GoKawiilFraudster in Germany sells hollow RTX 5090 GPUs, pockets $5,000 from two buyers
A scammer in Germany sold at least two 'hollow' GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, stripped of their GPU die and memory chips, to unsuspecting buyers who paid thousands of dollars for worthless hardware. One victim bought a used Palit RTX 5090 GameRock OC for about $2,090, even meeting the seller in person, but had no way to test the card before handing over cash. Hardware enthusiast Roman 'der8auer' Hartung publicized the cases after uncovering the scheme.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
High demand and scarcity for Nvidia's Blackwell-series cards have made them lucrative targets for fraud, especially in secondhand markets where buyers can't easily verify internal components before purchase. The case underscores a growing pattern of 'gutted' hardware scams—also seen with fake RAM and SSDs—that exploit consumer trust and the difficulty of on-the-spot verification, even during in-person deals.
- A German scammer sold two hollow RTX 5090 cards, netting roughly $5,000 total.
- The cards had their GPU and memory chips physically removed, rendering them non-functional.
- Even in-person meetups don't guarantee safety since buyers often lack tools to test cards immediately.
MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC — If you want a real RTX 5090 with all its silicon and memory intact, buying new from a retailer beats a sketchy second-hand deal. MSI's Gaming Trio OC version of Nvidia's flagship Blackwell card comes sealed with warranty coverage, so you know exactly what's inside the shroud.
See MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: tomshardware.com — Zhiye Liu, 2026-09-08
Published there as: “German scammer dupes two different buyers into spending thousands on hollow RTX 5090 GPUs — stripped-out cards netted fraudster $5,000 despite being worthless”
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