RMA Fraud on Amazon Targeting AMD Ryzen Buyers

[R-T-B]

Amazon inventory of AMD's Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 processors seem to be suffering from RMA fraud, if several reddit reports and a general article from WCCFtech are to be believed. The RMA fraud appears to consist of a scheme in which an unknown party has been buying up quantities of Ryzen 7 or 5 series CPUs, and RMAing them back to Amazon with a fake CPU inside. The fake CPU appears to be an older Intel-based LGA packaged model, ironically.

The RMA gets by because the heatspreader is relabeled with an authentic looking AMD Ryzen label, which is presumably enough to fool a very PC-knowledge limited Amazon RMA check-in employee. This means the product gets sold again as an open-box item, as usually happens with RMAs.




Fortunately, being these are LGA processors and Ryzen CPU motherboards expect a processor with well, pins, the odds of damage to your motherboard from even a novice PC builder trying to force the CPU in are quite low. It will be immediately apparent something is wrong. For its part, Amazon appears to be handling the crisis well, refunding affected buyers and even issuing gift cards for their trouble and time. Still, this is something to watch out for in open box items or especially market place items on the Amazon general store.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[evernessince]

Obviously a pre-meditated fraud attempt. I can't see how it would be that hard for Amazon to track down where they got those fraudulent returns from as I'm sure a company of their size keeps track of purchase and return addresses. Amazon may have already acted on the matter but something of this magnitude would certainly warranty hiring a separate investigator in addition to working with the police.

 

[semantics]

I actually wonder how easy it would be if it was all bought with gift cards and shipped to pick up lockers/ups etc under fraudulent names out of area of the person/persons. That is unless they didn't do that amount of basic work to cover their tracks.

 

[qubit]

I've never seen anything as bad as this, but it's why I purchase direct from Amazon wherever possible and almost never have problems. When I do buy from the marketplace, there tends to be the odd niggle here and there.

 

[zlobby]

I bet it all boils down to Camp Blue at the end.

 

[JalleR]

that's what you get for cheaping out on personal.....

 

[LiveOrDie]

HAHA Core R7 Duo

 

[Polglass]

So the stolen parts don't have a heat spreader. Are they re-purposed without the heat spreader or do these thieves manage to replicate them.

Also, as a returns officer, shouldn't you notice the lack of pins....just saying.

 

[HopelesslyFaithful]

yes this is a dumb crime....they have records of all this so easy to find the fraudster lol.

 

[BiggieShady]

So the stolen parts don't have a heat spreader. Are they re-purposed without the heat spreader or do these thieves manage to replicate them.

Stolen parts have their original heat spreader, Amazon RMA check employees are fooled by a mere Ryzen logo printed on the old cpu's heat spreader ...

 

[Ruru]

Well, this was even worse scenario..

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/85286-fake-intel-core-i7-cpu

 

[R-T-B]

I actually wonder how easy it would be if it was all bought with gift cards and shipped to pick up lockers/ups etc under fraudulent names out of area of the person/persons. That is unless they didn't do that amount of basic work to cover their tracks.

In an era of bitcoin purchased giftcards, this is likely.

 

[HopelesslyFaithful]

In an era of bitcoin purchased giftcards, this is likely.

this is also the era of surveillance state.

If the damage is big enough they can easily look at cell phone location data and camera date.

Plenty of options to track someone down.

 

[Fx]

HAHA Core R7 Duo

LOL. The best comment I've read on TPU today.

 

[ssdpro]

That's one way to simulate demand.

 

[Diverge]

So another words, Amazon resells RMA's as open box units without even checking to see if they function.... because if they had done a basic check there is no way anyone could buy these fake AMD cpus (really intel)....

So never buy Amazon open box gear, because it's likely broken junk that no one ever tested...

 

[R-T-B]

this is also the era of surveillance state.

If the damage is big enough they can easily look at cell phone location data and camera date.

Plenty of options to track someone down.

Yeah, good point. I hope they catch them whatever the means.

 

[evernessince]

I actually wonder how easy it would be if it was all bought with gift cards and shipped to pick up lockers/ups etc under fraudulent names out of area of the person/persons. That is unless they didn't do that amount of basic work to cover their tracks.

Well first, they have an IP address so they better be using a VPN and they better hope it's outside the US. Given the situation it would be easy to subpoena ISP records.

Second, most delivery lockers in the US require your information. I know that both FedEx, Amazon, and USPS require this information. There are smaller locker vendors in more populated areas and many of them do not accept bitcoin so once again your information will be on hand.

Last, Amazon puts restrictions on accounts that use only gift cards for payment without any verifiable personal information for obvious reasons. That is where 90% of the fraud is going to come from.

 

[Nelly]

Similar thing happend to me buying a warehouse deal EVGA GTX 980 around December 2015, when Amazon UK had that extra 20% off the prices. When I opened the EVGA box their was a GTX 460 or 470 in there. Amazon UK refunded me straight away.

So whoever bought the GTX 980 from Amazon UK stock must have replaced it and sent it back under the Consumer Contracts Regulations act.

These people should be investigated and brought to justice, fraud is fraud.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

There were rumors of a Intel Ryzen series.

 

[HopelesslyFaithful]

Yeah, good point. I hope they catch them whatever the means.

they wont. We gave up all of our privacy and rights for nothing. I get scam phone calls from the same person for months now....not like the government cares. Scam/telemarketers are the easy thing for the government to get ride of...its just the government has no intention of ever doing it. The government and its agents have no duty to protect you so why bother?

I laugh whenever someone says the police are there to protect you...that is 100% false as the US Supreme Court has ruled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia

 

[R-T-B]

they wont. We gave up all of our privacy and rights for nothing. I get scam phone calls from the same person for months now....not like the government cares. Scam/telemarketers are the easy thing for the government to get ride of...its just the government has no intention of ever doing it. The government and its agents have no duty to protect you so why bother?

I laugh whenever someone says the police are there to protect you...that is 100% false as the US Supreme Court has ruled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia

I agree we should never have given up our rights without a fight but I do not agree that the fight is completely lost as of yet. That's all I'll say as this is getting off topic.