The Dark Side of the Net

Many people worry when buying online that they are going to be scammed, especially when it’s from a small unknown seller.

The flip side of this is that every day, there are people trying to scam sellers, usually targeting small business owners, who like everyone else at the moment, are trying to get by.

One way that used to make it obvious that a message you were receiving is spam, was by the language and phrases being used. But with AI tools like ChatGPT, it’s not so easy these days.

Last night many Etsy owners around the world received a threatening message through their accounts. Someone(s) using many user names, claimed they had been hired by a competitor to attack their store. If however, they paid an amount in Bitcoins within 24hrs, then the attack would be withdrawn.

It was obviously a scam, but it did frighten many sellers and they weren’t sure what to do about it

This is just one example and hopefully, Etsy are in the process of removing all the accounts that were sending out these messages. But every day, apart from people looking to hack our accounts, we see

• People offering fake services that can optimise accounts and boost sales
• Competitors reporting listings as they sell similar items
• Individuals who are in countries where Etsy is banned, looking to use someone else’s banking details, ID etc. to set up their own store
• Dropshippers who want you to be the middleman

And many others that go against Terms laid out by platforms like Etsy, and/or are just trying to take advantage of people.

There are also some buyers that sellers have to be wary of, a few being

• Those claiming to have not received their packages, even though there is evidence to support that they have.
• Buyers saying an item arrived damaged – and try to prove this by sending photos that don’t match the item purchased, or the packaging used.
• People purchasing items, that they then sell at a higher price, claiming that they have made it.
• Someone stating their item hasn’t arrived, asking for it to be replaced, and whilst that replacement is being arranged also requesting a refund through Etsy.

So, how can both sellers and buyers protect themselves?

• Sellers
• Whatever platform you sell on, look to join Facebook groups and similar. But don’t just dive in and add a link to your shop when someone posts that they can help optimise your store (they are scammers). Look around and read previous posts and the responses /advice received.
• Make use of the search facility, if you have a query/problem, then it’s most likely been asked before in the group
• If you get a message that is in any way threatening, mark it as spam and report it. Some sellers worry that if they don’t reply that it will go against them and they will lose their star seller status. But as it’s spam, it won’t be counted.
• Unwanted/spam messages on Facebook, Instagram etc. – block them
• If you have a difficult customer, then you are within your rights to cancel the order and refund them. The customer isn’t always right.
• Don’t worry about negative reviews, it happens. How many times have you bought from say Amazon even though the reviews aren’t that great but it’s been fine. And you can post a reply, giving your side of the story.
• If a buyer messages you to ask to do a sale privately instead of going through your selling platform, don’t regardless of what story they give you. Selling fees are a lot cheaper than being scammed out of £1,000’s

• Buyers
• Reviews can tell you a lot, but remember there are new sellers, like me, who need sales to be able to get reviews. And don’t necessarily be put off by a bad one – we’ve all come across at least one person who no matter how out of your way you go to please them, is never happy.
• Look at the store as a whole. How complete is it, has the seller filled in their about section and similar. Do they have policies in place?
• Is there a link to the seller’s social media account like Instagram, if so check it out. What have they posted, who are their followers, and who are they following.
• Want to check the item isn’t mass-produced and can’t be bought elsewhere for a lot less, use the reverse image search feature on Google.
• Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how a mistake is dealt with that really counts.
• Sites like Etsy do have procedures in place to protect buyers.
  Use them but don’t abuse them.
• A seller never has access to your banking information, and should never ask you for it. If they do, report them.

Scams are getting more sophisticated due to the advancement of technology, and unfortunately, we do live in a world where there are some who feel they are more deserving and have the right to take advantage of others. But often we can protect ourselves by using good old-fashioned common sense. When something really doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts, the majority of the time, they won’t let you down.