Fraudsters exploit system loopholes and rob you of your money

Vinted is a popular shopping app where you can buy and sell used items. From clothing to electronics, there are plenty of second-hand items to be found. But scammers are targeting the much-used app and its users. With a nasty scam, they are currently depriving many customers of their money.

Brazen scam at Vinted: Fraudsters trick the shopping app

At the popular shopping app for second-hand items Vinted seems to be piling up cases of fraud. Forum posts in which affected users report their negative experiences bear witness to this. According to this, the fraudsters use a trick to undermine the seller protection and collect money without ever sending the goods on offer.

Normally, this is how it works: You order an item, pay for example via PayPal and activates buyer protection for an extra fee. Vinted then keeps the money until the seller has sent the shipping confirmation for the selected item and the delivery is confirmed. Buyers can lodge a complaint within 2 days after an item is shown in the system as delivered if something is wrong with it.

According to the complaints of fraud victims However, scammers can misdate shipping and delivery. Articles are considered delivered in the system – days or weeks before they were ordered (source: Vinted forum). The fraudsters are actually screwing Vinted, but the customers bear the damage.

Because they can because of the wrong date no longer respond within the 2-day period. It is particularly perfidious that buyers’ money is pulled out of their pockets via an additional security function. Because they neither get their money back without further ado – nor do they usually receive the goods they have bought.

Here are some tips to save money when shopping online:

Vinted Support: Rarely any help

If you paid via PayPal, you can still use it to get your money back. According to affected users, this could be a lower rating at Vinted or even a blocking of the account have as a consequence. Noisy Focus Vinted has so far left the fraud victims alone with the problem, at most giving automated answers to user complaints. In some cases, however, it is said to have led to reimbursement when victims of fraud contact Vinted.