The 4 big Vinted scams conning thousands out of shoppers – including the sneaky paper plate trick
SHOPPING second-hand online has surged in popularity in recent years as shoppers look to make more eco-friendly decisions.
But with great attention comes greater risk; cyber criminals are capitalising on the uptake of platforms like Vinted to con innocent users out of thousands of pounds.
The golden rule with all second-hand sites is never complete transactions off the app.
And you should never give out personal details or click on links sent by someone you don’t know.
However, scammers are still finding clever ways to swindle people out of thousands of pounds.
Fabulous takes a look at the four most prevalent Vinted scams conning shoppers out of thousands.
And what’s more, cybersecurity expert Tom Holloway has shared his top tips for staying safe on the app.
The Chatbot Scam
Jen Howland fell victim to the chatbot scam when she first joined the Vinted, which left her £200 short.
She sold a £5 skirt and from an unknown account in Vinted’s chat feature, was sent a link to a website to “set up an account” to be able to withdraw the money.
Once she clicked into the link, Jen tried to enter the details for her Natwest bank to withdraw the funds but received a message from the website’s chatbot saying the high-street bank wasn’t accepted.
Instead, it advised her to use an online bank, so she set up an account with Revolut through a link provided by the chatbot.
The chatbot then told her she needed to deposit £200 in the account to “get it up and running”.
Within seconds of the money going into the online bank account, scammers with access to Jen’s Revolut rinsed it of £198.
They were speaking to her through the fake Vinted chatbot the whole time, and even tried to convince her to deposit another £200 to stop her Revolut account from being “frozen”.
Jen soon realised she had been scammed and wasn’t able to retrieve the stolen funds from Revolut or through Vinted.
She bravely shared her story on TikTok to help other new sellers, with people in the comments hammering home that you should never click on external links.
The WhatsApp Scam
This scam follows a similar format to the chatbot one: buyers will ask you to text them to complete the purchase and will send you a link once you do, typically over WhatsApp.
When you click on it, you’ll be redirected to a payment gateway with the Vinted logo on top of it.
The website will prompt you to fill in your card details to receive the payment – but something will “go wrong” with the transaction.
You’ll then receive a WhatsApp or text message from a different number posing as your bank and instructing you to log into your online banking and approve a push notification.
As soon as a seller or buyer tries to discuss anything outside of the app, alarm bells should ring
Tom Holloway
We’re all aware that when making an unusual, large or new purchase, your bank will ask you to confirm in the app that it’s you.
This is exactly what the scammers are trying to make you do: approve a payment to their account, which they’ve sent through following the bank details you entered into the dodgy website earlier.
“The way the payment system on Vinted is designed means that you should never have to share any personal details,” Tom, head of cybersecurity at Redcentric, says.
“That includes sharing your address, bank details or email address in a direct message within the app, or on WhatsApp.
“And as soon as a seller or buyer tries to discuss anything outside of the app, alarm bells should ring.”
Paper Plate Scam
This a scam en masse that fraudsters will chance their luck with, as they won’t typically get away with it.
You will see a bargain on their page, buy it and wait for it to arrive. But when the tracked parcel does arrive, it’s just a paper plate inside an envelope.
If you’re a regular on the app, you’ll know to raise a dispute with Vinted, provide proof of what arrived and get your money back.
But there’s only a two day window for you to report issues before the order is automatically marked as completed and the seller gets your cash.
Fraudsters exciting this scam are trying their luck with the buyers who don’t report the issue with their order within the two day window.
The Buyer Scam
Picture this: you’ve sold a good item at a bargain price, posted it on time and waited patiently for your money.
But then the buyer claims the item arrived totally damaged or that something different was in the parcel… Yeah, it’s a scam.
There’s no way for Vinted to tell if the buyer is lying or telling the truth, so you could see yourself out of pocket with this common scam.
Film yourself wrapping up the parcel so you have evidence of it being packaged up
Tom Holloway
Due to Buyer Protection, Vinted promises shoppers they’ll receive a refund if the item arrives damaged or not as described.
As Vinted investigates these claims on a case-by-case basis, there’s no knowing whether you’ll be out of pocket.
Cybersecurity whizz Tom says that this scam is particularly prevalent with higher price items.
“To protect yourself from this happening, film yourself wrapping up the parcel so you have evidence of it being packaged up,” he recommends.
“If a buyer then claims they have received the wrong item, you can ask for images to be sent that you can then match up with the videos or images you initially took.”
In any case, it’s best to outline that you think you’re being scammed to Vinted.
Tom's Top Tips for Staying Safe on Vinted
- Check their reviews
A seller or buyer with lots of five star reviews is highly unlikely to be a scammer. If they appear to be new to Vinted and have very few reviews, then you need to be more cautious. Make sure you read through their reviews too, to check they are from a variety of accounts and have been for a variety of transactions.
- Check their imagery and previously sold items
Make sure you take a good look at their previously sold items, as well as the item you are buying. Does their imagery look legitimate and as though it’s been taken by themselves… or has it been screen-grabbed from an existing image online?
If you’re unsure, you can do a reverse Google image search to see if the image appears anywhere else online.
- Never give out your e-mail
If a buyer or seller asks for your phone number or email address, even if it’s to send you a confirmation email of the postage (as they claim), do not share your details.
Once they have your personal contact details, they may send you a pretend ‘your item has been sold’ email with their address and ask you to post the item, even though you haven’t been paid.
- Never give out your phone number
If they have your phone number, they may message you to ask for your bank or card details, or send you a PayPal link to pay for the item directly.
There is never a reason for these discussions to happen outside of the Vinted app.
If you are asked for your personal information, it’s important that you report the account with Vinted immediately.
It comes after Martin Lewis, the MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder explained how Vinted has been told to report sellers’ earnings to HMRC.
The new rules which came into place earlier this year means the second hand selling site will pass on data to HMRC if you sell 30 or more items a year, or if you earn over £1,700 .
This is because anyone selling items online has to pay tax if they earn £1,000 or more.
This isn’t a new tax. Those who earn over £1,000 have always had to declare income and fill in a self assessment tax return by it gives the taxman greater visibility over what you earn.
You’re unlikely to be affected if you only sell a handful of second-hand items online each year.