German Police, independent fact-checker Mimikama, and our internal investigation have found no credible evidence of child trafficking on Vinted

 

AT A GLANCE

  • German police, independent fact-checker Mimikama and our own internal investigation have found no credible evidence of child trafficking on Vinted 

  • We are removing deliberately faked and ‘trap’ listings and taking action on the accounts involved, including bans

  • We will continue to investigate and collaborate with the relevant authorities as they conduct their own investigation

 

 

Vilnius, 30th of June, 2026 – You may have seen posts on social media, or recent news coverage, suggesting that listings on Vinted are linked to child trafficking. We want to address this directly and clearly.

 

We have found no credible evidence of child trafficking on Vinted

German police and independent fact-checker Mimikama have found no credible evidence of child trafficking on Vinted. We have thoroughly investigated the listings currently being shared online and share this conclusion. German police, who have received a number of reports relating to this topic, have likewise stated that the evidence points to fake listings, not real trafficking.

 

The age shown on these listings refers to the age group the toy is intended for - much like the age label on a toy's packaging - not to a child. This field is used across all our categories, not only clothing. The unusually high prices we've seen either reflect genuine collector value, jokes, negotiation tactics commonly used between buyers and sellers, mistakes, or attention-seeking behaviour.

 

Some listings are deliberately faked and we act on them

We've seen some members creating fake listings designed to "catch" suspected wrongdoers, or contacting other users while posing as buyers and threatening to report them to the police. While we understand the concern behind this, some behaviour may amount to harassment of legitimate users. It makes it harder for us to moderate the platform effectively, and can interfere with genuine investigations. 

 

We are taking action against accounts engaged in this kind of behaviour, just as we would for any other rule violation. Where listings are deliberately faked or fabricated to fuel this conversation, we remove them swiftly and take action on the accounts involved, including bans.

 

We are working closely with the relevant authorities

We are collaborating closely with the competent authorities as they conduct their own investigation into this matter, including the French Office for Minors and law enforcement authorities. Where we identify activity that warrants it, we share our findings directly with the relevant authorities ourselves.

We have zero tolerance for behaviour that puts our members at risk and will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities, and we will provide any support needed to help investigate credible concerns if any are found.

 

Safety is our top priority

We want everyone to feel safe on Vinted. We take action every time we become aware of a suspicious listing - both through our own detection tools and via reports from members - and we review every case carefully. If a listing or a member's behaviour goes against our rules, we have a number of procedures in place; this may include banning accounts and carrying out further investigation.

 

We encourage anyone who sees a listing that concerns them to report it directly so we can review it.

 

 

Sources and further reading:
Mimikama fact-check
 Snopes fact-check