Photos on Vinted end up on erotic Telegram groups: the investigation that shut down “Girls of Vinted.” How to protect yourself.

A recent investigation initiated by the three German newspapers Ndr, Wdr and Süddeutsche Zeitung uncovered the “Girls of Vinted” group, yet another Telegram chat created for perverted purposes. The discussion participants' modus operandi is to collect images from the buying and selling app “Vinted” and then share them in the chat with vulgar comments and allusive emoticons.

The images in question, given the for-sale nature of the app, usually depict girls posing in front of a mirror to better show off the garment in the ad. By taking them out of context, participants in the “Girls of Vinted” group force these photographs within an unfairly fetishized view, then leading to the persecution of the original posters on the platform.

Some of the girls shared their discomfort, explaining that they receive such an excessive number of requests that they are no longer able to sell their second-hand garments, harassed by the unsolicited attention.