Scammed on Vinted: how the tricks work and what to do next

You get a message saying your sale is on hold until you click a link. Or you open a parcel and find nothing but a printed photo inside. At that moment, all you want to know is whether you will get your money back.

The answer depends less on how clever the scammer was than on one question: did everything happen through the Buy button in the app? Inside that system there are deadlines and a refund policy. Outside it, Vinted’s own help centre says it cannot help you.

Belgian consumer organisation Testaankoop saw a notable number of complaints about Vinted in February 2026. The most reported problems were parcels that never arrived, payments that never came, buyer protection that was not honoured and counterfeits. Below are the tricks that come up most often right now, and what to do in each situation.

The rule that decides almost everything: stay in the app

Vinted is clear about this. Pay and ship through Vinted with the Buy button, and do not leave the platform to talk or to pay. Purchases made outside that system are not covered by the Refund Policy. You then have to sort it out with the other person yourself.

That is why almost every trick in this article tries to move you somewhere else. To WhatsApp, to email, to a payment link or to a website that looks like Vinted. Testaankoop describes the pattern like this: the scammer moves the conversation to email or WhatsApp and sometimes offers more than your asking price. Then comes a payment link that supposedly confirms you are trustworthy.

Someone who offers more than you ask and wants to do it outside the app is not giving you a lucky break. That is the warning sign.

Vinted also states that it is not liable for losses caused by scams or phishing. That makes leaving the app even more costly. You do not just lose the conversation. You lose the party that could step in afterwards.

Spotting fake messages in Vinted’s name

Phishing is the form Vinted itself describes in most detail. Scammers send emails, text messages or chats that look like Vinted. They link to a fake support page that asks for your payment details, or ask you to “confirm” a sale through a link.

Vinted lists these warning signs:

• The message pressures you with a deadline or a threat, such as a blocked account or a cancelled order.
• The message wants you to talk or pay outside Vinted.
• It asks for details Vinted normally already has.
• It contains a link, an attachment or a QR code.
• The address or design looks like Vinted but differs slightly, such as an extra letter, a number or a different colour.

Official messages in the app come from a Vinted account with its own badge.

If in doubt, do not click and check your order directly in the app. Vinted advises contacting its support team when you are unsure. In Belgium you can also forward a suspicious email to verdacht@safeonweb.be, the government’s reporting point. Forwarding is safe, according to Vlaanderen.be, and Safeonweb scans the message.

The QR code and the payment link

A variant that mostly targets sellers: a so-called buyer sends a QR code or a link to “receive” a payment. Dutch consumer programme Kassa described in March 2026 how the page that opens asks for your bank or card details.

On Vinted, a seller does not need to do anything to get paid. As soon as the buyer pays, the amount shows as pending in your Vinted Wallet. Once the order is completed, it becomes available. A request to scan a code or enter details to receive money simply does not match how Vinted works.

If you did enter details, speed matters. Vlaanderen.be advises calling Card Stop on 078 170 170 straight away and contacting your bank. Vinted adds: change your passwords, turn on multi-factor authentication and ask your bank whether a payment can be reversed.

The ‘printed picture scam’: when all you get is a photo

This trick is new enough that Dutch reporting point MAX Meldpunt devoted a separate article to it on 13 October 2026. The listing shows an ordinary item with photos, a title and a price. At the bottom of a long description, it says you will only receive a printed photo of the garment.

The seller really does send a parcel, so there is proof of shipping. Inside is a printed photo. The trick works because buyers mostly look at the photos, the title and the price, and do not read to the end of the description.

Is it fraud or deception? The Dutch Fraudehelpdesk and consumer association Consumentenbond mainly call it deception. More important is what the Consumentenbond adds: the whole listing counts, including the photos, the title, the price and the category. A seller cannot hide behind one sentence buried in a long text.

What to do: report a problem within two days using “I have a problem” in the chat. Photograph the contents of the parcel, keep the packaging and the shipping label and take screenshots of the listing. MAX Meldpunt recommends those steps, and Vinted itself asks for photos of the item and of the inner and outer packaging when you make a claim.

As a seller: the false claim

Scams also run the other way. Testaankoop describes a scheme that spread through TikTok. The buyer claims to have received a different item, for example a board game instead of a jumper. As proof, they send a faked photo of an opened parcel. Vinted refunds the buyer and the seller never sees the money.

Kassa also reports false damage claims with photos that are sometimes made with AI. Buyers who claim a branded item is fake also come up. With that last claim, it matters that counterfeits are banned on Vinted. If you cannot prove the item is genuine, the claim can go against you. How that procedure works is covered in what happens if you sell a counterfeit item on Vinted.

You build your defence before you ship. Kassa advises photographing the item from several angles, filming the packing and keeping proof of purchase.

You have been scammed: what to do now

The order matters. Some steps are no longer possible after two days, others have no deadline.

Situation	First step	Then
Paid via Buy, but received nothing, something else or a photo	“I have a problem” within 2 calendar days, with photos	Contact Vinted through the order if you cannot agree with the seller
Entered card or bank details on a fake page	Card Stop (078 170 170) and your bank	Change passwords, report to the police
Received a suspicious message or email	Do not click, forward to verdacht@safeonweb.be	Report to Vinted with screenshots
Paid outside Vinted	Ask your bank whether the payment can be reversed	Report to your local police
Lost money	Report to your local police	Report to the FPS Economy via ConsumerConnect

When you report to Vinted, it helps to have everything ready. Vinted asks for screenshots of the message, the member’s username or profile link and the sender’s email address or phone number. If you were asked to transfer money, also add the bank details you were given.

Testaankoop advises victims to always report the problem to Vinted as quickly as possible. After that, you can turn to Testaankoop’s own advice service, the FPS Economy via ConsumerConnect and the police.

My advice: take screenshots the moment you see something odd, not only once you are sure. A listing or profile can disappear, and then you have nothing left to show.

What Vinted does and does not refund

Within the Buy button, the Refund Policy covers four situations: a parcel that does not arrive, a parcel damaged in transit, an item significantly not as described and a confirmed counterfeit. For a lost, damaged or undelivered parcel, you get back the item price, the Vinted fees and the shipping you paid.

Payments outside Vinted are not covered, nor is an order you already confirmed as fine. A problem you do not report within two calendar days also falls outside it. That window starts when Vinted tells you your order should have arrived or appears lost. If you do nothing, the payment goes to the seller.

So the biggest trap is often not the scammer. It is the deadline.

What the protection gives you after a report for a lost or damaged parcel is explained separately in your Vinted package is lost or damaged.

Conclusion

Almost every Vinted scam tries to get you out of the app or counts on you reacting too late. Within the Buy button you have a refund policy, but only if you report within two calendar days. Outside the app, you depend on your bank, the police and the FPS Economy.

Never leave the app, and open every parcel on the day it arrives. If something is wrong, press “I have a problem” that same day.

Frequently asked questions

Will I get my money back if I was scammed on Vinted?

If you paid with the Buy button and reported a problem within two calendar days, your purchase is covered by the Refund Policy. For a parcel that does not arrive or is damaged in transit, you get back the item price, the Vinted fees and the shipping. If you paid outside Vinted, Vinted cannot help you and you have to go to your bank and the police.

Can a seller send only a photo if the description says so?

MAX Meldpunt writes that such listings get around the rule that a product must match its description. According to the Consumentenbond, the whole listing counts, including the photos, the title and the price. Report it within two days via “I have a problem” and keep your evidence.

Does Vinted ever send a payment link or QR code?

Vinted itself lists links, attachments and QR codes as warning signs of phishing. As a seller, your money arrives in your Wallet automatically once an order is completed. You do not need to scan or fill in anything to get paid.

Where do I report a Vinted scam in Belgium?

Report it to Vinted first, in the app. Forward suspicious emails to verdacht@safeonweb.be. If you lost money, file a report with your local police and report it to the FPS Economy via ConsumerConnect.

What if I paid outside Vinted?

Then you are not covered by the Refund Policy. Ask your bank straight away whether the payment can be reversed, and report it to the police. If you gave out card details, call Card Stop first on 078 170 170.

Sources: Vinted help centre (phishing and scams, Refund Policy, Vinted Wallet), checked on 19 October 2026. Testaankoop, 13 March 2026. Kassa (BNNVARA), 31 March 2026. MAX Meldpunt, 13 October 2026. Vlaanderen.be, page on phishing. This article is not legal advice.

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