Recently, an incident has highlighted a growing scam targeting Amazon customers, particularly those purchasing second-hand or open-box electronic products. A buyer looking to acquire a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU ended up receiving only a 3D printed base with a real heat spreader and did not obtain the actual processor.

Key Points

  • A buyer purchased a used Ryzen 9 9950X3D at a significantly discounted price from an Amazon return warehouse.
  • After receiving the product, the buyer discovered that it was fake; it contained a 3D printed base and a real Ryzen 9000 series integrated heat spreader (IHS), but no processor.
  • This scam exploits Amazon's flexible return policy and allows fake returns to pass through inspection.
  • Experts advise extreme caution, especially when purchasing high-value second-hand components from Amazon's return sales.

Deceptive Discovery

A user known as Bigmancal420 on Reddit's r/PcBuildHelp forum shared their unfortunate experience. They believed they had purchased a used Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU from a local Amazon return warehouse for about 180 USD (including VAT). Unfortunately, they were not allowed to review the contents before purchase, which was a risk they accepted.

Modified CPU
by
u/Bigmancal420
on PcBuildHelp

When the buyer opened the product at home, they found that the processor was missing. Instead, the package contained a real Ryzen 9000 series integrated heat spreader (IHS) with a 3D printed plastic base placed on top. This deceptive assembly was apparently sufficient to fool Amazon employees during the return process and made the product appear legitimate.

Exploiting Amazon's Return System

This incident is not an isolated case. It appears to be a recurring scam that exploits Amazon's customer return system. The way it works involves an original buyer purchasing a high-value product, such as a CPU, removing the IHS (delidding), hiding the real processor, and then reassembling the IHS onto a fake base. This counterfeit product is then packaged and returned to Amazon. Amazon's return process may not be thorough enough to detect such complex counterfeit products, allowing these modified items to re-enter circulation and often be sold through third-party sellers of Amazon return products.

Warnings for Consumers

This situation serves as a stern warning for consumers looking for deals on high-value computer components, especially processors. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a premium processor that typically sells for over 600 USD. Purchasing such products at significant discounts, especially from second-hand or open-box sources, carries inherent risks.

Experts recommend exercising extreme caution when purchasing popular and expensive models like AMD's X3D series. Until Amazon implements stricter return inspection protocols, buyers are advised to be wary of deals from Amazon's return sales or similar sources, as the risk of receiving fake or modified products remains significant. Similar scams involving GPUs have also been reported.