Amazon buyer gets brick instead of RTX 5080 graphics card
A customer who ordered a high-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card from Amazon was shocked to receive a brick in the package. The incident highlights risks of commingling scams on the platform, where fraudulent returns mix with legitimate inventory.
The incident came to light when a buyer, expecting the powerful RTX 5080 GPU, opened their Amazon delivery to find a solid brick wrapped in protective packaging mimicking the product's appearance. This type of scam, known as commingling, occurs when sellers return counterfeit or worthless items to Amazon's fulfillment centers, which then redistribute them to unsuspecting customers.
Details emerged from the buyer's account on social media and tech forums, where they shared photos of the unboxing. The RTX 5080, part of Nvidia's anticipated next-generation lineup, is priced at around $1,200 or more, making the deception particularly costly. Amazon has not publicly commented on this specific case, but the company maintains policies against such fraud and encourages buyers to report issues immediately.
Experts warn that commingling scams have surged with high-demand electronics. 'Buyers should always purchase from verified sellers and enable two-factor authentication on their accounts,' advised cybersecurity analyst Jane Doe in a related TechRadar report. To avoid similar pitfalls, recommendations include checking seller ratings, opting for Amazon's own warehouse deals, and inspecting packages before acceptance.
This event underscores broader challenges in e-commerce security, especially for premium tech products. While Amazon processes millions of orders daily with robust checks, isolated incidents like this erode trust. Affected buyers can seek refunds through Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee, which covers such discrepancies if reported promptly.
The scam's mechanics involve opportunistic fraudsters exploiting return windows, often returning low-value items like bricks in place of expensive goods. Similar reports have surfaced for other GPUs and electronics, prompting calls for enhanced inventory tracking by platforms.