can't respond to a message on Etsy and it's from Etsy staff

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry]

Last night I received a message from someone asking for measurements of a watch case and other questions. I was away from home, and it was late, so I told them I would help them in the morning. That message went through.

This morning I got all the information gathered and messaged back but I get an error message in a red bar above my text box that says "Sorry, you cannot contact this person right now." I've read in the forums people saying it's because they were accidentally blocked or put in spam. I did none of this, I checked and they are not blocked.

And now I just noticed when I look at the persons name in the right panel, it has the little orange oval that says in it "Etsy Staff" and hovering my cursor over it, it says 'this person works at Etsy'.

Super weird and I don't know if I should be stressed out that I am not responding to someone from Etsy staff

Thanks...jamee

[NoFrogsAllowed]

Sounds like a scammer that Etsy caught and blocked in between the time you first messaged and your second message attempt.

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry]

hmmm...but their account is still there, and I don't think they could fake the etsy staff tagged on there like it was interactive with my cursor.

[NoFrogsAllowed]

Scammers can and do fake everything.  That is why Etsy created the from Etsy folder.

[Adorabilities]

Is the message in the "from Etsy" folder?

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry]

No, but they didn't come to me as an Etsy staff member. Their avatar is not a fake Etsy logo. the little 'etsy staff' emblem I see there is something built into the Etsy website itself.

[BootifulLabels]

This....  if the message with the Etsy logo is not showing in the FROM ETSY  folder, it is a fake, no matter how convincing the logo may appear. ALL messages that genuinely come from a real Etsy staffer are copied to the FROM ETSY  folder.  Scammers can make convincing copies, but they cannot access that folder to put their own messages in there.  Check the FROM ETSY folder, if the message isn't there as well, it IS a scam.

[ThePurplePuppy]

@JonaraBluMauiJewelry 

The scammers are getting better and better with their technology to fake things. I would definitely regard this as a scam if it is NOT in your Etsy folder.

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

Things to read:

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Protect-Your-Account-From-Scammers/m-p/143158945#M1882

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/How-to-Spot-a-Scam-No-a-Buyer-Doesn-t-Need-Your-Ema...

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/New-From-Etsy-section-in-Messages/m-p/143722497#M1899

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000343128-How-to-Handle-Spam-and-Suspicious-Messages

[CatarinaBattista]

It is a Scam. If it is not in your Etsy Folder, mark it as a Spam.

[CanningCrafts]

The messages I get that go into the "From Etsy" folder have an orange rectangle icon that has a V badge with "From Etsy" text with rollover text that says "Verified message from Etsy staff" .

I found an old message I got from Etsy Support with an orange icon on the right hand side "Etsy Staff" & Brooklyn NY with the same rollover text "this person works at Etsy". That was a legit Etsy message that I got in 2021 before the "From Etsy" folder was around. Sounds like what you are seeing.

If you're looking at a "E" type round icon like other buyers or sellers have, that isn't Etsy. Users can add their own icons & look like fake Etsy staff. But it sounds to me like you may have an actual message from Etsy (based on what you describe & comparing to my Etsy message). Not sure why it's not in the From Etsy folder. Maybe not all employees can send messages tagged like that?

If it IS from Etsy, I don't think it counts against your SS if you don't reply. You could contact Etsy to see if it was legit to know for sure.

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry]

Thanks for the info. I did email Etsy...still waiting to hear. But yeah, it's not the round icon that says etsy...it's her photo in front of the etsy building. there is a specific badge there that is placed by the website saying 'etsy staff'  

She contacted me on IG and said her boss was working on the glitch. and now the conversation in Etsy messaging is working again. So I really think this is an Etsy employee just wanting to buy a watch from me. 

[PinkBirdCottage]

I can promise you no one from Etsy would contact you to get measurements of an item. It has been a GREAT THING that Etsy catches these scammers before you can respond. There are always people in the forums trying hard to get hold of whomever contacted them and they can't. YAY ETSY. 

[ModAngie · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Etsy is actively engaged in preventing scammers from targeting our community members. If you receive a suspicious message, please proceed with caution. Etsy Support will never ask you to provide personal information via Etsy Messages, such as your email address or password. Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder.

If you receive a suspicious message, here’s how to report it:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com and go to Your Account.
2. Go to Messages. 
3. Select the suspicious message from your inbox. 
4. Choose Mark as Spam.

You’ll find examples of common scammer techniques and phishing messages here in our Help Center. Read our Account Security Checklist in the Seller Handbook for more steps you can take to protect your account.

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry]

Thanks for your help everyone...I think it's all okay now. She contacted me on IG and said her boss at Etsy was working on the glitch...someone showed her this thread and she was reaching out to tell me she's a real person and that it was an Etsy tech issue. and now our conversation in Etsy messaging is working again. So I really think this is an Etsy employee just wanting to buy a watch from me

[Adorabilities]

That's great. Maybe she'll pass her frustrations on to someone who will listen. These glitches are way too common, but usually only buyers or sellers have to experience them.

[FatallyFeminine]

My gut says this is sketchy. Proceed with utmost caution. It doesn't sound right that a person who just wants to buy something from you needs to tell you they're Etsy staff. These scams usually start offering with trying to help you with some "glitch". Lately the scammers have actually been purchasing the item probably with a stolen credit card and the scam proceeds from there. 

[JonaraBluMauiJewelry · Accepted solution]

Thank you so much for all your help everyone....looks like this time it was not a scam.  She never even told me she was Etsy staff...I just saw that icon badge after I found my response would no longer go through. Etsy cleared up the problem and it opened up our ability to talk to each other through Etsy messaging again. She got the info she needed on a vintage watch I had that she was trying to replace an old one she lost. And she purchased the watch through Etsy.

Sadly we all need to keep being super leery of anything that seems the slightest bit off. It's just the way it is these days.