Wayfair denies Reddit human sex trafficking conspiracy theory
Wayfair denied Friday that it is selling expensive furniture on its website as a front for human trafficking.
A Reddit user on Thursday posted a screengrab of Wayfair’s website showing armoirs that cost five figures with human names for the products, which lead to the user to speculate whether the pricey cabinets were, in fact, people for sale.
“There is, of course, no truth to these claims," Susan Frechette, a Wayfair spokeswoman told FOX Business in an email Friday. "The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced.”
The post to Reddit’s user-submitted conspiracy theory thread, which features accusations often with little proof, questioned if Wayfair's expensive new cabinet collection was evidence of child sex trafficking. The thread set off a wave of commentary on social media Friday.
"Is it possible Wayfair involved in Human trafficking with their WFX Utility collection? Or are these just extremely overpriced cabinets? (Note the names of the cabinets) this makes me sick to my stomach if it's true," one Redditor user named PrincessPeach1987 posted.
Believers in the Wayfair conspiracy theory have also prompted people to use a Russian search engine to search for the stock keeping unit number (SKU) that corresponds with Wayfair products that allegedly return image results with children in bathing suits, Newsweek reported. But the SKU searches don't show images of a single child, which don't align with the allegation that Wayfair SKUs maintain data associated with a child being purchased, the outlet explained.
The company has since removed the product images from its website and said it plans to rename the products.
The screenshot, which was shared through social media, shows four storage cabinets with products named Neriah, Yaritza, Samiyah and Alyvia ranging in price between $12,699.99 and $14,499.99.
“Recognizing that the photos and descriptions provided by the supplier did not adequately explain the high price point, we have temporarily removed the products from site to rename them and to provide a more in-depth description and photos that accurately depict the product to clarify the price point," Frechette said.