scam question

[MetalAccess]

Hello, I just received a message, I suspect a scam, but that could explain my problem. I have more than 250 visits and I haven't sold anything since creating my store. Someone sent me a message telling me that I have to provide proof of address, that I prove my identity, etc., but I don't trust their link. So I think it's a scam, because if there was a problem, I would surely have received an email. But could there be this kind of problem, that I may not have verified my identity and that people cannot buy from my store? Help me!

[dayspringcollectible]

Scam.  Ignore and send the message to spam.  Any legitimate message from Etsy will be in your Message folder under From Etsy.

250 visits without a sale for a new shop is not unusual.  In fact, it can take weeks or even months to get your first sale, which can end up meaning thousands of clicks before you start selling.

[NanaLetha]

Scam!

[ModKenneth · 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 Report.

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.

[MetalAccess]

Okay, but how do I know if it's true, have I completed everything necessary to sell my items?

[audreytherese]

You have accepted payment methods at the bottom of your shop front. This is the first indication that you are completely set up and able to take orders. 

[PrairiePrimitives]

@MetalAccess Read what ModKenneth wrote again ...

"Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder."

If you get an Etsy message and it claims or seems to be from Etsy but it's NOT in the "From Etsy" folder, it ... is ... NOT ... from ... Etsy. I don't know how to make it any clearer than that. 

If you get a similar message in your email, don't click on anything and, if you can't verify it's authenticity on your own, come to the forums and ask about it (without disclosing the potential scammer's name or email address, etc.). 

[Adorabilities]

Yes, Etsy messages will be in the "from Etsy" folder.

Legitimate email messages sent directly from Etsy will not be in the "from Etsy" folder. 
(This causes some confusion, as Etsy messages are also sent as notifications through email.)

If Etsy needs you to verify something, they may send you an email, but you should also see the request for information on your shop dashboard. Sign in directly to your shop manager (not through a link) and see if Etsy's requiring you to do anything.

[BagmakerSupply]

@MetalAccess: You are a new shop with no sales so you are a prime target for scammers - being incomplete (no location, about, policies) makes you even more attractive to scammers and is hurting you in organic search. The reality of Etsy today is that you need to initially drive your own traffic and sales so that the algorithm learns that people want what you are selling.

There are many Etsy help articles that point you in the right direction.

You will probably find more help in the https://community.etsy.com/t5/Shop-Critiques/bd-p/shop-critiques?ref=gnav and / or https://community.etsy.com/t5/Marketing-Your-Business/bd-p/marketing?ref=gnav forums as this one is for technical issues.

[vintageNCtreasures]

@MetalAccess 
How do you know it's a scam?
The main thing is #1 below.

#1: Did you notice this info below that message on your message page?
Every message you receive on Etsy states:
"To stay protected, stay on Etsy. Never follow links to other sites, and don’t share contact, account, or financial info with anyone in Messages. Learn how to spot spam.

#2: ALL messages from Etsy will be in the FROM ETSY folder on your message page. 
If not there, it's not Etsy but a scammer.

#3: Etsy has your address and email, since you have Etsy payments YOU have been verified. 
Etsy will NEVER send you a message  to verify anything.

If anything needs updated on YOUR account, you'll see a notice on your dashboard/finance page. 
If nothing is there, nothing needs updating.
If there's a problem with a buyer's payment you will NEVER get a message from Etsy.
If a someone contacts you pretending to be a buyer and wants to you to click on a link to "accept" their payment, that is also a scam. 

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

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

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/1087958808206

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

More to read:

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

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

If you receive an actual order, you will see it in your "Orders and Shipping" section and you will receive an email from Etsy notifying you that you have a sale, and there will be a notification in your dashboard as well.

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, Welcome to Etsy. I'm very sorry you've been targeted by scammers. I'm glad you inquired about it, and did not give them information. They tend to go after new Sellers. In my opinion, the verbiage in small font about scams, which shows on Messages, seems like an afterthought. You don't see it until you receive the Message, and by that time you think, "Oh boy, I'd better hurry up and address this Message". I would love to see an Alert in our Shop Dashboard; one which every Seller would view before they list their first item/s (which is when scammers hit a lot of people). The scammer problem here does indeed warrant an "Alert", a prominent Banner in our Dashboard.

Best Wishes to you.

[SimplyModernRetro]

This may be a few months old, but, but I just want to say I 100% agree with this. I thought I was pretty savvy, but recently set up/remodeled a shop to try and sell again within the past few weeks. I got so excited seeing a message from a potential first buyer, I instantly replied to them (they never sent links etc at this stage, just asked about colours, material etc). I sent information back, it gave me a boost someone viewed my items I worked so hard to design and always wanted to do ... then I recieved a reply from them. A screenshot saying something about verification etc and they needed my help with it. There was also a link. Now, I'm informed enough to know NOT to click any links etc from any source I don't know, including Etsy messages. I took a screenshot of what they said they encountered when trying to check out - saying something about verification. As a new seller and knowing fro  what I've seen about new sellers starting and sudden shop closures I did think oh no, I better deal with this right away! But, I didn't click the link the potential customer gave me. I went to my dashboard and got in touch with Etsy straight away. Now, I know there might be a lot of info about scammers etc out there but for new starts it could be quite easy to click the link through messages if they aren't aware of these things. I'm glad I know, but please be aware of older people, or people who aren't as tech savvy getting these messages. If they click the link, they aren't dumb or stupid. I'm lucky I know what to look out for, but by god as a new seller and the excitement of getting that message from someone who potentially really liked my art ... well, I almost clicked that link to make sure I could solve whatever problem they were encountering. Totally agree with ChillwolfArt, some sort of alert for new sellers (an alert banner in messages for potential buyers, even for the first few) would be highly beneficial. I was almost put off, I was going to close my shop altogether after taking the plunge to just try it, what's the harm? I also recieved an email from the scammer, saying to join an etsy group etc. With a lot of highlighted links. I never clicked the links, took a screenshot and sent it to Etsy chat through dashboard. Such a shame, as I bet a few people have been caught out by this I didn't think this would be my first experience. But I won't just give up, I'm just going to be more aware ... NEVER CLICK ANY LINKS THROUGH ETSY CHAT OR EMAILS YOU DON'T RECOGNISE. I went with my gut, if you're not sure about something ask Etsy chat through official site/app. I found all the staff to be super helpful with everything. But there should definitely be a big warning somewhere for new sellers

[ChillwolfArt]

@SimplyModernRetro  You're absolutely right, and even though the Thread is a few months old, the Scammer problem still exists, way more than it should. I'm glad you recognized the scams for what they were, and didn't fall for them. A new Seller is busy trying to set up Shop (and most likely getting information overload), and they don't expect a site to have this type of scammer problem. And that is what the scammers are counting on.
New Sellers don't know how Verification works around here, nor what to expect after making a sale. And many of these people sell on other sites as well. But unfortunately, some end up giving the scammers their banking info, and there ya go.

On Etsy Messages, a blurb says (in very small, light grey font), that Etsy (we) scan Messages for fraud prevention, and so forth.  For the problem we have here, it's not good enough. There should be an ALERT. When someone starts, there should be a prominent Banner about scams smack dab in our Dashboard. Right now, I have a Yellow Banner saying something about setting up discounts for items being Faved (I believe, can't recall exactly). But if we can have that large Yellow Banner in the Dashboard (for a few days now), we surely can have a prominent one regarding Scams.

[VintageFromOccitanie]

I opened my Etsy shop last night (less than 24 hours from me writing this post), and listed two items and by now I have received 3 spam messages informing me of a sale and asking for my bank information. I've spent the whole day watching my shop and tweaking it, so thanks to that I've noticed as well two ghost sales. Each of my two items was marked as sold for a short period on the dashboard, but not on the Orders section, also no email or notification. Shortly after the items were relisted and I was charged for it, no real sale happening. I have screenshots of the second time this happened. And my items appear in someone's cart after this, I guess this cart is not of a real buyer. 

Frustrating and discouraging... 

[ChillwolfArt]

@VintageFromOccitanie  Welcome to Etsy, and I'm sorry this happened to you; these idiot scammers make me sick. I am glad however, you did not fall for it and give out banking information, which is exactly what they want.
The ghost sales most likely are ones which Etsy caught, so they did not go through. When you have a TRUE Order, it will appear under "Orders" (Left Column in Shop Manager). It will also show in your Payment Account. If it isn't there, you have no Order.
I hope these scammers drop off for you (in a perfect world, they would drop off the face of the earth).

[BagmakerSupply]

@VintageFromOccitanie: Having an incomplete (no location, about, etc) shop makes you even more attractive to scammers and is hurting you in organic search.

The 'in x people's carts' is a contentious number and is intended as a buyer nudge not information for the seller. There are many reasons that someone puts an item into their cart and many have no intention of actually purchasing.