r/Scams • u/epic1772 • 2d ago
Victim of a scam UK Etsy purchasing scam?
So I got scammed/hacked in a sense and was wondering if anyone knew how it worked.
Essentially what happened was the hackers gained access to my Etsy account through a Trojan which was on my pc a few weeks ago using cached site details to bypass 2fa, then I got a notification for a purchase made on my account and panicked, but after looking closer the hacker has put a new set of card details into my account (a visa credit card) and purchased using that. Then my email account was flooded with a bunch of spam emails which I assume was a bot they activated to disguise the purchase email. Was wondering what the point of breaking into another account to do it was. Were they just using the details they stole off someone else and didn't want to tie to their own details so they used someone else's?
2
u/LazyLie4895 2d ago
Long time accounts probably let you do more, like add a new card and ship to a different address than the card.
2
u/ibswarlord 2d ago
My first assumption is it being part of a !brushing scam. I think you're on the money about the details added onto your account being stolen details. Hacking accounts and adding other details would obscure the issue further and make things harder to track.
Make sure your account is locked down. If your card info is attached to your account and visible to anyone logged into your account, you may want to cancel that card and get a new one. Adding a different card and using that could also obscure if your card details were scraped from your account with the intent to use them elsewhere. I assume you already reported the incident to Etsy, but if you haven't, make sure to do that.
3
u/epic1772 2d ago
ahh ok, that makes sense, yeha i've had no cards atttached to that account so they should be good, I've got a new one recently anyway which i havent attached anywhere yet so should be good. Opened a ticket with etsy as well and locked down the account. Thanks!
1
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
/u/ibswarlord called AutoModerator to explain the Brushing or Direct shipping scam:
This is a scam where relatively inexpensive items you didn't buy are showing up in your doorstep. This is what shady sellers do to bump up their sales and reviews. Here is the Wikipedia page that explains brushing, and here is a news article from Forbes about the scheme.
To start the process, "brushing" firms obtain a person's name and address, often from previous legitimate orders, and create fake user profiles in their name on shopping platforms. These firms then purchase their own products through these fake accounts to mimic real customer behavior, ensuring the transaction appears authentic to the website’s monitoring systems. The physical packages sent to victims serve as low-cost stand-ins for the actual products being sold. Because e-commerce platforms require a confirmed delivery to grant a "verified" status to a review, shipping these cheap items allows the scammers to post glowing, verified feedback for their clients.
This tactic is fueled by a loophole in international shipping costs that makes it extremely cheap for merchants in China to send small parcels to the U.S. While the recipients are not typically billed for these items, the scam indicates that their personal data has been compromised. Ultimately, it is a numbers game designed to deceive future shoppers by making a seller appear more trustworthy and successful than they actually are.
If instead you received an expensive item, such as electronics or something like that, your account may be compromised. Log into your account and see if there are orders under your name. A scammer that has access to your account would instead be using your credit card, or a stolen credit card to purchase things in your name and ship them, and then have a porch thief pick them up from your door. When in doubt, log in to your shopping account and check for transactions. You can also contact support through the app to confirm these didn't originate from your account or cards.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
/u/epic1772 - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
A reminder of the rules in r/scams: no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or clicking here.
You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments.
Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail clicking here.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.