A local artist who was nearly scammed out of thousands of dollars, has warned others to be cautious of the same.
Joy Neasley has sold her watercolor paintings of animals, flowers and other wildlife on the site Etsy for a few years, and has never had any problems. However, a recent interaction with a potential customer from Finland raised some red flags.
A William Poncy from Poncy Stores Online emailed Neasley to place a large order including multiple paintings. After an email correspondence, he demanded she use a particular shipping company for the order. When Neasley reached out to Express Delivery Service Limited, the company asked her to pay thousands of dollars in shipping fees up front using a wire transfer from her bank.
“It sounded kind of odd they were requiring that,” said Neasley. “When they mentioned the wire transfer, I knew it was a scam.”
Neasley didn’t fall for it, but if she had, it would have cost her $13,000 and exposed her bank account information. She said she wants the hundreds of Nashville artists who use Etsy to be aware of the scam.
“That would put some of us out of business,” said Neasley. “If a buyer is wanting information and is not wanting to follow the rules, they aren’t legitimate.”
A spokesperson for Etsy said they have been in touch with Neasley about the situation. Sellers on the site have the right to refuse service to a buyer if they do not wish to complete the transaction. Etsy also posts information online on how customers can spot potential scams and report the incidents: https://www.etsy.com/help/article/336
For more information on Neasley’s work visit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/joyneasleystudios
