A new type of scam has emerged, but it's definitely not the first one. As GPUs and VRAM become expensive, scammers are now stealing the core components.
Reseller Baily Ecom Reportedly Receives its $4000 ZOTAC RTX 5090 Without the GPU and VRAM Chips After Being Returned by the Customer
Everything looked normal when this eBay reseller opened the box containing the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 that was sold for $4000. However, when the GPU shroud was opened, the reseller found that they had been scammed by the customer. Keep in mind that $4000 is already 2X the price for the RTX 5090 Founder's Edition, but given the volatile state of the market, users are ready to pay $4000-$5000 for the flagship NVIDIA Blackwell GPU.
Now, when a seller/reseller sells the card for twice the price, the damage is double. As per the eBay reseller, the customer returned the RTX 5090, which was working perfectly fine when sold. However, the GPU didn't work after it came back. After investigating the GPU by detaching the cooler from the PCB, the reseller found that the GPU had its GPU chip and VRAM modules ripped off from the PCB.
Desoldering the GPU chip requires skills, and removing it makes the entire PCB worthless. Not to mention the expensive 32 GB of GDDR7 VRAM chips that were ripped off from the PCB as well. The PCB and cooler account for only about 10–20% of the GPU’s total bill of materials, which is why the GPU and VRAM chips are often seen removed from the PCB in such scams. We have seen how some Chinese labs still remove them from the original cards and then transfer them to custom PCBs to make them ready for AI servers.
This appears to be a similar case, and the reseller says, "the damage is already done". Return scams have a major impact on businesses, and in many cases, sellers incur significant losses, especially on online platforms. We have also seen the same GPU and VRAM-less RTX 5090s in the supply chain, reaching customers without getting flagged. These cases have been increasing due to the shortages in VRAM chips, and until we see the market stabilizing, such cases will continue to surface.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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