Nvidia employee offers backroom deal

[IKEELU-Bryan]

I had a very interesting exchange this morning and I have to wonder how widespread this is.  Sorry for the long post, but the tl;dr is that I emailed Nvidia to vent my frustration and someone claiming to work for nvidia offered me a 3080 for $600.  I didn't take the deal because there are way too many red flags.  But I cannot see how the person contacting me didn't have a person or software on the inside for the timing to make sense and if Nvidia is okay with this, how can they be trusted at all?

 

Here's the exchange (forgive my apparent typing errors--I was using google voice transcription as I responded to the person):

 

My email to Nvidia purchase support (Monday, September 21, 2020, 9:51 pm, Mountain Daylight Time):

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I have $700 and would like to buy a 3080.  Why wont you let me get in a line to make sure I get one?  Do you really want the scalpers to win?  If so, good job killing PC gaming because AMD graphics drivers are worthless and NVIDIA cards are unobtainable.
Please solve this.

 

Nvidia's response (Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 8:53 am):

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Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting the NVIDIA online store.

Unfortunately we do not have that info to be able to give out and cant update your case when there is stock available, please sign up for the notify me on the store site (available 24 hours after launch

Email out of the blue  - the email also had a photo of a 3080 box with the power adapter on the desk in front of it (8:52am

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Hey im selling my nvidia 3080 i never open the box, i had an emergency i need cash. Would yoy buy this for me???

I figured it was a scammer but the timing was suspicious...so I lowballed them (9:28am):

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How did you get my email address?

 

I will offer $600 with you paying the shipping and I will not budge from that price.

 

They wrote back (9:36am):

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Ok deal, im working with the nvidia, i just saw your email, send me your address, and send the payment to my paypal account, <removed>

 

I will ship na cards tomorrow once i receive the payment

 

I responded in skepticism (9:42am):

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Forgive me, but this sounds way too good to be true. As such, I require a written agreement a company by photo ID. Furthermore, the payment must be handled by a third party who can return the money to me without your consent if you don't hold up your end of the deal. If those terms are acceptable, let me know.

 

It's hard to believe that in the video employee would actually do this. Either Nvidia is endorsing it in which case they really don't care about their customers or you are risking your job with no effort to conceal your actions. Neither of those makes sense and that is the basis of my suspicions.

 

Nevertheless, it is difficult to explain how you got my email address and the timing of this email if you aren't on the inside. I just have to wonder whether you are legitimately on the inside.

 

I really want this card but I refuse to feed the jerks who are scalping these things or be taken advantage of.

Then the incongruity of the never opened box and the power adapter outside registered in my brain (9:46am):

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Also, if you never opened the box, where did you get the little power adapter?

 

Sorry...too many alarm bells going off here.  We're done.

 

They emailed me 4 times after this at 9:50am:

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I undertand that this is hard to believe, by the time you send the email im the automated machine who answer your email, that’s why i email you right away,

 

Of course you can refund the money, i can send back to you the funds if you dont receive the cards,

 

I cant send you my id that is beyond this deal i risk my job for this cards just for you.

 

9:53am:

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Oh that’s coming from my cooling cable, i only have two cards, i already sold the other one, i understand  your side, ok its up to you, your just losing your chance nvidia will take time before they going to release again this cards,

9:59am and 10:01am with more pictures of the box--this time without the power adapter in the pic.  I've attached all 4 images sent to me.

 

This seems totally shady and it's coming from inside Nvidia.  How do we ask someone who might not be involved in it as their customer support team seems to be contaminated?

[IKEELU-Bryan]

And...they just emailed again at 10:23am with:

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Still nothing  how do i convince you 

 

[SPARTAN VI]

Way too good to be true. Could easily get $1K for that card from craigslist/offerup/etc.

[Gamer Schnitzel]

Pretty sure posting someone's email address is against forum rules no matter how shady you think they are

[IKEELU-Bryan]

Just now, Gamer Schnitzel said:

Pretty sure posting someone's email address is against forum rules no matter how shady you think they are

Thx...wasn't aware.  I fixed it.

[Applefreak]

SCAM SCAM SCAM Stay away from this guy and try to figure out how he or she got your contact details. I doubt the individual is working for nVidia. Did you contact them directly or did you use google and searched for the page? Could have been a cloned page to steel data.

[Bad5ector]

I don't understand why you would email a company and say what you said. Sorry I understand your frustration about the whole situation, but did you actually think Nvidia as a company would have anything but an official copy and pasted reply... I guess you got some shady person being shady... either way, not the outcome I think you were looking for.

[IKEELU-Bryan]

1 minute ago, Applefreak said:

SCAM SCAM SCAM Stay away from this guy and try to figure out how he or she got your contact details. I doubt the individual is working for nVidia. Did you contact them directly or did you use google and searched for the page? Could have been a cloned page to steel data.

I contacted directly from their site, fully logged in.  That's what worries me.

[Vishera]

6 minutes ago, IKEELU-Bryan said:

This seems totally shady and it's coming from inside Nvidia.

Nope,that's coming from ashley*****1693

6 minutes ago, IKEELU-Bryan said:

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

I found the last image on these websites:

https://overclockers.ru/blog/goldas/show/41398/poyavilos-video-raspakovki-i-izobrazheniya-karty-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-founders-edition

 

https://sakhtafzarmag.com/آنباکس-geforce-rtx-3080-founders-edition/

[Vishera]

Just now, IKEELU-Bryan said:

I contacted directly from their site, fully logged in.  That's what worries me.

Report it to Nvidia,with screenshots and everything.

[IKEELU-Bryan]

1 minute ago, Bad5ector said:

I don't understand why you would email a company and say what you said. Sorry I understand your frustration about the whole situation, but did you actually think Nvidia as a company would have anything but an official copy and pasted reply... I guess you got some shady person being shady... either way, not the outcome I think you were looking for.

Really just hoping they will make a waiting list of some kind.  That way I'm just in line and I don't have to keep refreshing the sale page hoping against hope to catch it in stock somewhere because with the bots, I have no confidence that the email notification of stock will be timely enough for me to actually make a purchase.

[IKEELU-Bryan]

Just now, Vishera said:

Report it to Nvidia,with screenshots and everything.

I would like to...but I can't figure out where without going right where I went to start this mess in the first place.  I guess that's why I'm here...is there a fraudalert@nvidia.com or similar email box I could send this to?

[Bad5ector]

Hate to tell ya, email notification is a waiting list. Sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Patience, and like you said, maybe AMD will have an answer and you will be better off not getting the first round of 3080s. OR the next batch of 3080s could be better binned... or gasp even have more RAM (if those leaks from Gigabyte are to be believed).

[Tristerin]

You have some nasty malware on your PC.  Those as noted by @Vishera are on other websites (the pictures)

[IKEELU-Bryan]

Just now, Bad5ector said:

Hate to tell ya, email notification is a waiting list. Sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Patience, and like you said, maybe AMD will have an answer and you will be better off not getting the first round of 3080s. OR the next batch of 3080s could be better binned... or gasp even have more RAM (if those leaks from Gigabyte are to be believed).

Yeah...we all want patience...and we want it RIGHT NOW! 

 

I wouldn't buy AMD with a gun to my head.  Too many bad experiences.  But my 1060 3GB just can't do justice to Flight Sim 2020 so I'm chomping at the bit.....

[Bad5ector]

Try the old pick up the phone:

 

NVIDIA CORPORATE

2788 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051
View Map

Tel: +1 (408) 486-2000
info@nvidia.com

Investor Inquiries:
(877) 7-NVIDIA

[Vishera]

Just now, Tristerin said:

You have some nasty malware on your PC.  Those as noted by @Vishera are on other websites (the pictures)

It's possible,i think the OP was somehow redirected to the scammer - the question is how?.

[Gamer Schnitzel]

A lot of people underestimate that many of these customer service centres are outsourced to other countries where it is common for employees to sell data for some quick cash.

I also work in a large global company and we also seem to get strange emails here and there despite never giving anyone the email. The issue is that many big companies outsource to countries where people get pretty crap pay like India even if you end up working for a large American company. And if someone approaches you outside to get you to give them a couple of emails or data and you get paid for it then, why not. It's impossible to figure out who did it.

 

In this case someone passed along your email knowing that you are ready to transfer money for a card so most likely the guy you are talking to is in some dodgy country where they will never find them waiting for you to transfer literally ANY amount to them. Bank transfers cannot be refunded either so once you do it they're gone. All you can do is report it to NVIDIA and move on but unless you email it to a proper department based in the west your report will just get deleted. This is probably a scheme they have where they get paid a % for every guy they can help scam.

[IKEELU-Bryan]

2 minutes ago, Vishera said:

It's possible,i think the OP was somehow redirected to the scammer - the question is how?.

I'll make sure to run some scans anyway...just to be sure.  I was hoping to do a full windows reinstall when I put my new power supply and 3080 in...one extra time before is just rehearsal. 

[Applefreak]

I know a lot of people really want that card right now but please consider all the downsides and loot at the 2080 launch. First you had bad drivers, which is still the case with the 3080 and then you had FE cards suddenly die or become unusable anymore. I do recommend waiting for third party cards with an updated PCB design to come out. If there are no issues by the end of November, get yourself a nice Christmas present. Like many things, tech needs some time to age to perfection (or mature if you will). 

So unless your current graphics card is toast, wait for at least a month and honestly, don't buy the reference design unless you absolutely want that cooler.

[VeganJoy]

questions to ask yourself when presented with a good deal:

 

why am i getting this deal and not someone else? someone approaching you with an abnormally good deal is much more unlikely than them just listing it like a normal person, if it were legit.

 

is it too good to be true? good prices arent necessarily too good to be true but its a 3080 under msrp less than a week after release from someone who supposedly works at nvidia lmao

 

are they making too much of an effort to sell to me specifically? "how do i convince you" what stops them from taking their business elsewhere to an interested buyer?

 

also no actual timestamps. but even if you did go through with this and as long as you use paypal goods and services youll just get your money back in a few weeks if its a scam

 

9 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

Try the old pick up the phone:

 

NVIDIA CORPORATE

2788 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051
View Map

Tel: +1 (408) 486-2000
info@nvidia.com

Investor Inquiries:
(877) 7-NVIDIA

"hi, id like to speak with the manager of nvidia"

[Bad5ector]

4 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

You have some nasty malware on your PC.  Those as noted by @Vishera are on other websites (the pictures)

I mean I was thinking that too... but didn't want to get into a war of NO I HAVE AVG+NORTON+MALWAREBYTES+CCLCEANER+etc... 

 

But really does sound suspicious. Still though, if this was a shady employee of a third party contact centre then I would spend the time to call their headquarters and speak with a real live human. Heck, if it turns out that it was as you say, a shady employee doing shady things, you might be compensated (wouldn't hold breath but crazier things have happened...) 

[IKEELU-Bryan]

1 minute ago, Bad5ector said:

I mean I was thinking that too... but didn't want to get into a war of NO I HAVE AVG+NORTON+MALWAREBYTES+CCLCEANER+etc... 

 

But really does sound suspicious. Still though, if this was a shady employee of a third party contact centre then I would spend the time to call their headquarters and speak with a real live human. Heck, if it turns out that it was as you say, a shady employee doing shady things, you might be compensated (wouldn't hold breath but crazier things have happened...) 

Yeah...no anti-virus wars...that's why I said I would run a scan instead of what kind of scan. 

 

I will make sure I talk to someone at Nvidia and get the email chain in their hands.  After that, it's up to them.

 

Thanks!

[Bad5ector]

39 minutes ago, VeganJoy said:

"hi, id like to speak with the manager of nvidia"

HAHAHAHA, can you imagine lol.

 

39 minutes ago, Applefreak said:

do recommend waiting for third party cards with an updated PCB design to come out. If there are no issues by the end of November, get yourself a nice Christmas present.

That's my plan, hopefully a bit before the end of November... unless Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed again. Then I will hold off ... The old 1080ti still holds its own.

 

Best of luck sir. Good thing you used critical thinking... 600 dollars is a chunk of change to lose.

Cheers.

[IKEELU-Bryan]

Update - I sent the email into Nvidia about the scam attempt.  Someone named Derek with Nvidia's escalations department emailed me about 5 hours later asking for details about exactly how I contacted them so that he could send investigators the right direction.  I gave him the link to the site where I sent the feedback in and provided the "official" feedback email chain.

 

I'm surprised, but pleased to see that someone is doing something with it.  I'm sure this will be the end of it for me as they owe me nothing and I've already told them everything I know.  But it restores hope that Nvidia actually cares about its customers.