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Tue June 27 2023 21:11:49

Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

By: Ina Steiner

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You may think you would never just hand over your email address to a scammer, but perhaps you haven't seen the latest campaign that is targeting Etsy sellers with a very convincing message.

One seller shared the message they received through Etsy on a Reddit post and explained:

"I received an odd message from a buyer on Etsy claiming they need my email address in order to complete a purchase of an item. They also sent me a screenshot as proof. Now I'm 99.9% sure it's fake, so I just wanted to share here. Thanks."

Those types of scams have been making the rounds lately, according to sellers on Etsy's own discussion boards. A seller "Bradgoodell" responded on one such thread, "I've been posting about this DAILY!! The scammers have doubled-down, gotten more sophisticated, and new Etsy sellers are so excited for their first sale their sense of self-preservation just goes out the window."

As with all effective scams, fraudsters are putting a twist on this one - some messages purport to be from an Etsy employee seeking the seller's email. In a thread, "Suspicious message from "technical support,"" an Etsy seller posted:

"Hi folks, I just received this message. Should I trust it? It looks very odd. What could the scam be, if it is one? Why did Etsy contact me in a suspicious way if it is genuine?

"Hello, Dear Seller. I am an Etsy technical support agent, your item was paid for by a buyer, but an unforeseen error occurred due to the processing of the transaction in the backup processing center, please enter your email into this chat to receive a customized form to confirm the sale of your item. Thank you! Regards Etsy"

It doesn't help that marketplaces experience frequent glitches, giving the message an aura of authenticity.

Once scammers have a seller's email address, they can send them malware through files they hope sellers will open, or through links they hope sellers will click - and they can send additional scam and phishing messages directly to the seller's email account.

We noticed this thread yesterday in which an Etsy seller pasted a message they received that they suspected was a scam, but by the time we went back to it 3 hours later to review it again, an Etsy moderator had already removed the message from the seller's post. (The next day, a moderator thanked sellers and said it had been acted on.) We do remember the poster saying it came from another seller, not a purported buyer or Etsy rep. It's too bad Etsy didn't *redact* the suspected scam message instead of *removing* the entire message - that way, sellers would be able to see another version of a scam and be forewarned.

Bradgoodell has been keeping a running list of red flags for Etsy users to watch out for, you can find it on this thread on the Etsy boards. He keeps updating the list in new threads written by sellers reporting scams they encounter.

Scammers use similar tactics to trick buyers and sellers on other platforms, and Bradgoodell's list is worth monitoring for anyone using the Internet, not just Etsy sellers. 

And, as he and others pointed out, people who want to reach Etsy should not search the Internet for how to contact the company - sellers recommend only going through the Etsy website to contact the company.

As this seller found out, scammers posing as Etsy support reps may show up in search results, and they will try to get you to install software that allows them to access your computer or device remotely.

"There is NO published phone number or eMail address for Etsy customer service. Anything you find via a web search is a scam," a seller warned.

As for the title of this blog post, of course you can (and must) share your email address with Etsy when setting up your account, but there's no reason we can think of that Etsy would message you asking you to provide it to them again in order to make a sale go through.

Comments (14) | Leave Comment | Permalink
Readers Comments

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Lisa This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 27 23:43:52 2023

anytime you get a message that says they are from etsy... It doesn't refer to you as 'seller'.

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

This user has validated their user name. by: COVID-19

Wed Jun 28 01:17:29 2023

😃 😄 😆

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: ThebigR This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 02:20:48 2023

The etsy moderators keep all black eye information cleaned up so no one will notice. If you happen to keep posting about different problems the board shills will dog pile with the report button and you're handed a lifetime board suspension they like to keep a tidy ship..  

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Lisa This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 03:33:51 2023

*Proud permamute*

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

This user has validated their user name. by: The End

Wed Jun 28 08:42:37 2023

Yes, today email high jinx is a veritable mine field.
And we pay for useless antivirus software.
I ALWAYS click on "View Source" to read all the code in the email.
When you see an unfamiliar return address, you've got 'em !
Just be wary. Be very skeptical. I must delete 10 or more emails a day.
You are the final Sentry of your email.

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: LDWCallsOut This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 12:05:50 2023

All the scams listed in the Forums post linked above have been around in some form for decades.  But it is helpful to have that list available for newbie shop owners.

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: MRV This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 12:37:23 2023

Given the new law where 'high volume' sellers ($5,000 and $20,000 respectively) must display their email addresses and phone numbers on each product page, these types of scams are likely to only increase and create more victims.

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: NYSteve This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 19:03:35 2023

not to worry, after July 7, they will access to most of our home addresses

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Stone Cutter This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 20:32:11 2023

“not to worry, after July 7, they will access to most of our home addresses”

The new law allows personal information to be distributed within an “order confirmation message” AFTER the sale and only to the buyer. Your personal information won’t widely be distributed to the general public.

When sending packages, most small Sellers typically include a return home address, anyway. So what’s the difference here?  

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Stone Cutter This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 21:38:00 2023

**** Dear Seller ? ****

Anytime you get a message that says they are from etsy... It doesn't refer to you as ‘Dear Seller’.

Immediately, the grammar is off….the use of the word “dear” is typically not used in the U.S. for business transactions.

Funny…when I’ve dealt with Sellers from India, they always refer to me as “Dear”.

Yesterday, I got an email supposedly from Amazon that referred to me as “Dear” so I knew it was a scam.

These stupid overseas scammers don’t understand U.S. grammar in order to make their scams work.

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Lisa This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 22:17:52 2023

the thing is, you have personal responsibility. it is not anyone's job at this point in internet life, to babysit you against obvious phishing. the verbage may slightly change, but basically, it's the same scam, different day. Etsy has made it very clear, you are not contacted through e mail concerning these type of things. anything etsy needs you to update, deal with, re-do, agree to, abide by, etc... is all in your dashboard or your messages (& messages don't ask for personal info, ever.) You can successfully run your etsy shop without checking your email. that is very clear in the terms you agree to as a seller. It's sad that newbies do not read the TOS.  

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Lisa This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 22:34:23 2023

It's not the 'dear'

it's the generic 'seller'

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Stone Cutter This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 28 23:03:31 2023

@ Lisa

But you missed MY point….From ANY email, be aware when someone refers to you as ‘Dear’. I believe these scammers are from out of the country.  

Perminate Link for Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers   Red Alert: Do Not Share Your Email with Etsy or with Buyers

by: Lisa This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 29 02:10:30 2023

gypsy spoonful & goimagine both use 'dear'... both are dumb, but it is what it is.

i don't read them. at this point  in the email game, NOBODY uses email like that, except scammers. and it does work, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing  it.



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