My store was hijacked and the corresponding mail was hacked!!!

[SoxyStudioo]

Dear Etsy team,

My shop SoxyStudio was hijacked!

On Jan 3 the access to my account for this shop SoxyStudio, was denied. Three days later Etsy informed me that my account was temporarily suspended due to a suspicious login. A two-step verification has been set up for this account, not by me!

Since Jan 3 I was desperately trying to get any help from Etsy! On Jan 21 an agent finally removed the two-step verification added by the hacker and I managed to log in. It shockingly turned out that I am logged in a completely new shop, created on Jan 3, not by me. The new shop has a similar name – SoxyStudioo (with double o) and similar contact information. It has different bank account and card details!

Meanwhile my original shop SoxyStudio is working and accepts orders from my and Etsy’s customers respectively! I’m not even sure if the hijacker is not stealing money from SoxyStudio’s balance, respectively from my customers.

The last 20 days when I was trying to get any support from Etsy have been a real nightmare! This issue could have been resolved in only one day if someone provided a decent support! Me and my partner created this business in 2018 and it has been our main income source for the last 5 years! This terrible issue has been detrimental to our health and quality of life!

As I’ve read in the official Etsy forums this is not the first case for such fraud and as a EU citizen I’m ready to seek my rights before the respective authorities!

Any help is much appreciated!

[BlaqKat]

Sounds like you need to contact Etsy directly, rather than the forum.  There's nothing anyone here can do as we are all just sellers and buyers.  Sorry this happened to you, sounds awful!

[Chrysalism]

Actually there have been many sellers with this problem who only received adequate help from Etsy after posting publicly about it in the forums. So OP is definitely on the right track here to get eyes on the problem.

[SoxyStudioo]

Yes, I did multiple times since Jan 3.

[SoxyStudioo]

The account was hacked on the 3rd and since then I have opened multiple tickets and talked to many agents. Yesterday they finally removed the 2 step authentication and when I logged in the account it was a completely different shop with 1 listing, no sales. My original shop still generates sales, but I need to be contacted by Etsy support asap (of course we raised many tickets for that) The thing is that they are so inefficient, I really don't know what to expect. Some people in the forum say it took them a year to get verified by Etsy! 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you need to keep 1 ticket going, keep replying to that one,

if you open new ones, the old ones are closed, and the new ones start at the bottom of the pile

[BagmakerSupply]

@SoxyStudioo: "... of course we raised many tickets for that ..." DO NOT open a new issue or contact Etsy multiple times about the same issue (doing so closes the one you already opened and puts the new one on the bottom of the pile). Every eMail from Etsy support should have a link something like "I Still Need Help". Click on that link (or actually reply stating that you still need help) to keep the report alive or Etsy will assume that it is resolved. You may have to do this innumerable times, but once on each Etsy reply before anything is done but do not give up.

[ArtandArtisan]

Take a look at the name associated with your avatar here in the forums.  The link has the double o spelling.  When I clicked it took me to one listing for pajama pants.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

the other shop has that listing, and a lot more - the one without the second "0" on the end - same person

[TimeSpanTreasures]

The original poster had their established shop, soxystudio, hacked, and created another shop, named it soxystudioo, with an extra o, so they could post, or perhaps start over.

Their established shop that was hacked already has several one star ratings for items not being received, because of the hack.

@SoxyStudioo 

I hope Etsy can help you; there is a wonderful etsy forum person who sometimes will chime in with help- I hope they see this post.

[ArtandArtisan]

I didn't dig that deep.  We need better locks on our shop doors.

[Beanieandthings]

@SoxyStudioo It can be confusing and frustraighting if there is another shop with almost the same name! There is a shop name just like mine but instead of beanieandthings it's beanie(s)andthings and it has been on vaca for many years before I opened. Etsy will not get rid of the other one.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@Beanieandthings 

This is a hacker thing that has been happening,

they hack into a shop, and set up another shop almost the same, with an extra letter on the end,

the two shops now say they have the same owner and avitar, but etsy only lets the seller back into the new (wrong) shop, not their own one ... whilst the hackers continue to take money

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

Oh no! Your original shop is now getting hit with negative reviews. I just reported the original shop with the "report this shop" button. I said it's been hacked and included a link to this thread. If other sellers here do the same maybe it'll catch Etsy's attention. 

[ChillwolfArt]

Why is it so bloody easy to hack into Shops?  I am sorry you are yet another Seller this is happening to.

@FabioMcMustache   Another Hacked Account; could you please help.  Thank You.

[SoxyStudioo]

I assume they first hack my Gmail! The 2-step verification is absolutely obligatory! 

[JMOldeVintage]

The OP is posting from the "double oo" shop. 
The bank account info. on this "oo" shop is not theirs.
The "oo shop name" is similar to their old, established shop. 
The contact info. - the email address Etsy has on file for this "oo" shop is similar to their old shop - but is not the same.

One assumes the OP contacted Etsy about their old, established shop  SoxyStudio.
I would think any information the OP provided Etsy included their old email on file, the banking information that was on file with Etsy at the time of the 'suspicious login' and could answer any other questions posed about that shop's account, activity, etc.

I must be missing something - exactly why would Etsy connect the OP to this "oo shop"?

[TimeSpanTreasures]

Ah, shame on me, I didn't read the OP thoroughly- this is very scary that this happened.

[nineteen27]

@JMOldeVintage 

the hacker changed the email address in the original shop.

and then created a new shop with the old email address.

so when the op contacts etsy... the email address is now associated with the new shop that the hacker created.

and when the op signs in... they are signing in to the new shop and the hackers still have control of the old shop.

and this gives the hackers time because they know it takes etsy awhile to deal with hacked accounts and the op has no idea a new shop was created with the old email address...

i have seen this exact thing happening many times here.

hackers are smart.

if you do not want your etsy shop hacked into...

take control of your email address... change your password often...and make it a difficult password.

you should have an email address that is only used for etsy.   

not your bank account or any other account they can access through that email.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@JMOldeVintage 

I must be missing something - exactly why would Etsy connect the OP to this "oo shop"?

because of the e-mail address, 

the hackers changed the  e-mail address on the first shop,

then set up a very similar shop name, with their e-mail that was used for their old shop

[nineteen27]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

and then weeks go by with the seller trying to get into the hacked account only to find out it was not the hacked account they were trying to get into.

it was the new shop.

all that time wasted.

and then the process begins again with the real hacked shop.

as i said... hackers are smart.

[ModMatt · Accepted solution]

Hi @SoxyStudioo 

I am very sorry to hear about the matter, however I am escalating the issue to our account specialists who will be able to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Thank you! 

[SoxyStudioo]

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate that!