AK warns

Phishing hit “Vinted” seller: €8,000 lost

The Linz woman was a victim of cyber criminals

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

What initially looked like a normal sale on the online platform "Vinted" turned out to be internet fraud for a consumer from Linz. She was the victim of a phishing attack and was led to a fake bank website. The loss so far amounts to 8000 euros. The AK Upper Austria advises caution when trading online and offers corresponding webinars.

The Linz woman wanted to sell some of her son's clothes that had become too small and fell into the phishing trap, according to the AK Upper Austria: After uploading three items of clothing to "Vinted", the woman received a request for a black T-shirt. To ensure that the T-shirt was not faded, the potential buyer asked for a video. As a direct upload in the app was not possible, the video was sent to the phone number given in the buyer profile. Shortly afterwards, the buyer confirmed that the T-shirt met her expectations. She paid immediately and asked the seller to confirm the payment or the sale.

Bank and payment details requested
The message confirming the sale contained a link that took the mother to a fake bank page. Her bank and payment details were requested there. She logged into the supposed page of her bank. She then received messages about confirmed payments that she herself had not authorized. 

Bank blocked the credit card
The transactions, which continued to be carried out in her name, led to her bank raising the alarm and the credit card being temporarily blocked. The loss incurred to date amounts to 8,000 euros. According to the AK, the credit card company must immediately refund the payments not authorized by the consumer or make a corresponding account correction. If this is not done, the AK will support its member legally.

AK webinar offer
The Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor is offering free and individually bookable online webinars until March 10 on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on traps on classified ad platforms and other dubious offers and dangers on the Internet. Next Monday, January 13, 2025, the topic will be "Buying & selling safely via classified ad platforms".