I have been receiving emails from “Shopify support teams”. For about a week now all going around in circles saying I broke the law in facing legal actions and the only way to stop it is to pay $230 then it magically “fixes” itself. Now I’ve already shut down, they are still going it is to the point I am going to start moving forward if the threats are not handled immediately, they’ve already pushed to the point I’ve shut it all down and entirely left the platform over this, I’ve asked to speak with a person from the safety team numerous times but to no avail, I need some help here before it gets further out of hand please,
Topic summary
A merchant has been receiving threatening emails for about a week claiming they broke the law and face legal action unless they pay $230. The emails purport to be from “Shopify support teams” and continue even after the merchant shut down their store.
Key developments:
- The merchant suspects a scam but is frustrated by the persistence and inability to reach Shopify’s safety team directly
- They warn that continued threats using Shopify’s brand could damage the platform’s reputation
- A Shopify support representative confirms this is likely a phishing scam, clarifying that Shopify never threatens legal action for unpaid subscriptions (stores are simply frozen)
Recommended actions:
- Forward suspicious emails to phishing@shopify.com
- Review Shopify’s phishing protection resources
- Do not make any payments to these senders
The merchant remains frustrated and has left the platform, stating the situation has escalated from attempted theft to criminal impersonation. The issue appears unresolved from the merchant’s perspective despite official guidance provided.
1 Like
@Thatoneguy2 you have to be very careful of the mails you’re getting as shopify will not tell you to make amount of payment before you can fix any issues. you have closed your store and you still get the mail that means it’s an act of spamming or trying to scam you so you have to be very careful of messages like that before making payement. Is that okay?
Yes absolutely. That’s why I’ve let it go that long. But we are at a point
Shopify is to directly contact me as the ones claiming they work for them
have broken real laws now, this has went from an attempt to steal to quite
simply criminal attempts using the platforms name and brand. This is an
urgent matter and Shopify must reach out as this will directly hurt their
brand significantly
Hi Thatoneguy2,
This is Jose from Shopify. I completely understand your concerns regarding this situation, as it can feel both concerning and intimidating to receive a message stating that you need to pay $230 for “breaking the law and facing legal actions.”
Since I do not have visibility into the emails you are receiving in this community forum, I cannot guarantee that you are being contacted directly by Shopify. Please remember that if you have an active subscription/plan with Shopify and do not pay it, your store will be frozen. However, you will not receive any email stating that you are facing legal actions. This situation seems to be related to phishing.
It is crucial to protect your account from this type of cyber attack. Please forward any malicious messages you receive to Shopify’s inbox at phishing@shopify.com. By building a record of attacks directed at merchants, Shopify can work to better protect you and your information.
For more information on phishing and how you can protect yourself from these types of cyber attacks, please refer to the following links:
If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out.
Best regards,
Jose
Shopify Support Team
1 Like
It is most definitely a scam but it’s gotten to the point that I’ve just
walked away, the support team was either A: unreachable or B: the ones who
really sent threats including today for the 5th day in a row. Saying I have
to speak with another department and pay them to stop legal complications,
I’m over this nonsense