After the Zalando trick, scammers found a new way to scam money on Vinted. The forums are currently full of entries about a very perfidious trick: as soon as the victims have ordered an item from Vinted and paid for it via the system, they receive a message just seconds later that the package has already been delivered. The money is already gone.
A click on the shipment tracking shows the machinations of the fraudsters: The alleged package was sent weeks ago – before the order was even placed. Entering the zip code also spits out an “Invalid”.
Basically, Vinted orders via the system actually work like this: The customer usually pays the shopping provider via PayPal. In return, he receives buyer protection, which is offset proportionately against the amount to be paid. Now the seller has to send the goods in a row via the desired shipping service provider. To prove this, he gives the tracking number to Vinted. The money transferred remains with Vinted until the shipping service provider has confirmed the delivery. The buyer then has two days to confirm the delivery as well and to “activate” the money as a result.
If this two-day deadline is not met, the money automatically goes to the seller and the buyer then has no more opportunity to lodge a complaint.
This is exactly where the fraudster’s trick comes in: Since the date of the alleged delivery is usually several weeks in the past, the buyer can no longer respond with a complaint. The two-day period was, so to speak, annulled. There is usually no more feedback from the seller and the money is gone. Vinted’s buyer protection no longer applies.
A CHIP editor has also become a victim of this scam. Actually, she just wanted to buy a summer dress, then the wrong tracking number came. Afterwards, she noticed that the affected articles were subsequently relisted and that other accounts were also using the same product images. She then wrote to Vinted directly via the two possible complaint channels on the site. Both times, however, she only received an automated response. The deadline had already passed and she had not reported at the time. An objection is therefore no longer possible.
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The only way out: the shopping platform apparently reacts to a message from PayPal, as can be seen from several user reports. However, the users also report that they were threatened with termination by standardized email as a result of their complaint. Customers should therefore withdraw the claims from PayPal, otherwise their Vinted account may be deleted.
Our colleague saw an e-mail to the address legal@vinted.de as her last resort – here too, however, initially only a standard e-mail reply came.
Vinted itself is now also reacting to the numerous complaints and responds to CHIP’s request as follows:
“As C2C online platforms grow in popularity, so does the risk of these platforms being targeted by scammers. Platform member security has always been a top priority at Vinted, and security teams work daily to provide the community with the best possible To ensure protection, the security measures are regularly checked and improved, and new tools for secure transactions on the platform are developed in order to be able to counteract newly emerging fraud methods in a timely manner.
Vinted is aware of the mentioned scheme with expired tracking links. Work is already underway on additional security measures to contain this scam. The specifics of how to deal with this type of scam cannot be given in detail as scammers could use this information to their advantage. Requests from affected members who have used Vinted’s buyer protection will be reviewed by the support team.
If CS has been able to validate the above fraud scheme, appropriate refunds will be issued. Vinted points out that, according to the applicable General Terms and Conditions, inquiries should be reported via the Vinted platform so that buyer protection can take effect – regardless of which payment service provider the transaction was processed through. “
The second-hand platform provides additional tips so that you can continue shopping on the site without any worries:
“In order to trade safely on online platforms, it is also advisable to observe a few general tips before making a purchase. These include, among other things, the price-performance ratio offered, the ratings of the seller(s), the quality of the pictures, product descriptions and other offers to check and to contact the member via the chat function if there are any open questions.Vinted users can help to increase security on the platform by reporting suspicious content directly to customer service via the app.
Vinted also informs its members about safety tips to sell and buy safely on Vinted in the Help Center:
The colleague was persistent and repeatedly provided screenshots of the course of the transaction. In the end, the shopping platform gave in and refunded the amount. Those affected should also not hesitate and report the incident to Vinted immediately. Preferably in German and English.
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The original of this post “New scam at Vinted undermines buyer protection – now the shopping app is reporting” comes from chip.de.
