The Telegram channel where men comment on women's photos on Vinted

If you are a woman and use Vinted to sell second-hand clothes, the chances that your photos end up in some Telegram group without your consent are far from remote. This is highlighted by an investigation conducted by Tagesschau, one of Germany's leading news outlets, which explored what can be defined as yet another sexually motivated crime flourishing on Telegram. According to the report, in the past year, several anonymous groups have emerged on the instant messaging platform where men share and comment on photos from listings posted by female Vinted users, often using sexualized language. The mechanism exploits so-called "wearing pictures", images where sellers model the items to show how they fit, thereby unintentionally becoming the subject of unwanted attention. With over 65 million users, Vinted is one of the leading digital marketplaces for second-hand fashion, and its popularity in countries like Germany, France, and Italy is constantly growing. However, this visibility increasingly exposes users to risks that go beyond scams and dupes. The journalists conducting the investigation monitored the public Telegram channel titled «Girls of Vinted» for several weeks, recording a steady growth in members, mostly men, rising from around 1,600 to over 2,000 within a few weeks. The shared images mainly feature tight clothing, crop tops, or shorts and are accompanied by sexualized comments or emojis, such as hearts or flames. Alongside these, there are links to the original Vinted profiles, allowing users to contact the sellers directly.

Behind this dynamic lies a broader issue of privacy violations and digital assaults, where victims are exposed without any control. The case of Bella, a 26-year-old student who regularly sells second-hand clothes on Vinted, is emblematic. Bella began receiving sexually explicit messages from strangers, with comments starting from seemingly innocent questions that quickly escalated: «Is it still available?» followed by «And the underwear underneath?». Her photos—and those of at least a hundred other women—were shared in Telegram channels without their consent, according to the joint investigation by NDR, WDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung. The administrators of these channels remain largely anonymous. In the case of Girls of Vinted, the administrator presented herself as Sara, a supposed 29-year-old from Milan, but it remains unclear whether this is indeed a woman or if a more organized structure lies behind it. Sara, in addition to managing the channel, also offered paid sexual services, including erotic chats or intimate videos, using Telegram’s internal currency, "stars," to monetize contacts. When asked for explanations by the journalists, the administrator initially defended her actions, claiming she merely republished public listings to increase the sellers’ visibility, but deleted the channel the following day.

From a legal standpoint, the situation becomes more complex. As Max Dregelies, a media law expert at the University of Trier, explained to Tagesschau, the unauthorized distribution of images violates privacy rights and data protection. But enforcing these rights requires time, financial resources, and, most importantly, a clear identity to act against. Telegram, which lacks an official headquarters in the European Union, relies on a single representative for authorities in Brussels, making it difficult to take effective legal action. Vinted, for its part, claims to have a policy of «zero tolerance» towards unwanted or sexually explicit communications and offers users reporting tools. However, according to the testimonies collected, sellers who report harassment often see the offending profiles blocked only after several days, only to receive new messages from other accounts. In cases where images are shared on third-party platforms like Telegram, the responsibility falls on the victims, who are invited to contact the channel administrators directly. The case of «Girls of Vinted» is not an anomaly but yet another confirmation that the messaging app, despite last year's controversies, remains fertile ground for digital crimes, especially of a sexual nature. At the same time, Telegram confirmed to journalists that both the channel and the accounts involved were blocked for violating the platform’s terms of use.