ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A local online jewelry business says hackers drained its Shopify account to 18 cents, leaving sales, restocks and shipping at a standstill.
“You always hear about hackers, like, ‘Oh, we got hacked.’ Like, that’s not uncommon, but I don’t know, this just felt different. It’s not like an Instagram account. It’s like a bank account” said Cassandra Rose Cooper, one of the co-owners. “It’s everything you know that we have.”
How the business got started
Amanda Stevenson started Southwest Statements in 2022 after growing up around southwestern jewelry.
Stevenson later brought on Cooper as a co-owner.
“We’ve grown up around southwestern jewelry our whole lives, and was inspired whenever my grandma passed down some heirloom pieces,” said Amanda Stevenson.
The two run the online business out of their homes. They said Shopify helped them manage e-commerce, their website and banking in one place.
“It’s really nice not to have the overhead cost of a brick and mortar and having a place to be every day or staff to be filling so online just made the most sense,” said Stevenson.
And then came the hacking…
But earlier this week, the pair said they realized their account had been drained to 18 cents.
“1000s of small charges on our Shopify account that were like $2 and under, sometimes hundreds a day,” said Stevenson.
They said they believe they lost between $2,000 and $4,000. They also said they cannot run ads, sign up for new markets and had to shut down their website.
Cooper said comments on their video show other small businesses have dealt with the same problem.
“This is not uncommon. This happens to small businesses all the time,” said Cooper. “And you know, no matter what the range is, it hurts. It hurts, and it’s like a big, a big kick in the stomach.”
“It’s not being robbed at gunpoint, but it almost feels like that,” said Stevenson.
How you can still help
Southwest Statements said people can still direct message the business on Instagram to shop its stock and arrange a local pickup, and the business plans to be at two upcoming markets: Four Sixes in Santa Fe on April 25 and Casa Rondeña Winery on May 10.
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