Vinted Scam: Teen Almost Falls Victim, Mom Steps In Just in Time

A girl almost got scammed on Vinted; her mom, Kerry, stopped it just in time. Kerry thought her daughter knew about online fraud, but she overheard her giving bank info to a stranger and realized they needed to learn more about online safety. Her daughter wasn’t buying; she was selling clothes.

The scammer almost tricked her. Kerry said it was a learning experience. The daughter wanted pocket money for the summer and posted a top, and someone offered full price quickly, skipping the usual Vinted haggling scene.

The daughter had bought on Vinted before, but this was her first time selling. She got a link to a non-Vinted website and didn’t know it was a scammer. The link asked for her card details, which she entered.

The scammer asked how much money she had, and she said less than £20 was present. The scammer wanted more money and asked for another card linked to £250. Kerry intervened upon overhearing things. Kerry asked, “Hang on, what’s going on?” Her daughter asked for another card use.

Kerry said it sounded very dodgy and didn’t sound like a real Vinted transaction. Vinted stated safety is a top priority; their help center has safe-trading advice and suggests avoiding off-platform talks. Vinted’s rules say users must be 18 and can use security measures to avoid fraud accounts.

Kerry blocked the card and closed the Vinted account. She was very angry about the situation, feeling her daughter was inexperienced and naive, but was relieved she could stop it.

Kerry now realizes teens aren’t as tech-savvy as she thought and she thought she didn’t need to remind her daughter. Scammers are out there, and anyone can be a victim. Someone tried to scam her daughter.

The daughter was grounded from selling; she was embarrassed but learned a lot. Internet safety education is important, as teens get more freedom and may forget safety.

Virgin Media O2 research showed a problem; four in ten teens clicked scam links, which downloaded harmful software.

This research encourages talks about online safety, and parents must talk to teens regularly. Internet Matters states that parents should chat often and verify message sources. They encourage teens to stop and to think about fraud and added that regular online activity conversations are critical.