Amazon scam: Customer receives ‘gift’ & fake support instead of RTX 5080

Anyone who orders a graphics card online these days has to expect a lot. A new scam on Amazon is now using “gifts” and fake support addresses to lure buyers of high-priced GPUs into a trap.

Fake support in the package

Graphics cards are currently extremely expensive due to the AI ​​boom and are therefore a popular target for fraudsters. Buyers repeatedly receive counterfeit replicas or almost worthless hardware such as old DVD burners from mail order companies instead of the GPUs they ordered. Sometimes the box even only contains filling material such as detergent. Another customer ordered an MSI GeForce RTX 5080 via Amazon for $1,400 (around 1,205 euros).

He fell victim to a new variant of shipping fraud. So instead of the liquid-cooled graphics card, he received a shipment that was obviously too small for the hardware. Inside there was only a thermo mug and a printed brochure. The enclosed message declared the mug a “gift.” The actual graphics card is apparently still in transit. To expedite delivery, the buyer should write an email to the address “support@amazonservice.xyz”. However, the address is not an official contact of the mail order company, but is a fake.

The trap with the return period

Like the affected user BransonArsen Reddit (via VideoCardz) reports, he immediately saw through the plan and sent the package back immediately. The perpetrators are probably speculating that victims will be deceived using the fake email address until the platform’s official return period has expired. If the plan succeeds, the customer remains stuck with the cost of the cup. As mentioned at the beginning, fraudsters have mostly tried to fake the correct weight of the graphics card they ordered so that the exchange of the package contents would not be noticed during appropriate checks. The new method dispenses with this physical deception and instead relies on psychological manipulation.

Protection when purchasing hardware

High-priced components like the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 are particularly lucrative targets for fraudsters. Due to high demand and often limited availability, many interested parties resort to unknown third-party providers. Such marketplace traders often offer prices that are slightly below market value. However, the many recent incidents illustrate the risks when purchasing through third-party providers. One advantage of large platforms like Amazon is the integrated buyer protection. However, experts advise you to be skeptical about unusually cheap offers.