Ellen Bagley, 20, thought she had managed to sell a garment on the popular app Vinted.
In fact, she had been cheated – and lost 12,500 kroner.
– I felt that something is not right, so I log into my account and see that all my money is gone, says Ellen Bagley, who is one of the affected.
Second hand is becoming increasingly popular among Swedes. An app that is widely promoted on social media is Vinted, where you can sell and buy clothes cheaply.
Ellen Bagley wanted to test that. She downloaded the app and got a buyer almost immediately, but it didn’t quite turn out the way she imagined.
– I see that the purchase has gone through and that I will collect a shipping label. I then go to the link where it says sold and come to an external page.
“All my money is gone”
On the external page it says that Ellen needs to confirm her account with bank ID in order to continue.
– It’s usually like that on all apps, that you confirm that it’s me. I confirm and it doesn’t go through, I try again.
– Then I felt that something is not right here, so I log into my bank account and see that all my money is gone.
Ellen had been robbed of SEK 12,500. She quickly called her bank, which helped her block the card and report the incident to the police – and which indicated to her that she would get the money back.
After many turns with the bank, they finally said no. Ellen took the matter further to the General Claims Board, ARN.
– I have tried to change banks because I am so incredibly tired of banks not taking responsibility for fraud. And I’m annoyed at Vinted for not taking responsibility, says Ellen Bagley.
Ellen Bagley: “I’m annoyed with Vinted”.
Ellen Bagley: “I’m annoyed with Vinted”.
Photo: Private
Many affected
Another one who got scammed is Rebecca. Just like Ellen, she was also new to Vinted when she was robbed of SEK 2,500.
– They know when you are a new user. So they go on them right away, says Rebecca.
– I got mad, so I wrote a post on Facebook in a group with girls where you usually post questions. There I asked if anyone else had been scammed on Vinted. And there were a lot of people who had been through the same thing, says Rebecca.
In an email to TV4 Nyheterna, Vinted writes that it has a high priority on security and that the security measures are constantly checked and improved.
“Vinted invests in raising awareness among members by providing real-world examples of how fraudsters can operate,” the email said.