Bizarre Vinted Listings Describe Toys by Age and Weight, Leading French Police To Investigate Them for Child Trafficking

French authorities have launched an investigation after bizarre Vinted listings describing toys using children's ages, heights, weights, and personality traits fuelled allegations that the marketplace may have been used to conceal child trafficking.

The listings, which reportedly appeared on the second-hand marketplace in recent days and were priced as high as €30,000 (£25,890), spread rapidly across social media, where users claimed they seemed to describe real children rather than second-hand goods. The allegations remain unproven, and Vinted says it has found no credible evidence linking the listings to child trafficking following its own investigation.

The controversy follows years of heightened sleuth investigation over online marketplaces and encrypted platforms being exploited by criminal networks. However, it's worth noting that in this case, the claims stem from screenshots that circulated online rather than confirmed evidence of trafficking.

French police have nevertheless referred the matter to PHAROS, the government's platform for reporting illegal online content, as authorities examine whether the unusual listings point to criminal activity or an elaborate online hoax.

Why Listings on Vinted Sparked Child Trafficking Allegations

The listings drew attention because of the disturbing way the products were described. Rather than providing ordinary details about second-hand toys, several adverts reportedly listed information more commonly associated with children, including age, gender, height, weight, and personality traits.

One screenshot showed a stuffed toy listed for €30,000 with a description referring to a nine-year-old girl. Another featured two plush rabbits, one allegedly described as a three-year-old female measuring 91 centimetres, weighing 13 kilograms, and labelled an 'obedient girl.' A separate listing advertised a PlayStation controller for €30,000 alongside a description stating '10 years old, healthy, blonde, pickup.'

The unusual wording quickly invited speculations that the listings could have been coded advertisements rather than genuine sales. Social media users shared the screenshots widely, with many demanding police intervention and urging authorities to investigate whether the adverts concealed child exploitation.

Those fears have not been confirmed. French authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether any organised criminal activity is connected to the listings, but officials have not announced any findings suggesting children were actually being sold through the platform.

Vinted Rejects Claims as Investigation Continues

Vinted has firmly disputed the allegations, saying its own review found no credible evidence linking the listings to child trafficking.

The Lithuanian company said it had 'thoroughly investigated the listings being shared online and found no credible cases linking them to child trafficking activity.'

According to the company, some of the listings were deliberately fabricated to fuel speculation online, and it has been removing them while banning accounts found to have breached its rules.

The platform also criticised users who attempted to conduct their own investigations by creating fake listings, contacting sellers directly, or threatening to report accounts to the police without evidence.

'While we understand the concern behind this, this kind of behaviour amounts to harassment, makes it harder for us to moderate the platform effectively, and can interfere with genuine investigations, putting members at risk,' the company said.

Vinted added that it does not tolerate harassment of sellers and that it works with competent authorities whenever listings appear to breach its policies or potentially violate the law.

At this stage, authorities have not confirmed that any criminal network is operating through Vinted, nor have they verified claims circulating online that the listings were advertising real children. The investigation is ongoing, and many of the allegations shared on social media remain unsubstantiated.