"When Maheen found a brand-new Dyson Airwrap for the bargain price of 260 on the resale website Vinted, she was thrilled. The seller's reviews were all five-star, and she trusted in the buyer-protection policy should something go wrong. Sold new, an Airwrap costs between 400 and 480, but Maheen did not suspect anything was amiss. I had used Vinted many times and it was simple and straightforward. Nothing had ever gone wrong, she says."
"Maheen's experience is far from unique. Almost two-fifths (37%) of Britons have been scammed while buying or selling on online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Vinted, according to research from the credit reference agency Experian. Victims of this type of crime tend to skew younger, with more than half of gen Z (58%) telling researchers they had been scammed compared with just 16% of people over the age of 55."
"For almost a quarter of people losses were in the region of 51 to 100, while 13% had lost more than 250. A small number said the scam had cost them between 501 and 1,000. The most common type of scam respondents encountered being sent fake or counterfeit products (34%) is the one Maheen fell prey to. Next up was requests to pay off-platform (31%), and items never arriving after payment (22%)."
Maheen purchased a brand-new Dyson Airwrap on Vinted for £260 and later discovered the device emitted smoke. Dyson confirmed the unit was counterfeit and unsafe and refused to return it. Experian research shows 37% of Britons report being scammed on online marketplaces, with gen Z victims at 58% versus 16% for those over 55. Reported losses commonly range £51–£100, with 13% losing more than £250 and a few losing £501–£1,000. The most common scams are receiving counterfeit products (34%), requests to pay off-platform (31%), and items not arriving after payment (22%). Scam signs include low-resolution or overly polished photos.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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