Mercari Sellers Bombarded With Verification Phishing Spam

Liz Morton
Liz Morton


Comments

UPDATE 12-27-24

Mercari has finally at least sent an email to users addressing the phishing attack, advising they will never ask to complete verification via chat or direct messaging and not to click on external links in messages.

UPDATE 12-25-24

Mercari still has not gotten this phishing attack under control and the scammers are stepping up their game - instead of using gmail addresses, they are now using emails with domain names that have the word Mercari in the them in an attempt to look more legitimate.

For example, this one from mercaribot . su :

This is also a scam and that is not a real Mercari email address - as with the other variations, do not reply to the message or send an email to that address and definitely do not provide any log in credentials, personal or financial information to anyone trying to communicate with you this way.


Mercari US sellers report a sudden influx of phishing attempts using the Mercari messaging system for fake verification scam.

The messages come from an account using a Mercari logo for their profile image, claiming the user will need to undergo additional verification due to "new rules" on the platform and directing them to contact a generic gmail address - not an official Mercari support email.

While most savvy sellers would see a giant red flag with that email address, new or inexperienced users may be more vulnerable to falling for the scam - as evidenced by the large number of posts flooding Reddit unsure if the message was real or not.

Is this “Mercari” message real or a scam?

Got this message from Mercari with a Gmail address- it doesn’t show up in the open tickets/support items. Has anyone else received this? I sent screenshot to support but I have no clue when they will respond. It also came attached to an item I listed but says account verification in the top of message.

To be clear - this is definitely a scam and under no circumstance should anyone email that address or respond to the message within Mercari.

This type of phishing scam is not uncommon, for example Etsy created special tags and a separate inbox for official messages in their battle against similar attacks earlier this year.

Etsy Tests “From A Buyer Account” Tag For Messages In Continuing Fight Against Scams
Etsy tests “from a buyer account” tag in messages as struggle to fight spam & scams rages on, but users worry the wording may be confusing.

The fake verification account shown in the screenshots shared by some users on Reddit appears to have finally been shut down now, but there are likely other accounts being used for this scam - so keep an eye out!

Other variations may include "help" or "verify" in the names and use slightly different emails, like this example provided by a Value Added Resource reader.

Other variations may provide a phone number to text instead of an email - this is also a scam.

Bottom line - don't trust any similar message you receive and do not send anything to any email or text any number contained in these messages.

The fact that users who are not sure about these messages have had to turn to other users for help because they could not get answers from Mercari's actual support channels highlights the serious work the company still has to do on the safety and security of the site.

Mercari Japan recently launched new initiatives to strengthen safety, security and customer service, including enhancing user identity verification and combating counterfeits on the platform - could those efforts be coming to the US soon too?

Mercari 2025: How Leadership Shakeup, Japan Updates Could Shape US Marketplace Future
With tumultuous 2024 & big changes coming in 2025, could recent updates to Mercari Japan hint at what’s in store for US marketplace in coming year?

Did you receive a fake verification phishing scam message on Mercari today? Let us know in the comments below!

MercariFraud

Liz Morton Twitter Facebook
LinkedIn

Liz Morton is a 17 year ecommerce pro turned indie investigative journalist providing ad-free deep dives on eBay, Amazon, Etsy & more, championing sellers & advocating for corporate accountability.


Recent Comments
Avatar Placeholderterry5522 hours ago
Sales down 40% from last year, this is gonna be a small business killer
Avatar PlaceholderJaeLynn2 days ago
I've had this happen a few times, and it confused me. One seller alleged that they had to use Amazon's services to make sure I got my item in time. I recently bought something simple, and the seller made a mistake. They'd sent me 3 different messages, one of them too early, telling me they hoped my item arrived in perfect condition. The next day, the item was marked as shipped, and I got an official Ebay shipping email. The seller was using direct messages to give me item updates. If I wanted Amazon, I'd have used them myself! lol
Avatar Placeholderlessthanthreerecords2 days ago
Happening to me too. On my active listings page (with the full list) it looks fine, but when I click on them, many have the random characters. I reported it, and that's when one glitch led to another! As I was typing the message after clicking the "?", letters were repeatedly not coming up (usually one or two at the end of a word). I was finally able to get the message entered, but how tedious!