A preliminary investigation has been opened following reports concerning advertisements posted on Vinted. These ads, presented as sales of toys or innocuous items, sometimes displayed extremely high prices and included age or size information that some users found troubling. The Office for Minors has been contacted to determine whether these reports might reveal anything more than simply dubious or misinterpreted advertisements.
Ads for toys costing tens of thousands of euros
The case gained momentum after screenshots of suspicious advertisements were shared on social media. Some offered figurines or seemingly worthless items for very high prices, sometimes around 30 000 eurosWhat particularly alarmed internet users were certain details included in the ads: age, height, descriptions that could be interpreted as referring not to the item being sold, but to a child. One ad mentioning a “Harry Potter figurine” priced at €30,000, in particular, generated a massive amount of discussion. Internet users felt that statements such as “13 years old” ou “1m58” could constitute a coding system.
The courts have been notified following reports.
Given the scale of the issue, an investigation has been launched to verify the veracity of the reported facts. Authorities are seeking to determine whether certain advertisements may be part of an organized system, deliberately ambiguous, misinterpreted, or staged to provoke.
Sellers deny any criminal intent
Several sellers targeted by these complaints maintain that they were indeed selling toys or collectibles. Some explain that the age ratings indicated refer to the recommended age for the toy, not to a specific individual. The very high prices may also, depending on the circumstances, be the result of an attempt at negotiation, a deliberately provocative advertisement, a mistake, or the sale of an item presented as rare or collectible.
A false lead was also mentioned.
The case was complicated by advertisements published in ambiguous or provocative contexts. In one publicly discussed case, a supposed seller presented as a suspect turned out to be a 17-year-old high school student who claimed to have posted an ad to trap predators. This illustrates the difficulty of quickly distinguishing between a genuinely criminal advertisement, a provocation, a bad joke, an attempt to denounce someone, or a simple misinterpretation.
Vinted claims to have found no link to trafficking
The platform states that it has reviewed the reported ads and affirms that it has not identified any evidence linking them to child trafficking. It also asserts that it does not tolerate any inappropriate content and takes action when a suspicious ad is detected, including cooperating with authorities if necessary.
