A conspiracy theory emerged Friday that the Wayfair online store was using the sale of storage cabinets as a cover for child trafficking — which the home decor company immediately denounced as false.
A post on the social media website Reddit noted the high cost of the furniture — along with the fact that each item was identified by a female name — as potential evidence of the purported scandal, Newsweek reported.
The prices for the cabinets — called Alyvia, Neriah, Samiyah and Yaritza — ranged from $12,699.99 to $14,499.99 each, according to a screenshot posted in the “r/conspiracy” subreddit.
“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 :(,” user PrincessPeach1987 wrote Thursday.
The post quickly drew more than 700 comments from the subreddit’s 1.3 million members, including the assertion that “some of the names are missing children.”
“i cant access the cabinets anymore, but i remember a cabinet called Samiyah for like 12K, which is also a missing child from this month!” user coffeeismymuse added.
In a statement, Wayfair said, “There is, of course, no truth to these claims.”
“The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced,” the company said.
“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.”
In chat conversations with Newsweek, PrincessPeach1987 reportedly said they were “involved in a local organization that helps victims of human trafficking” and had become “suspicious most of the time now” as a result.
PrincessPeach1987 also characterized their initial post as less of a direct accusation and more of an effort to “see if anyone else had more details,” Newsweek said.
