Account permanently closed before store creation – possible false positive or past account compromise

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment
1

Hi everyone,

I’m writing to ask for some feedback and to understand whether anyone has experienced a situation similar to mine.

I’ve been using Shopify for approximately 5 years for legitimate activities fully compliant with the platform’s policies. Until recently, I had never received warnings, notices, or enforcement actions related to policy violations.

Over the past few months, however, I’ve noticed an unusual pattern: any new Shopify account or attempt to start a project associated with my details gets automatically closed, even before a store is created or any content is published. This has happened multiple times, and the most recent attempt resulted in a permanent account closure at a very early stage.

Because these closures occur before any real store configuration, products, or content are added, I’m struggling to understand what is triggering the block. This has led me to consider the possibility that one or more past accounts may have been compromised or accessed without my authorization, potentially causing flags to be associated with my details.

For clarity:

  • I have never sold prohibited products

  • I have never used deceptive or misleading practices

  • I have never knowingly violated Shopify’s policies

The most recent project was intended exclusively for the sale of a digital guide in PDF format, with a one-time payment and instant digital delivery.

I have already submitted a formal appeal to Shopify requesting a manual review or a security check. However, several days have passed without receiving any response, and I’m currently unable to connect with live support or chat assistance.

In the meantime, I wanted to ask the community:

  • has anyone experienced a similar situation?

  • are there any practical suggestions on how to deal with potential false positives or issues related to past account compromise?

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience or offer guidance.

Thanks for your time and support.

5

Hi @StefanoTaino

This sounds like a “linked account” ban, which is an automated response from Shopify’s Risk Operations team.

Regarding your suspicion of a compromised account, you can verify this by logging into your main Shopify ID. If you see any shops there that you did not create, your credentials may have been used by bad actors to launch fraudulent stores, which effectively “poisoned” your personal details.

I wish you all the best!