Possible Scam [BE AWARE]

[creative_howl]

Apologies if this topic has been covered already. 

There's a high chance people would fall into this, so I thought of sharing this with the community.

This is a message I just received from a scammer (Yes, I reported and blocked them).

Notice how they're pretending to be Fiverr Support trying to get you to copy and paste a link into your browser. And see how it looks very similar to a Fiverr order page link.

Be Smart! DO NOT FALL INTO THIS KINDA NONSENSE.

 

Edited June 18 by creative_howl
Swapped out the image to hide part of the link

[donnovan86]

That message screams "scam" 

[katakatica]

1 hour ago, donnovan86 said:

That message screams "scam" 

Some have definitely looked a lot more convincing! 

It's crazy though - this is like the 5th BE CAREFUL post on this and YET several people seem to fall for this every single day. 

2 hours ago, creative_howl said:

Apologies if this topic has been covered already. 

There's a high chance people would fall into this, so I thought of sharing this with the community.

This is a message I just received from a scammer (Yes, I reported and blocked them).

Notice how they're pretending to be Fiverr Support trying to get you to copy and paste a link into your browser. And see how it looks very similar to a Fiverr order page link.

Be Smart! DO NOT FALL INTO THIS KINDA NONSENSE.

 

Thank you for trying to raise awareness! We've discussed it before but the more posts on it the better. It's pretty awful (and some people might not realise it!)

[larnea_barnes]

Thanks for this. Got this particular message from different scams

[catwriter]

They're becoming desperate enough to contact even sellers who have been on Fiverr for ages... Just got a similar message, but Fiverr already caught it and blocked that user.

@Lena, I don't know if Fiverr is now preventing these scammers from putting "Fiverr" in their display name; either way, now they call themselves just "Support". Considering that "Support" is unlikely to be anyone's actual name (unless their parents were super-weird), perhaps not allowing that one as a display name might help?

[creative_howl]

53 minutes ago, katakatica said:

Some have definitely looked a lot more convincing! 

It's crazy though - this is like the 5th BE CAREFUL post on this and YET several people seem to fall for this every single day. 

Thank you for trying to raise awareness! We've discussed it before but the more posts on it the better. It's pretty awful (and some people might not realise it!)

 

I figured as much. It's crazy how often people fall for this kinda things. Saving at least one person is a win!

 

1 minute ago, catwriter said:

They're becoming desperate enough to contact even sellers who have been on Fiverr for ages... Just got a similar message, but Fiverr already caught it and blocked that user.

@Lena, I don't know if Fiverr is now preventing these scammers from putting "Fiverr" in their display name; either way, now they call themselves just "Support". Considering that "Support" is unlikely to be anyone's actual name (unless their parents were super-weird), perhaps not allowing that one as a display name might help?

 

They're pretty good at keeping these guys at bay from what I've experienced so far. I've literally had a scammer message me and get insta banned (which was pretty impressive)

I felt the same way. Usually platforms restrict users being able to use display names like "admin" "support" etc. Unfortunately a few of these guys would slip through the cracks.

[jess_padillaa]

1 hour ago, catwriter said:

They're becoming desperate enough to contact even sellers who have been on Fiverr for ages... Just got a similar message, but Fiverr already caught it and blocked that user.

@Lena, I don't know if Fiverr is now preventing these scammers from putting "Fiverr" in their display name; either way, now they call themselves just "Support". Considering that "Support" is unlikely to be anyone's actual name (unless their parents were super-weird), perhaps not allowing that one as a display name might help?

That's exactly what I'm wondering, it seems Fiverrs is not doing user names validation or scanning possible scam keywords. I just got a similar message from "Fiverr's Support"

[Lena]

14 hours ago, catwriter said:

They're becoming desperate enough to contact even sellers who have been on Fiverr for ages... Just got a similar message, but Fiverr already caught it and blocked that user.

@Lena, I don't know if Fiverr is now preventing these scammers from putting "Fiverr" in their display name; either way, now they call themselves just "Support". Considering that "Support" is unlikely to be anyone's actual name (unless their parents were super-weird), perhaps not allowing that one as a display name might help?

Hey @catwriter 

We have been trying to find a solution for this issue for a while now. Here is the biggest problem - usernames are unique, they can only be used once; display names don't have that rule and can be changed. Believe me when I tell you that we are well aware of the problem and that we trying to fix it asap. 

[katakatica]

8 hours ago, Lena said:

We have been trying to find a solution for this issue for a while now. Here is the biggest problem - usernames are unique, they can only be used once; display names don't have that rule and can be changed. Believe me when I tell you that we are well aware of the problem and that we trying to fix it asap. 

Could you - technically - have rules for display names? (Unless it's an agency or pro account?) Like having to show quick proof of it being your name when you set them up or something? I know that from the buyer side this could be annoying, but it's definitely worrisome that scammers can make (seemingly) hundreds of accounts claiming to be from Support. 

I don't mind display names (nice for people to know our first names and vice versa) but I think spam has gotten worse since they were implemented, just because, well...  they only need to pretend to be Fiverr for half an hour to scam some poor new sellers (and then they can go again.)

I think we've also mentioned just sending out a message (or having a pop-up in the inbox) about this issue could help? I don't know if it really would (I don't always read popups either!) But it could be useful? 

[Lena]

6 hours ago, katakatica said:

Could you - technically - have rules for display names? (Unless it's an agency or pro account?) Like having to show quick proof of it being your name when you set them up or something? I know that from the buyer side this could be annoying, but it's definitely worrisome that scammers can make (seemingly) hundreds of accounts claiming to be from Support. 

I don't mind display names (nice for people to know our first names and vice versa) but I think spam has gotten worse since they were implemented, just because, well...  they only need to pretend to be Fiverr for half an hour to scam some poor new sellers (and then they can go again.)

I think we've also mentioned just sending out a message (or having a pop-up in the inbox) about this issue could help? I don't know if it really would (I don't always read popups either!) But it could be useful? 

Thank you @katakatica for sharing your concerns about display names and the potential for misuse by scammers.

Implementing stricter rules for display names, like verification, could help moderate these issues. It might be inconvenient to some users initially, but it could enhance safety. We have discussed pop-ups but like you said not everyone reads pop-ups, so it minimizes our chances to raise awareness among users. I'll share your valuable suggestions with our team. If you have any more ideas or concerns, feel free to share them with me by sending me a message. 

[catwriter]

46 minutes ago, Lena said:

Implementing stricter rules for display names, like verification, could help moderate these issues. It might be inconvenient to some users initially

I'm using a nickname, not my actual name, and I'm pretty certain that there are many users not using their actual name (without trying to scam anyone), so yes, it might be inconvenient. 🙂 Not to mention confusing to buyers if they see that I'm mentioned under one name in previous reviews, and suddenly they see another name.

Isn't it possible to make it impossible to use certain words as display names? I know that Facebook does it (for example, I know for a fact that you can't use "Psycho" as your name on Facebook), and @creative_howl mentioned platforms that don't let users use display names like "admin" or "support".

[maitasun]

7 minutes ago, catwriter said:

Isn't it possible to make it impossible to use certain words as display names? I know that Facebook does it (for example, I know for a fact that you can't use "Psycho" as your name on Facebook), and @creative_howl mentioned platforms that don't let users use display names like "admin" or "support".

Exactly. Fiverr can simply blacklist certain words—and the more, the merrier—so they can't be used in usernames or display names.

[creative_howl]

23 minutes ago, catwriter said:

I'm using a nickname, not my actual name, and I'm pretty certain that there are many users not using their actual name (without trying to scam anyone), so yes, it might be inconvenient. 🙂 Not to mention confusing to buyers if they see that I'm mentioned under one name in previous reviews, and suddenly they see another name.

Isn't it possible to make it impossible to use certain words as display names? I know that Facebook does it (for example, I know for a fact that you can't use "Psycho" as your name on Facebook), and @creative_howl mentioned platforms that don't let users use display names like "admin" or "support".

 

I think this should be the proper balance. Have blacklisted display names that are likely to be used by scammers. They can monitor reports over time and add more words to strengthen security.

[vickiespencer]

I received this text through an email notification from Fiverr, but I was busy working on an order.

By the time I checked my inbox, I found this. 

[donnovan86]

8 hours ago, vickiespencer said:

By the time I checked my inbox, I found this. 

 

I got it yesterday as well.

[desmond_aubery]

Would it help to mail a copy of a suspicious message directly to Fiverr Support - for their advice and/or further action?

[shaon_design]

these scams are getting out of hand.

I got 3 knocks in the last 24 hours

Edited June 20 by shaon_design

[Lena]

Heeeey All!

I have some amazing news! 🙌🏼 

We have applied a policy prohibiting the use of the words "Fiverr" or "Support" in any part of the username or display name. Additionally, we have updated Fiverr's Community Standards to make sure that all Community Members are fully aware of the new rule.

Thank you All for your valuable suggestions and feedback! @catwriter @katakatica @vickiespencer 

Have a great day! 🙂