Overview
- France’s prosecutor in Nanterre opened a preliminary inquiry Friday after social posts and press reports circulated screenshots of Vinted listings that appeared to reference children with unusually high prices.
- Vinted said it has found no credible cases linking the shared listings to child trafficking and that it is removing deliberately faked ads and banning accounts while cooperating with investigators.
- Independent fact‑checkers including Snopes reported they could not locate the alleged listings on Vinted and noted at least one high‑profile report was updated to say the seller was a 17‑year‑old conducting a sting rather than an alleged trafficker.
- Many of the posts used a repeated pattern — four‑figure price tags paired with ages, heights or clothing sizes — a format that has previously fueled false trafficking conspiracies and that experts say could also be used for fraud or provocation.
- Authorities have referred cases to PHAROS and the judicial police unit for crimes against minors and the public is urged to report suspicious listings to officials rather than resharing unverified screenshots, which can hamper investigations.