Is this a police job? Threatened by Vinted seller

[Reasonswhy]

I know I’m not, but posting for traffic as no idea what to do.
Item for Christmas arrived today and was clearly fake so applied for a refund via Vinted. I’ve had a series of threatening messages from the seller saying he needs the money, and he has my address so will come and find me. He included a photo of himself holding an air rifle. I’m not easily spooked but feel really scared now as he does have my address and seems very angry. I’ve filed a “help” through Vinted but they may not even read it for 48 hours. Do I call 111? On my own with 2 kids so feel really on edge.

How many more times is the French article going to be posted? 🙄

Probably at least as many as '999! Now!'

Thank you all so much, can’t tell you how much I appreciate your reassurance. Special thanks to the amazing ex -police who have made me feel a lot better. Just had a call back from my local station, they apologised and said they are very busy and don’t feel I’m at immediate threat as they are confident the image contains a toy gun and they will have an officer out today or tomorrow. I just pointlessly wish they could do something more in the meantime like pass it to cyber team (or whatever it’s called in real life!) given they have the screen shots and someone in the right team could presumably talk to a real person in Vinted 🤷‍♀️

OP if he messages you again from a new account, don’t report it or respond until the police have had a look. By the account being reported, it’s blocked and makes the job of tracing him harder.

I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, it must be very scary. I think it’s a 999 call too, especially as you’ve called already, and had that officer agree it wouldn’t wait until next week.

Also, I saw a few people ask how he’s got the address. I sell and buy on Vinted, and whilst it is easier to send parcels using a QR code, it’s possible to get the buyers address by clicking download postage label.

I agree, @Reasonswhy .
Like pp, I've read about people being arrested for "malicious tweets" which were far less serious. The nature of the threats - particularly the last ones, are absolutely vile.
I suppose you can take comfort from the fact that they don't think it's serious, but I do think they should have come to your home and been a bit more proactive.

Holy shit op this is absolutely wild. I really hope they come out tonight and help put your mind at rest. The fact they haven’t just left it and set up another account is scary. I highly doubt there is truth in their messages but probably getting one hell of a kick out of the thought of scaring someone. Hope you are doing okay x

This is really scary.

i think that Vinted should move to a we code for all postage so sellers don’t have access to buyers addresses

I am glad you are feeling a little reassured in all this scary situation. One other thing I would suggest you to do is send the brief outline details to your MP. From my experience, they will ensure the police follow up, and will also encourage Vinted to be more accountable. It also raises awareness with our ‘law makers’.

How scary. I hope you are ok ❤️❤️

@Reasonswhy Firstly, I am really sorry you are experiencing this. It sounds terrifying.

Not sure if anyone has done this already but i put the picture of the gun into google reverse image search and a story from 2023 came up from a news page in France where they reported a vinted buyer experiencing the same issue as you are where they were sent the same image and threatening messages over an item that wasn't genuine.

https://www.oisehebdo.fr/2023/06/11/chantilly-commande-vinted-cauchemar/

Ask the police to confirm that the weapon has been identified by a firearms officer and confirmed as a replica or toy, otherwise they have no excuse for not treating it as a genuine firearm and acting properly to safeguard your family's safety.

It is not possible to confirm whether a "firearm" is capable of firing ammunition until it is visually inspected...

This is horrific.
Ring your local police again and tell them you are contacting the press if they don't send officers round within the hour.
I'd also be tempted to message this reprobate and tell him the police and the press are currently tracing him.

Very interesting. The pictures are identical.

A Reddit thread shows similar in France (is it the same case as the news article? I'm not sure) but what interested me was the same racist comments about having "black" friends come after them. https://www.reddit.com/r/arnaques/comments/1d22q7n/doisje_minqui%C3%A9ter/

Lots of people on that thread are saying it's an obvious fake gun, just to reassure you OP.

Sun article here showing there are at least 3 more people it's happened to in the UK too - https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/24939044/vinted-online-safety-bill-shopping-abusive-messages-threats/

I had a situation where someone stalked me on YouTube because I made a comment in the comment section of a video that they didn't like. She went to my channel looked at my videos and then went to my twitter account. From there she found my Facebook and started messaging my friends and family. It was wild. I called police and an officer came out within the hour. They said they take this crap really seriously now. She was in America and stupidly had made a video on her YouTube giving her exact address. Police were able to hand it over to the American police and have her arrested and cautioned for online harassment.
Please don't let them fob you off with it being an empty threat. This absolute feckwit threatened your children's lives just because you didn't accept his fake clothing. That is beyond insane and he's clearly dangerous and needs to spend some time in a cell for this in my opinion although knowing the UK he won't. I hope you get it sorted. I'd be very scared too ❤️

Actually seems to be a prolific problem:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5164194-vinted-seller-death-threat-with-gun

Another poster says this happens a lot:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5164194-vinted-seller-death-threat-with-gun?page=2&reply=138272262

There's even a TV producer commenting on that thread too, who is working on a piece about this.

https://www.reddit.com/r/vinted/comments/1cmxu3d/received_a_cardboard_and_threats_with_a_gn_no/

Hopefully, this reassures you a little that this is a common scam and you're likely to be ok. I don't like that they've contacted you from another account though, that does seem unhinged.

Wouldn't surprise me if this is some organised crime group thing

Gosh , I have no advice but just want to give you a hand hold. Is it possible that this person isn’t even in the UK?

Another hand hold and wishing you some peace tonight. Unmumsnetty hugs to you OP x

The police are correct in saying that is not a real gun. It’s a toy copy of a Chinese Type 56. That may mean there is no Firearms Act offence. But please remind them that you have been threatened with a RIF (Realistic imitation firearm) which has implications under the VCRA. Any criminal lawyers on here? Look it up please (I’m a UK firearms dealer, but have not followed the new RIF regs, as I have nothing to do with them.)
There will also be a offence of using a RIF to cause alarm and distress, or something like that. This is serious and should be taken seriously. The bloke is an idiot and probably does not know how much trouble he could be in. Please keep us updated.
But OP, don’t worry too much. This bloke gobbing off absolutely means he’s not some kind of professional. Just a dickhead: probably some saddo sitting in his stinking bedroom. You really don’t need to worry.

He's escalating. Dial 999.

You have his name, address and clear evidence.

What a sick individual. I love buying on vinted and this would put me off.
Can you see the tracking on your delivery so you can see where it started/was posted? At least then you will know if it’s nearby. He’s likely all mouth but I can see why you’re concerned. The police really should be doing better, but like everything they are overstretched

Vinted is a Lithuanian company, not British, so I'm sure the police would have to contact them to ask for information regarding the profile. I doubt it's a quick process either. I wouldn't rely on the police even doing this. My advice would be to not respond to the message on the new account. If you've already reported it to Vinted then it's likely the account will be taken down. If you receive any further messages on new accounts don't report them to Vinted. The police need to see the account active, as it may make it easier to trace (if they decide too). The police seem confident in that you're not in any immediate danger, and it's likely the person is trying to scare you. Regardless of the person's intention, it's scary and not very nice. I follow someone on Instagram, he ended up with a stalker (based in the US) and she kept trying to follow all his friends/family and message them. I'd comment on his posts, and he would reply, usually amused by my comments. This woman then started trying to follow me, and sending me messages. When it didn't work, she started making fake profiles, to try and follow me from. It was utterly bizarre and it made me realise how bonkers some people are. Eventually, after several months it just stopped, never heard from her again.

There's a lot of people on MN who overreact. You, OP, are not one of them. This is insane! I would be as worried as you are. I'm glad you're home is safe and I hope the person is found and prosecuted for malicious communications.

This is a good idea.