Etsy scams: how fake buyers, fake emails and off-site payment requests work
Quick answer
Scammers target Etsy buyers and sellers with fake buyers, fake "Etsy" emails and requests to pay or chat outside Etsy. Etsy says a buyer never needs your email address to complete a purchase. Don't reply, report the message in Etsy Messages, and pay only inside Etsy.
- Comes by
- Email, Social media, Website
- Pretends to be
- Etsy
- Last updated
How it works
Etsy is a real marketplace and a victim here: scammers borrow its name and its trust. Etsy's help center describes the warning signs.
- Pay or talk off Etsy. A "buyer" or "seller" asks you to pay with a different payment platform, or to move to email. Off-Etsy payments aren't covered by Etsy Purchase Protection.
- Overpayment. A buyer offers to send more money than you asked and wants the difference back.
- Fake Etsy messages. Emails that look like Etsy, about a "verification" or a problem with your shop, send you to a fake login page. Real messages from Etsy appear in the From Etsy folder in your Messages.
- Urgency. The scammer acts as if the purchase has to happen right now.
The goal is money, your Etsy password or your payment details.
Red flags
- A buyer who insists on email or asks for your personal email address
- A request to pay or be paid outside Etsy
- An offer to overpay you and have you send back the difference
- An email about your shop that isn't in the From Etsy folder in Messages
- A link that sends you to a login page you didn't reach through etsy.com
- Pressure to act immediately
Example message
Hi, I'd like to buy your item today. I can't use Etsy checkout, so please send your email and I'll pay with [another payment app]. I'll add a little extra for shipping, and you can send the difference back.
What to do
- 1
Don't reply, and report it
In the Etsy app, open the message and choose Report. Sellers can use Mark as spam. Etsy says replying can bring more messages.
- 2
Keep the whole deal inside Etsy
Check out and get paid through Etsy only. Check an order in your Orders page, not through a link in a message.
- 3
If you sent money off Etsy
Contact the payment service or your bank right away and tell them it was fraud, then contact local law enforcement.
- 4
If you gave your login or account details
Change your Etsy password, turn on two-factor authentication, and change the password anywhere else you used it.
- 5
Forward phishing emails
Etsy says you can forward them to its phishing address, though that inbox isn't monitored and you won't get a reply.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Scammers don't pick targets at random. They buy or look up names, phone numbers, email addresses and home addresses from people-search sites and from breach dumps, then use them to make a message feel personal. Sellers also list a shop name and sometimes a home or business address, which makes you easy to target with a believable message. Serus finds the data brokers and people-search sites that list you where you live and removes you from them, and it alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer scammers can reach you.
Frequently asked
Does a real buyer need my email address?
No. Etsy's guidance says a buyer never needs your email to complete a purchase.
Is it safe to take payment outside Etsy?
No. Etsy can't offer Purchase Protection for payments made off Etsy.
How do I know a message really came from Etsy?
Etsy says its messages appear in the From Etsy folder in Messages, and it will never ask for your password.
I sent money to a scammer. What should I do?
Contact the payment service or your bank right away, then local law enforcement, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
