Nvidia RTX 5070 return scam leaves buyer with Kenwood logic board

A PC builder ordered an Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card from Amazon and received a box filled with junk instead. The package contained a DVD rewriter, a mousepad, and a logic board from a 2000s Kenwood AV receiver. This incident highlights a significant risk for buyers purchasing high-value components through major online retailers.

A PC builder ordered an Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card from Amazon and received a box filled with junk instead.

The buyer, identified as u/luutherr, purchased the MSI Ventus 2X model for 605 euros, which equals around $700. He bought the card as a gift for someone else. The recipient opened the package expecting a modern GPU but found only obsolete electronics.

The scam likely involved a previous customer returning a genuine RTX 5070 but swapping it for a lighter or similarly weighted item of low value. Amazon's return processing system may have accepted the fake return and commingled the fraudulent item with new inventory. This allowed the junk to be resold as a new product.

The victim is currently pursuing a return to get a full refund for the lost money. The incident shows that basic checks might not catch a swapped item if the external packaging appears intact. Buyers should be aware that return fraud can result in receiving e-waste instead of the hardware they paid for.