An Amazon buyer recently received an Intel Core i9-10900K processor inside a sealed retail box labeled for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The customer reported the incident in a hardware group on Facebook, showing the mismatched hardware. The enclosed Intel chip was from a completely different brand, socket, and generation, making it incompatible with any AM5 motherboard.
According to the buyer, getting a replacement required navigating through four layers of automated customer support bots before reaching a human agent. The agent eventually arranged a replacement processor to be sent out the same day. While the customer joked about keeping the old LGA1200 processor, the incident highlights a persistent problem with inventory return scams at major online retailers.
Also read: Walmart Open Box Ryzen 7 7800X3D Listing Sparks Debate Online
This type of scam typically occurs when a buyer purchases a new chip, replaces it with a cheaper model, reseals the packaging, and returns it for a refund. Amazon then returns the resealed package to active inventory, where it gets shipped to the next buyer. AMD’s retail packaging includes a small viewing window on the side of the box, allowing buyers to verify the heat spreader label on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D before breaking the seal.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past, including a case where an Amazon Germany customer received an ancient AMD FX-4100 chip inside a sealed 9800X3D box. In that case, the swap was easy to identify because the scammer had placed a poor-quality sticker on the heat spreader. Buyers should check the CPU heat spreader through the retail box window before opening the seal when purchasing high-end chips.
Source: Facebook
