.

[CoquetteBath]

it could be legit, but the fact that you didn't send to Etsy HQ but to someone's house is very suspect. I'm going to suggest you may have been scammed.

sorry that that happened to you. Hopefully someone else reads this thread and doesn't have it happen to them.

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

This screams SCAM to me.  Sorry, I hope I am wrong.

[PillowDetails]

I may be wrong, but I think they would just go ahead and purchase your item.  Sorry you got taken advantage of.  I would definitely forward the messages to Etsy Support,  even if there's nothing to be done about getting your items back.

[dorothydomingo]

You're probably correct. The two times my work was sent to an Etsy HQ (once for a tv ad and once for an office event in CA) they purchased the items outright, and then kept them. They were both office addresses, not home addresses.

[ACertainFeel]

Back in 2015 Etsy did purchase a vintage item of mine they wanted to use.  So yes, I do believe it would be a purchase and not a borrow. 

[TinLizziAntiques]

OP, notify the police constable in your town and explain you have been defrauded, as it wasn't really Etsy. I hope the police can retrieve your merchandise even if you don't want to press charges. Pretending to be an international corporation is fraud.

[VogueVixens]

There is the FBI's Internet Crime Centre, madebymanos can make an online report there if this "Etsy employee" was in the USA. 

https://www.ic3.gov/Home/ComplaintChoice/default.aspx

If the shipping address was in the UK, there must be way to report it to the local or federal police agency.

[VogueVixens]

Just last week I got an email for a fake Interac E-transfer. It looked close to the emails I normally get when I send or receive an e-transfer, but the wording was a little different.  

My partner directed me to look at  the sender email address, and just to hover my mouse over the "Deposit" button to see the website address it would take me to.  I guess it was good that the scammer hadn't done a good job faking everything, but I wouldn't of trusted that link anyways. 

[thatregina · Accepted solution]

Hi there! 

I can confirm that this was a legitimate outreach from an Etsy admin. I've asked them to get in touch with you directly with an update. I'll close this up now. Thanks all.