It is becoming more and more common to frequent applications and websites to buy and sell second-hand clothes . And among the existing ones, one of the most popular is Vinted , where many users find clothes that have already been used at prices much lower than what they would cost in new stores. But this application is not free from the possibility of suffering from scams of different kinds.
To avoid scams, the first thing you need to know is that the person you are buying and selling with is trying to scam you. And if you have already suffered from this, try to recover your money. Below we give you all the guidelines you need to know.
- How to spot a scam on Vinted
- Messages within Vinted
- Emails or SMS
- What to do if you think you’ve been scammed on Vinted
How to spot a scam on Vinted
The most common way to close a purchase or sale on Vinted is through the chat that we find in the application itself. And there are many scammers who use this method directly to try to attract their victims, since in principle it is more realistic and more credible for someone to send you a message directly in the application. But there are some aspects that can help you realize that you are about to be scammed.
You should suspect that a message you have received from Vinted is a scam if you encounter any of these situations:
- You are asked for your login credentials . You should never, under any circumstances, give anyone the password to access your Vinted account. It is not necessary for buying or selling, and if someone asks you for it, there is probably something shady going on.
- They ask for your bank details . The safest way to buy or sell on Vinted is to use the payment platform in the app itself, or even meet in person and pay in hand. Giving your bank account number or your bank card to a stranger is never a good idea.
- They ask you for very personal information . If someone asks you for your home address or your ID number, be suspicious. Don’t forget that you are ultimately talking to strangers, and giving them very private information is a way of putting yourself at risk.
- They ask you to switch to another messaging service . If they ask you to send them the information via WhatsApp or similar to close the sale, it is possible that they are trying to get you off the platform to make it more difficult for you to file a claim.
Emails or SMS
You may also be scammed via SMS or email asking for information or telling you that you have won a voucher to buy on Vinted.
The first thing you should keep in mind in this case is that Vinted does not communicate with users via SMS . Therefore, if you have received a text message indicating that it comes from the platform, you should be wary, as it is a scam. The second-hand app communicates with its customers via email or messages within the platform.
As for emails, the best way to make sure that you are not being scammed is to look at the address from which you are receiving the email. Normally, if the email is real, it will come from the address [email protected] , although the platform team could also try to contact you through the addresses [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] . If you see that the email has arrived from a different address, it will be a sign that it is another user who is trying to scam you.
Other details that can help us decipher if someone is trying to scam us through Vinted are typos . A real message from the platform will never include spelling mistakes or sentences that don’t make much sense. And in the event that the email arrives with a link, make sure that said link takes you to the official Vinted website . If not, it’s a scam. Especially if they ask for your bank details or any kind of particularly private information that the application shouldn’t need at all.
What to do if you think you’ve been scammed on Vinted
It is possible that even though you have tried to be careful, you have ended up falling for a scam on the second-hand buying and selling app. In that case, the important thing now is to try to recover your money if it has been stolen from you or to prevent it from happening in time. And it is also important that you collaborate to prevent the scammer from continuing to scam more people . Some steps that you should take in the event that you have suffered a scam are the following:
- Call your bank immediately . If your card has already been stolen, they will tell you if it is possible to recover your money. And if you have given your card number to another user, it is important that you block it immediately, to prevent them from being able to continue making purchases with it.
- Contact the police : If you have been robbed, it is essential that you report it. Firstly, because otherwise it will be totally impossible to recover your money, and secondly, to try to stop the scammer from continuing to do so.
- Report to Vinted : In order for the platform to be able to help you, you must contact Vinted by sending an email to [email protected] explaining what the scam consisted of and the profile or username from which it was perpetrated.
Although all of these actions can help you, it is important to keep in mind that it is not always possible to recover money when you have been scammed on Vinted or any other platform of this type. Therefore, we especially recommend that you take preventive measures to avoid scams before it is too late.