WayfairGate

WayfairGate was a conspiracy theory that falsely alleged that online furniture store Wayfair was acting as a hub for human trafficking. It originated in July 2020, when a number of users on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube started spreading claims that the furniture the company was selling online were actually children.

In 2020, multiple believers of the conspiracy theory falsely stated that an American teenager had been sold as a $10,000 pillow on Wayfair. She was at home with her family at the time. Another 18-year-old girl who was said to have been trafficked on the website recorded and published a video clarifying that no such incident had happened. A Texas teenager who had been missing and then was found in the same month in 2017 was falsely alleged to have been trafficked on the platform.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Novak, Matt (2026-02-04). "Why the Epstein Files Are Reviving a Conspiracy Theory About Wayfair and Human Trafficking". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  2. ↑ Swenson | AP, Amanda Seitz and Ali (2020-07-16). "Baseless Wayfair child-trafficking theory spreads online". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  3. ↑ Hupp Williamson, Sarah; Creel, Sadie; Walker, Emily (2023). "#WayfairGate and the Growth of Sex Trafficking Panics Across Social Media". Critical Criminology. 31 (3): 617–633. doi:10.1007/s10612-022-09677-2. ISSN 1205-8629.
  4. ↑ Liles, Jordan (2026-02-06). "Does $8K Wayfair receipt in Epstein files confirm child trafficking conspiracy theory?". Snopes. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  5. ↑ "VERIFY: Separating fact, fiction in viral claims about Wayfair, human trafficking". FOX43. 2020.
  6. ↑ Contrera, Jessica. "A QAnon con: How the viral Wayfair sex trafficking lie hurt real kids". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-07-11.