Why all these ghost notifications in the app?

[StainsAndGrains]

I keep getting a notification from the sellers app, but there is no sale, no message, nothing worth being notified has happened (I’ve got notifications turned off for everything else)

it’s annoying, what’s going on? I don’t want to be teased every few days.

[dayspringcollectible]

@StainsAndGrains 

While you've been on Etsy since 2013, you only have four recently listed items, so you appear to be a new shop.  Scammers target new shops.  The "ghost" nature of these probably means Etsy caught them and removed them before you could see anything.

I see your four items are also very expensive.  Another attraction for scammers.  You do realize that if you have a customer file any kind of claim against a purchase, Etsy does not offer protection for any order above $250 including tax and shipping.

[StainsAndGrains]

In the past decade the scammer messages have always triggered the same email from Etsy as any other sale or purchase, along with a specific notification on the app that there's 1 new message. Even in the instances where they've removed the message before I can get there, the notification and email still occur.

If this is how they are handling scam messages then it's new as of a few months ago. I suspect it's something else though, and was wondering if anyone else has been experiencing this.

I don't understand why you're talking about limits etsy will cover, that's totally off topic and not relevant to this discussion.

[dayspringcollectible]

No it's not.  We're talking about scamming, and your price points along with Etsy's current policies make you a target for scammers.  And if you are talking about actions from as much as a decade ago, in internet time, you are talking about ancient history.

Ghost messages are very common now in recent months on Etsy.  In the past year Etsy has greatly increased its efforts at stopping scammers.  When they find messages attributed to scamming efforts, they remove them so people don't click on links that could endanger them.  In other words, they have become proactive instead of only being reactive.

If you are getting a lot of ghost messages, scammers are definitely targeting you.  Be glad Etsy has your back and is preventing them from getting through to you.

[StainsAndGrains]

That doesn’t make any sense, if they’ve changed their procedures to not send an email and not list the message (because it’s been identified as a scam) they why are they still sending this blank notification? Why send anything to me?

[dayspringcollectible]

The message was sent to you.  They removed it.  The "ghost" remains.

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@StainsAndGrains: It is most likely a timing issue. Message is sent to you and is put into your Messages Page inbox - Etsy sends eMail copy of Message to you - Etsy determines Message is spam / scam and deletes Message thread (so it also disappears from your inbox).

"... blank notification ..." The original Message text is still in the eMail copy, just hidden. If you look at the 'raw content' of the eMail you can read what was sent to you. (Exactly what it is called and how to access it depends on your eMail client.)

[NoFrogsAllowed]

You get the notification when you get the message, then Etsy removes the message, but the notification remains because you did receive the message.  Be happy Etsy is trying to remove the spam messages.

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, There has been an increase in scammers lately, and that's just by seeing Sellers who come to the Forums (many who have been ripped off). It sounds like a great number of these scammers are coming in thru the App, which is a bloody shame if that is in fact what is going on. Some Sellers are literally getting bombarded with daily Messages from scammers. In your case, Etsy may have zapped the scammers, and the ghosts of their Message remains, as dayspringcollectible said. If I were you, I would not use the App (I have not, but others have said it's glitchy). And if scammers are indeed slithering thru it, you don't need that. Hope this helps in some way.

[HookFunBagHouse]

Hi everyone, lately the scammers are getting more and more, I'm getting a lot of these messages, I hope ETSY can regulate these scammers, they are posting messages all over the place every day, it's so shameful. I hope all of you can protect your store and don't easily trust messages that need verification.

[OpulentOccasionsDeco]

I usually get these kinds of messages after I upload a new product. I have been a seller on etsy for almost 7 months and they still keep sending. I currently have 63 products, scammers never stop.

[StainsAndGrains]

I'm...12 years into running my etsy shop, and not once, not a single time have I received a scam message that wasn't instantly identifiable as that. 

Real customers come at me with details and questions that make sense and aren't mainly interested in transferring the money in some weird way.

I appreciate all the answers everyone, I guess it is these scammers having their message deleted, and somehow I'm not even getting emailed like I normally do when I get a message.