Scam…???

[ArtMinkkinen]

Is it possible that when someone is trying to buy somerhing from my shop etsy is messaging to him/her that my (sellers) e-mail is needeed to make a purchace. Or is that just a scam… I have had many messages about that. I havent give my email.

[bradgoodell]

SCAM!  

Here are some clues:

1. New seller
2. High dollar item or large sale amount
3. Odd or awkward-sounding language
4. They want to take the conversation off Etsy (they ask for your email)
5. Someone messages you and claims you may have been a victim of fraud, and requests your email address to "resolve the issue"
6. You get a (FAKE) message from Etsy Support telling you that they are having technical issues and asking if you've received notification of an order in the last few minutes.  
7. You get a (FAKE) Live Chat message.  
8. You get a phone call from someone claiming to be Etsy.  Etsy doesn’t cold-call sellers.
9. “Etsy Support” claims they want to contact you by text/SMS.  Etsy doesn’t text, they use Etsy messages and/or email.
10. Anyone claiming to be from Etsy who asks for your phone number or login information is a scam. 
11. You get an email requesting you "complete" the order as its currently on hold and asks your for your debit card information.
12. You get an email from (FAKE) Etsy saying Etsy is changing payment methods and will send money directly to your credit or debit card. Etsy has not changed their payment method.
13. You go back to their account, and it's gone
14. The original message has disappeared off Etsy, or has moved itself to your Spam folder.
15. They send you a link of some sort.  DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK
16. They claim they cannot check-out and need your email to complete the order.
17. They claim your Etsy checkout isn't working, and they send you a link to "fix it” 
18. You get an email from (FAKE) Etsy saying you need to do X to get your account verified.  
19. You get a (FAKE) email from Etsy claim you need to buy a high dollar pre-paid Visa or American Express card to get your Etsy account working
20.  They send you a link to a (FAKE) Etsy page that looks genuine and asks for your login and/or credit card details.
21. You find a (FAKE) Etsy phone number off the net and talk to a sympathetic customer service rep that wants you to download an app so they can access your account to fix something.  Etsy does not have a published phone number you can call.  It's a scam, the number is not Etsy's.
22. They want to take the sale off Etsy
23. They ask if something is "still available" when it's obviously for sale in your shop
24. They ask about the condition of an obviously new item
25. They ask if you are honest
26. There is some urgency, such as a birthday or anniversary
27. They claim they are in the Navy, an oceanographer, on a cruise ship, on a research vessel in Antartica
28. They ask you to buy a high dollar gift card and include it in the order
29. They will pay you extra for the inconvenience
30. They claim to have their own shipping company or pick-up agent
31. They claim an uncle is paying
32. They want to pay by money order or Cashier's check
33. They send you payment for far more than the order total
34. They want you to send the overage through Western Union, Venmo, etc.
35. They send you a (fake) PayPal email that says PayPal will release the payment after you send them the overage.

[GalleryAntiques]

Its a well-known scam going on at Etsy at the moment, ignore it, send their message to spam and if you want to, report the message/names to Etsy CS.

[bradgoodell]

Basic rule of thumb:  Do not take the conversation off Etsy.  Do not give someone your email address, your phone number, or agree to use WhatsApp for communication.  

There is no good reason someone needs to contact you off Etsy, since they have already contacted you ON ETSY.

NEXT RULE:  Don't click on links.  

[vintageNCtreasures]

New sellers should read up on important info on getting paid, about scams, what can or cannot be sold here, fees, etc BEFORE ever opening a shop.

How to Get Paid on Etsy – Etsy Help

Etsy Payments is the main way to get paid on Etsy. With Etsy Payments, buyers can use most payment methods to purchase from your shop.
You get direct deposits to your bank account.

How to Handle Spam and Suspicious Messages – Etsy Help

Common scammer techniques
The following characteristics or any combination of them may indicate the message is a scam:

1. Asking for additional items to be added to their order. For example, asking sellers to purchase and include a highly priced gift card with their order and promising to pay them back later.

2. Claiming they want to purchase items listed in a link which is actually malware or a link to a phishing site.

3. Offering to send you more money than you are asking for your item? This is known as an overpayment scam.

4. Insisting you reply via a personal email address, off of Etsy? A buyer who immediately insists on communicating off of our site may be questionable.

5. Seeming to not have read or looked at your listing, based on their vague questions.

6. Refusing to go through Etsy Checkout, thereby disqualifying the transaction from any Etsy protection.

7. Having a particular interest in an item of relatively high value. Scammers tend to focus on mid and high-value listings.

[DesertChains]

@FabioMcMustache  Here’s another one.

[FabioMcMustache]

Thank you, @DesertChains! Taking on this one right now.

[leinweberstudio]

My goodness, there must be a nest of them somewhere.

[AAANativeArts]

It's a scam. Just mark as Spam. You should never need to give your email for someone to make a purchase.

[Adorabilities]

Etsy doesn't get notified if we just mark messages as spam. These need to be reported as well, as they are using Etsy's sytem to scam people.

[ArtMinkkinen]

Thanks to everyone!

[sweetserendipityvint]

This one seems to be going around a lot!  Everyday in our Etsy Sellers Support Group on Facebook, several people a day ask about it.  Hope Etsy is trying to do something to stop it.