Buyer gets fake Ryzen 9 9950X3D with reused IHS from Amazon returns seller
A Reddit post this week shows a fake Ryzen 9 9950X3D that appears to use the original integrated heatspreader attached to a 3D-printed base. The buyer posted photos of the part after purchasing it from a returns company that handles Amazon stock, not from Amazon’s regular retail channel.
According to the post, the buyer paid £163 after VAT and was not allowed to inspect the contents before purchase. The box was already opened, but the store reportedly had a final-sale policy and only allowed the buyer to see the front label before checkout.
Someone likely bought a real Ryzen 9 9950X3D, removed the actual chip package, kept the heatspreader, then attached it to a 3D-printed square made to resemble the CPU substrate.
I recently purchased this cpu from my local amazon returns warehouse, and it turns out it has been modified upon further inspection. Any ideas on what and why this is like this and is their anything I can do to resolve this.
It seems to have been swapped for a silver backplate of some kind and would like some more clarity on what has happened and if there is anything I can do to fix this.
— Bigmancal420
If you ever come across a similar deal, never pay for a returned CPU without checking the contents first, regardless of the price. Amazon returns are already known for scams like this, and buying a processor indirectly from a returns pallet only asking for trouble.
If this came from one of the return vending machines that are becoming more common in some countries, losing $20 would still be frustrating. Paying £163 is different. That is enough money to treat this as a fraud case and report it to the authorities. Even if the buyer agreed to a no-returns policy, that should not cover receiving a fake item instead of the advertised product. At the very least, pay by card and ask your bank for a chargeback if you were scammed.
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