Vinted scams: How to spot and avoid them

Vinted began as a Lithuanian startup in 2008, and it’s now considered one of Europe’s leading online platforms for selling and buying pre-owned goods; it was downloaded over 28 million times worldwide throughout 2024. Vinted is Lithuania’s first “unicorn company,” reaching a one billion dollar valuation in 2019. As of early 2026, they’ve hard launched a major US expansion, providing more options for savvy American secondhand shoppers.

Similar to other customer-to-customer (C2C) marketplaces like Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay, Vinted allows users to buy and sell used items, from clothing to home goods to electronics and more. Many users have positive experiences on Vinted, but it’s still a place where scammers prey on both shoppers and sellers alike.

What are some common Vinted scams?

Many Vinted scams boil down to a mismatch between what buyers expect and what they end up getting, such as with counterfeit item scams, doctored pictures, or goods that are more damaged than the listing lets on. On the other side of the coin, dishonest buyers can falsely claim an item was missing or damaged in order to get a refund.

Other Vinted scams start with a scammer favorite: phishing messages asking for personal details. While Vinted warns users against sending personal details in direct messages, it doesn’t deter scammers from asking anyway. But there are a few other common scam tactics I’ve experienced on the app too, like off-platform payment demands and account farms selling counterfeit items.

Scams on C2C marketplaces are fairly common. In 2025, our research team commissioned a survey on social media marketplaces scams. After analyzing the responses of 1,000 U.S. adults, we found that roughly four in ten people (41%) had encountered one — a figure that jumps to 60% for those in the 18-24 age bracket.

Here are some of the most common scams I’ve encountered in my time buying, selling, and browsing on Vinted over the past few years.

Account farms selling counterfeit goods

Since Vinted sellers must undergo basic account verification before withdrawing or using their balance, fraudsters often spread inventory across multiple seller accounts to get away with their schemes.

One tactic I’ve seen on Vinted is multiple accounts selling exactly one or two non-luxury, but still valuable items. In theory, these sets of accounts (account farms) each list just a small part of a scammer's inventory so that when one account is reported and banned, the others survive. Even if the accounts have the verification checkmark and they seem to be from different places, creating a throwaway email address is enough to fake it. As for location, it’s self-reported. Once they sell a few items per account, either through Vinted or by convincing buyers to pay off-platform, they can cash in on those sales while staying well below the earnings threshold that triggers extra identity verification.

The screenshots below are an example of what a suspected account farm on Vinted looks like — multiple accounts selling one or two Cotopaxi (an outdoor brand) products. Note that the sellers are verified only through email, which is easy to fake, and they have a low (or nonexistent) follower count.

While investigating, I also checked the reviews for the sellers above and found that one buyer openly accused one of them of sending them a fake Cotopaxi backpack, which the seller denied.

Vinted’s internal spam-detection systems can spot some of them, but as a buyer, counterfeit account farms like this are generally hard to spot unless you’re searching for a specific item or brand or you notice patterns in the listings. Especially when the item you want is labeled “In demand,” (the listing is getting significant buyer attention in a short time) you may be more tempted to purchase without investigating. But, we recommend always checking a seller’s information, reviews, and other listings before buying an item.

Look out for these counterfeit red flags in Vinted listings:

• Designer items at too-good-to-be-true prices or without proof of authentication.
• Bad reviews, or reviews reporting that the seller is hawking fake goods.
• The item’s tag doesn’t match tags from that brand in the Vintage Fashion Guild’s Labels resource.
• The brand logo doesn’t match what you find on the brand’s official website.
• The seller has a few similar products and nothing else listed, which could indicate it’s part of a counterfeit account farm.
• The seller has very few reviews.
• You can’t find evidence that the designer has ever created an item like the one in the listing.

Fake pictures in listings

Some scammers edit images to hide stains, tears, or other damage, while others steal photos from legitimate listings or brand websites. Increasingly, scammers are also using AI to generate realistic-looking images.

One red flag I’ve noticed is listings with polished, studio-style photos that don’t look like they’ve been taken by the seller. Performing a reverse image search of a suspicious photo can sometimes reveal that it was copied from another website or marketplace. If you’re unsure, ask the seller for extra pictures showing the item from different angles or alongside a handwritten note with their username and the date. A legitimate seller should have no problem providing them.

Sometimes, if the item is “new with tags” the seller may use catalogue images so they don’t need to take their own. But you should always double check what the actual item looks like.

Look out for these signs that listing photos may not be genuine:

• The photos look overly polished, like a picture you might see in a brand’s catalogue, and they’re not accompanied by pictures of the real item.
• The seller is using an AI “model” to display the item.
• The seller refuses to provide additional photos when asked.
• Reverse image search shows the same pictures on other websites or older listings.
• Small details, like logos, labels, or stitching, appear blurry, distorted, or inconsistent, which can be a sign of AI-generated or heavily edited images.

Here are two examples of fake listing photos I found while shopping on Vinted. One uses an AI-generated model to showcase a sweater, while the other features a backpack photo that was clearly lifted from a product catalog.

When I reported the first picture to Vinted, the platform took action, agreeing that using AI pictures in listings violated their community standards.

If you receive an item from Vinted that looks significantly different from the listing pictures, don’t tap “Everything is OK.” Instead:

1. Open the order in your messages with the seller.
2. Tap I have an issue. Select the reason that best matches the problem.
3. Upload clear photos showing how the item differs from the listing.
4. Submit your refund request within 2 days of Vinted notifying you that the order was delivered. Vinted will pause the transaction while the seller responds and the case is reviewed.

Scammers love it when you agree to pay for an item off platform. And it can be tempting if the seller is offering you better prices, free shipping, or a way to avoid Vinted fees, but in reality the scammer may never send your item. The sketchy seller may insist that you use PayPal Friends & Family, a bank transfer, or Venmo, for example, instead of Vinted’s internal payment system; if you do, you’ll lose the buyer protection Vinted requires for every transaction and you’ll have proof that you were ripped off.

Using a P2P payment app instead of Vinted also means that no official sale is recorded in-app, so the scam seller is free to keep reusing the same listings over and over again — at least until they’re caught and banned (if ever).

Generally, I’ve seen this scam in practice directly in seller profiles and listings, where they add a disclaimer like, “I don’t sell through the ‘Buy Now’ button,” which is the way transactions on Vinted begin. While some of these sellers may very well be legitimate and just looking for a way to get more eyes on their personal resale website, it’s usually not worth the risk unless you can meet in person, see the item, and pay cash.

The screenshot below is an example of how I usually see off-platform payment scams begin: the seller openly states that they don’t use the official Vinted payment option.

For buyers to know: Vinted’s buyer protection fee is mandatory for every order made on the app and is calculated at checkout. This is in place for your own protection and to help keep buyers and sellers on the platform; the policies ensure you have extra protection against fraud and support from their team in case anything goes wrong, like if your item never arrives or is not the same thing you paid for. If a seller urges you to send money off platform and promises cheaper shipping than what’s available via Vinted, it’s best to look for an item listing with a different seller.

For sellers to know: Vinted’s seller protection also only applies if you’re paid within Vinted’s system. If the buyer forgets to confirm the purchase arrived safely, you’ll still get paid via a secure platform that protects your data. Vinted’s extra safety measures are on your side in case of fraudulent refund requests.

Phishing messages

Good, old-fashioned phishing: it can happen on Vinted, too. But instead of the usual phishing emails you might come across in your inbox, the majority of phishing attempts on Vinted happen within the app itself.

I’ve come across phishing scams on Vinted a few times before. Here’s one example: a “buyer” sent a direct message via one of my posted listings, saying they needed me to verify my identity information before Vinted would allow them to “complete the transaction.” This was, of course, a ruse to get my personal information. The scammer had no intention of buying my item, but they used the temptation of a potential sale to (unsuccessfully) social engineer me.

I’ve also received similar messages before meeting potential buyers in person. In one situation, a few hours before we were set to meet to complete a transaction in cash, the “buyer” asked for my phone number so they could text once they arrived at the agreed-upon location. When I typed in my phone number and hit “Send,” this is the warning I saw:

In both scenarios above, I did not send my phone number to the other user, stating that I preferred to rely on in-app verification and communications — I work cybersecurity, after all. The in-person buyer turned out to be legitimate (though apparently not worried about giving out personal information to strangers) and the in-app buyer ghosted the conversation immediately.

Other types of phishing messages may come in the form of malicious links that a seller sends when you inquire about an item. In my experience, I asked about the material blend of an item and the seller sent back a link, ostensibly to the online shop so I could check for myself. In most cases, a legitimate seller sends a photo of the tags or just writes the materials in a message — never open a link that someone sends you through a Vinted direct message.

Fake tracking notifications

Some scammers have nothing to do with the Vinted app at all, except that they’re trying to impersonate Vinted communications and the shipping companies they work with, such as USPS and FedEx.

These scammers inundate your email and text inboxes with fake tracking notifications to “keep you updated” on items you’ve purchased. Since Vinted does tend to send a lot of emails (as long as your settings allow it), email spoofing can be an easy scam to fall for — particularly if you’re on a shopping spree and replacing your entire wardrobe for vacation this summer by purchasing from many different sellers.

One way to reduce the likelihood of this happening to you is to turn off email notifications in the Vinted app by going to Profile > Settings > Email Notifications and toggling off “Enable email notifications.” That way, if you receive an email, you know it’s not actually from Vinted or the associated shipping company.

Unfair refund requests

It’s not just buyers at risk of Vinted scams: sellers can get scammed, too. One tactic is to falsely claim that the package arrived empty, contained the wrong item, or wasn’t as described. In some cases, a scammer may even return a counterfeit or damaged version of the item they received while keeping the genuine one.

Unfortunately, these disputes can be difficult to prove after the package has left your hands. That’s why I recommend documenting the condition of valuable items before shipping them. Take clear photos from multiple angles and consider recording yourself packing the item, sealing the box, and attaching the shipping label. While this won’t guarantee you’ll win a dispute, it gives you evidence if a buyer makes a fraudulent claim.

How to protect yourself against Vinted scams

By keeping a wary eye out, you too can become a pro at spotting scams on Vinted and keeping yourself safer, whether you’re buying or selling on the Vinted app.

As a general precaution, make sure you use a strong password to keep hackers out and prevent them from potentially draining your Vinted wallet balance, keep your communications to the Vinted app only, and don’t click random links that people send.

Beyond that, keep an eye out for these common red flags in listings, profiles, and communication: suspiciously low prices, brand new accounts, off-platform requests of any kind, and urgent language.

Don’t forget to verify and secure your Vinted account so that people don’t think you’re a potential scammer. Once you do this, no individual buyer or seller should need your personally identifiable information for any reason —  anyone who asks for this kind of information may be phishing.

Best practices for safe buying:

• Look at a seller’s profile and ensure they don’t have multiple listings of the same item, or only a few listings with similar items.
• Make sure the seller is verified on the Vinted app, ideally in more than one way (email, Google, etc.)
• Check to see that the seller has good reviews and they’re not only auto-created ones.
• Checkout using the “Buy now” button so that the transaction is handled through Vinted’s systems, the seller doesn’t see your details, and you’re protected in case the item isn’t what you expected.
• Check that the seller’s profile isn’t brand new and that they have multiple listings showing a variety of things.

Best practices for safe selling:

• Detail everything in your profile and listings. For instance, if you’re a vintage seller, write in your profile and listings that vintage items naturally have wear and tear and won’t be in mint condition — this may protect you if a buyer is trying to claim an item was misrepresented.
• Document your shipping process so you can show proof that you packed the correct item, should a scam buyer try to claim otherwise.
• Don’t send extra personal information to a potential buyer. Shipping costs and companies are built into the sale, so no buyer should need anything else from you.
• If you’re meeting a potential buyer in person, meet in public, and tell them you transact only in cash and that they should bring exact change — it’s faster, safer, and they can’t pull a fast one and dispute the transaction later to get their money back.

Are Vinted’s buyer and seller protections good?

Overall, Vinted’s protections are largely considered decent by the user base, but there are aspects where both buyers and sellers may still be vulnerable.

Vinted’s buyer protections are covered by a mandatory fee in each sale — usually 5% + $0.70 — and include items that are damaged in transit, never arrive, or are significantly not as described. These protections are generally considered good, but some users publicly report that the system doesn’t sufficiently protect against items not delivered or potential tampering during delivery.

If there are any problems with the item and delivery, select the “I have an issue” button within 48 hours of the item being marked as “Received” by you within the app. If you miss the 48-hour time frame, the order will be completed automatically and the payment released to the seller.

Vinted’s seller protections focus heavily on secure, tracked shipping and automatic release of funds, but they offer limited protection against dishonest buyers claiming that the item is not as described. This is generally safe for low-value items, but sellers may be more at-risk here, as return costs and disputes can favor the buyer, especially when dealing with high-value goods.

What to do if you’ve been scammed on Vinted

No matter which type of scam you fall for on Vinted, it’s important to act fast to protect your personal information and finances. The faster you are, the smaller the fallout will be, especially if you gave the scammer sensitive information.

First, use Vinted’s contact form to get in touch with the support team and report the fraudulent user or listing.

If your account was hacked but you still have access, secure it by updating your password and adding Face or Touch ID as a secondary form of verification to get into your profile. Then, report a compromised account directly to Vinted.

If you already gave payment information to a scammer, monitor your transactions and bank accounts for any unusual activity. In some cases, you may be able to dispute a transaction or get your money back.

Protect yourself against scams

Scammers are creative, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fall for their schemes. Norton 360 can help you spot scam emails, texts, and images by analyzing suspicious content and providing real-time guidance. It also helps block phishing attempts by warning you about malicious links and fake websites you might encounter on Vinted.

FAQs

Can I get my money back after a Vinted scam?

It’s possible to get your money back after falling for a scam on Vinted. Their refund policy covers items that are damaged in transit, never arrive, or are significantly not as described. You’ll need to provide proof of any of these issues, which will take some time to verify. If successful, you’ll receive your refund within 5 business days to the same account you originally paid from.

What should I do if my Vinted account is hacked?

If your Vinted account gets hacked, immediately report it to Vinted. If you can still access your account, make sure your email address is still the same before checking your login activity, logging out from any unknown locations, and changing your password. If you cannot access your account, try the steps outlined in Vinted’s help article before reporting the compromised account to Vinted.