Vinted blocks French looters listing stolen goods for sale
The platform said since the weekend it had "taken immediate action to idenitify and remove listings linked to looting".
Vinted blocks French looters listing stolen goods for sale
Vinted says it has removed listings of items thought to have been looted from shops during the ongoing riots in France.
The second-hand resale platform said that after the weekend’s unrest it had "taken immediate action to identify and remove listings linked to looting".
Shops in several French cities were broken into and ransacked during the riots that erupted over the weekend.
"The sale of stolen goods, or soliciting them, is strictly prohibited on Vinted, and we have zero tolerance for it," a company spokesperson said.
Widespread looting was reported in Paris, Marseille and Lille, as well as other areas, after protests over the cost of living and public spending escalated into riots, leading to the arrest of at least 1,200 people.
According to the head of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI), more than 2,000 businesses were directly affected by the weekend’s violence.
Alain Di Crescenzo told France’s broadcaster RTL that the riots caused damage worth hundreds of millions of euros.
Groups of rioters, some wearing masks and balaclavas, were seen setting fire to cars and buildings, as well as looting businesses.
Those who stole goods now appear to be trying to sell them quickly.
"Since this weekend, our teams have taken immediate action to identify and remove listings linked to the looting, and we have stepped up monitoring of suspicious listings," Vinted told the BBC.
"When our rules are breached, we act against the accounts involved, up to permanent bans."
The company said it was working with French authorities and the police, and was adapting its "processes to detect and counter emerging risks and malicious behaviour".
Reuters reported that luxury shops and boutiques were closed and surrounded by security guards at Place Vendome in Paris.
It also said a number of stores in the French capital, including Dior, Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren, had their shopfronts damaged.
In Marseille, football club Olympique de Marseille said its official store on the city’s historic main avenue had been looted.
It has closed the store, as has fellow Ligue 1 club Lille, which said its club shop would remain closed until further notice.