16:54Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
2 Buyers Pay AZN 8,500 for RTX 5090 Graphics Cards That Turn Out to Be Empty Shells
In Germany, 2 buyers lost thousands of euros after purchasing empty GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards from the same seller. Although the cards looked normal from the outside, they contained no graphics processors or memory chips. As a result, the products did not work. The seller reportedly made a total of approximately $5,000 (AZN 8,500) from the 2 sales.
In this type of scam, criminals remove the graphics processor and memory chips from a card and sell the empty casing as a working product. Because ordinary buyers do not take the card apart, it is difficult to spot the missing components in advance. A similar method has previously been used with RAM modules whose chips had been removed and SSDs with microSD cards placed inside them. High demand for the expensive Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series has made these products a target for fraudsters. The 1st buyer paid €1,800 (approximately AZN 3,560) for a used Palit GeForce RTX 5090 GameRock OC. This was equivalent to approximately $2,090 (AZN 3,550). In Germany, a new version of that model starts at €4,999 (approximately AZN 9,880), or about $5,805 (AZN 9,870). Although the price difference was substantial, the buyer met the seller in person. However, because he did not have a computer with him to test the card, he was unable to detect the problem.
The 2nd buyer also fell victim to the same seller. He paid €2,250 (approximately AZN 4,450) for the card, or about $2,613 (AZN 4,440). The seller was friendly at both meetings and provided an invoice indicating that the purchase was genuine. The document given to the 1st buyer stated that 2 cards had been purchased. The seller justified the low price by saying that he no longer needed one of the cards.
It was discovered that the serial number on the 1st card did not match the number on the box. The serial numbers on the 2nd buyer's invoice and box matched. However, the number on the card had been deliberately scratched off. The genuine-looking invoices led both buyers to trust the seller. Thus, meeting the seller in person and having documentation did not guarantee the product's authenticity. High demand for graphics cards used in AI systems reduces hopes that they will become cheaper anytime soon. Expensive and hard-to-find models such as the GeForce RTX 5090 therefore remain targets for fraudsters. These incidents demonstrate the importance of testing a used graphics card in a working computer before buying it. Buyers should also check whether the serial numbers on the box, invoice and card match.
In this type of scam, criminals remove the graphics processor and memory chips from a card and sell the empty casing as a working product. Because ordinary buyers do not take the card apart, it is difficult to spot the missing components in advance. A similar method has previously been used with RAM modules whose chips had been removed and SSDs with microSD cards placed inside them. High demand for the expensive Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series has made these products a target for fraudsters. The 1st buyer paid €1,800 (approximately AZN 3,560) for a used Palit GeForce RTX 5090 GameRock OC. This was equivalent to approximately $2,090 (AZN 3,550). In Germany, a new version of that model starts at €4,999 (approximately AZN 9,880), or about $5,805 (AZN 9,870). Although the price difference was substantial, the buyer met the seller in person. However, because he did not have a computer with him to test the card, he was unable to detect the problem. The 2nd buyer also fell victim to the same seller. He paid €2,250 (approximately AZN 4,450) for the card, or about $2,613 (AZN 4,440). The seller was friendly at both meetings and provided an invoice indicating that the purchase was genuine. The document given to the 1st buyer stated that 2 cards had been purchased. The seller justified the low price by saying that he no longer needed one of the cards. It was discovered that the serial number on the 1st card did not match the number on the box. The serial numbers on the 2nd buyer's invoice and box matched. However, the number on the card had been deliberately scratched off. The genuine-looking invoices led both buyers to trust the seller. Thus, meeting the seller in person and having documentation did not guarantee the product's authenticity. High demand for graphics cards used in AI systems reduces hopes that they will become cheaper anytime soon. Expensive and hard-to-find models such as the GeForce RTX 5090 therefore remain targets for fraudsters. These incidents demonstrate the importance of testing a used graphics card in a working computer before buying it. Buyers should also check whether the serial numbers on the box, invoice and card match.