My account has been hacked and money stolen from my payment account.

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

I have just gained access to this account after 6 days of being locked out because of a deleted email.  It took too long for Etsy to solve the problem and Unfortunately hackers have gained access to my account over the the weekend put their bank details in and my money was stolen today.  

I feel like this is Etsys fault and they should replace the stolen funds as they wrote to me in a ticket and suspended the account.  They TOLD me they had suspended the account so how could the hackers steal the money with the account suspended? Etsy obviously picked up on the suspicious activity but allowed the money to leave for a different bank account anyway??? RIDICULOUS

Surely there is an argument for compensation as this is clearly the some of the worst security and seller protection in the history of online marketplaces.

It was about £1000 (I don't know the exact amount as the payment email went to the compromised email account) I now have to sit all week filling orders that came in while I was locked out and I won't even be paid.  A very depressing working week.  My money is stolen and how do I pay my bills this month? So unfair...  Plus not only will I have to fill these orders for 'free' but I will be out of pocket for the postal costs.  We are already struggling my god.

But I won't let my buyers down like Etsy has let me down.  I make Christmas tree decorations and I'm going to make sure every last customer gets their pretty thing, late yes but they will get it.

How do I remove their bank details from my account?

Is there any way I can get this money back? 

I have changed the deposit schedule to 2 weekly, opened a ticket, have a brand new email, two step authenticator and I've made the expiry on my billing card inaccurate.  

Once again I NEED some help.  Is it worth contacting the police (I'm in the UK) - will they even do anything? I have home insurance and crafters insurance will they cover?  I guess I can check that after I've filled all the orders.  Working for nothing - fantastic.

I know this happens to a great many of us, my heart goes out to every single one of you. (Unless you're a hacker - you're all exempt from any and all goodwill you thieving little *****)

Anyway any help and advice welcome.

Ruth @ shepaintsseaglass on Etsy

[CoquetteBath]

I don't think anyone here can help you.

You'll need to get with Etsy on that. And I'm SO sorry to hear that this happened to you!

As far as what can happen regarding insurance...that's really up to your agreement/policy with your insurer. Some may cover it. Some may not.

for sure, I'd change the bank account immediately. You can transfer your money to a new account #, I believe, due to the hacking.

2 factor is the way to go. Unfortunately, though, scammers are evil folks and you have to take precautions.

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

Thanks for replying, it feels really horrible.  I always felt so sad when this happened to others but until you get a taste of it yourself....well I feel pretty low.

[HallieOneeyecat]

Save all correspondence.  Contact a solicitor.

[nineteen27]

How do I remove their bank details from my account?

you really should have your shop on vacation mode until the banking details are changed.

who knows how long that process can take?  do you want new money to be transferred to the hackers too?

stop accepting new orders until this is straightened out.

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

Hi thanks for replying. It won't be because they have no access and Etsy won't transfer funds when there's an out of date billing card on the account.  Otherise they might not be able to collect fees.  And I've made it very out of date.  Plus I've set the account for two weekly deposits.

I don't have the luxury of not working.  This is my only income.

Then I'm out of pocket and buyers, cases, refunds.

Its damage control.

[LittleGemsJewells]

Asked for a mod to help escalate the issue. 20:25

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

Thanks, appreciated x

[LittleGemsJewells]

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Tips-for-keeping-your-Etsy-account-protected/m-p/1401878...

[JDTotesnDolls]

Contact your bank first and foremost if they used your bank account to take the money from.  That would be first task as your account my be compromised.

They would have needed your password to get in.  Is it a simple one?  One that any system hacker can discover.  From there they could not have changed your bank account without your bank account number.  It requires the entire number to do so.  So you may have been compormised outside of Etsy first and then the shop was hacked.

There is more here than I think you are able to report so work with Etsy on this.  Contact your cyber police unit if your area has one. 

Enable 2 factor authentication.

Unfortunately from the number seen there seems to be some sort of weakness with UK shops that is allowing this to happen.  It may be something that the police need to be involved in because it may mean a wider network is behind this.   

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

Hi thanks for replying.  Yes we have spoken to the bank, that's fine.  And am phoning the cyber police in the morning to report the incident.  Just combing through my accounts and checking everything for signs of hacker evil.

Thats interesting what you say about UK shops.  I will mention that to the police too.

I have also checked the security on my accounts, thanks for the advice

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@JDTotesnDolls and @ShePaintsSeaglass I have always puzzled about exactly how this could be done / achieved.

Yesterday I read a thread started by a Buyer which was reporting a similar occurrence.

In her case her email belonged to a personal domain which she failed to renew. It seems someone purchased the domain and took over the email. As the emaill was associated with the Etsy account, the new domain owners were able to use it to access her shop.

I suspect that, if the email account had other information stored in it / has been used for Etsy and Banking, there were probably emails that could be read and information used?

I still do not know if this is even possible, but when a Seller is adamant they have not shared and log ins or passwords and when bank account information has been changed, it is probably not a flaw in the Etsy system, but some other internet "hack" which allowed the people to access the account.

I still question why anyone would go to this trouble when, if they had the bank account information, why not just scrape the funds from there?

@ShePaintsSeaglass perhaps @EnigmaPuzzleStudio

or @thatregina  can assist?

[BikerBlingCa]

@ShePaintsSeaglass 

So sorry to hear this!  I remember your thread from a few days ago. You were replying to your support ticket at that time.  Etsy, in my opinion needs to MOVE on important seller issues like this. A week later or more in some cases is useless.  A lot of hacking threads here lately for sure. Just what is going on?

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

I remember you too Yes as soon as I started researching this, I realised just how big a problem it is.  

I never got hacked using Ebay or any other marketplace.

This is a huge ETSY problem and    the internal communication between support staff, well it just isn't there.  Its terrible.  

Maybe I'm a bit unrealistic but I need to feel that what I do is worth something to them.  

Its just money money money.  They talk about people mattering but this week has proven to me that isn't in fact the case over here in Etsyland

[Former_Member]

So much for the theory of a suspension protecting an 'unusual activity' account.  

So sorry you're having to go through this.

[ShePaintsSeaglass]

Yes I am binning that theory  

[moonbeamgifts]

Wow.  I'm so sorry you're going through this.   :  (   If no other issue is, this feels like when phone assistance/support is absolutely necessary.   

I agree with the comment above - put your shop on vacation mode while the hackers bank details are still on it.    That's truly frightening if they could come back with access and force a deposit.   You should still be able to work on orders, just no additional ones would come in/create funds they could take.

[BikerBlingCa]

@ShePaintsSeaglass 
I think that money is really the only thing that is worth something to Etsy. Too bad they can’t do anything in a timely fashion. 

On another note, I remember your shop from many years ago. Incredibly beautiful paintings on those little sea glass pieces!  

[catfluff]

i just don't understand how this has become a daily occurance and I I don't see Etsy helping out sellers in a timely manner.  Its just another case of Etsys pathetic CS. THey should be embarrassed how they treat their customers. 

[nta58flx9piiejnb · Accepted solution]

Hi @ShePaintsSeaglass 

I am sorry to hear about the circumstances, but I have escalated the matter internally to our account specialists who will assist with resolving the matter as soon as possible.

Thank you! 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

You can report to actionfraud.police.uk

it's called a "facility takeover"

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/facility-takeover

[LindasJewelryShop]

I am so sorry you are going through this. What I can't understand is how a company as big as Etsy with so much money doesn't have immediate assistance for sellers that have been hacked. We all know the faster something like this is addressed, the less that can be stolen. This is stealing personal information, and with waiting 1-2 weeks, or even days, someone could loose everything pretty quick.  Can you ever even imagine any bank or other big ecommerce site that doesn't get back to you right away? I can't even think of one that I had to wait for a call back from. They all take security and identity protection very seriously. Here you open a ticket and wait inline. How anxiety provoking , and frankly I find it mean. Just moderators in the forums are finding out and reporting it quicker than the answering of tickets. This has to change. Think of how many don't come to the forums.  

I fell for a comcast scam a few years ago and allowed these hackers onto my computer because I thought they were from comcast. I had to change every bank account, credit card, had staples wipe the hard drive, credit reporting agencies, everything, But with every single company I called when I was going through this, and it is so scary, I never even had to wait for a call back. Once the person answered the phone (yes every single one of them you were able to get through to someone) escalated to call right away and I had immediate assistance. I can't tell you how much that helped. And I can't imagine how much scarier it must be for our fellow sellers to go thought his and wait days or weeks to hear back.

[catfluff]

I agree the lack of customer service is just pathetic there is no reason for it.