Almost got scammed on Instagram - sharing so nobody else falls for it — looking for input

I'm one of the 50. Lost $275. The worst part is this vendor had a solid reputation for months — they were filling orders correctly, getting good reviews, building trust. Classic long con. They built up credibility, probably started taking more orders than they could fill, then pulled the plug and ran with everyone's money.

I tried to warn people about this vendor 2 months ago when their shipping times started slipping. First it was 3-day shipping, then 5 days, then 10 days. Increasing shipping delays are often the first sign of an impending exit scam. When a vendor starts making excuses about "supply chain issues" or "high demand," that's your cue to be very cautious with new orders.

For everyone affected, here's an action plan: 1. FILE CHARGEBACKS NOW — time limits apply. Contact your credit card company today. 2. If you paid crypto, you're unfortunately out of luck on recovery. 3. Document everything: screenshots of the website (Wayback Machine), your order confirmations, payment receipts, Reddit DMs. 4. File an FTC complaint at reportfraud.ftc.gov. 5. File an IC3 complaint (FBI's internet crime division) at ic3.gov if your loss exceeds $500. 6. If enough people file, it increases the chance of actual law enforcement action.

I pulled the WHOIS data before the site went down. The domain was registered with privacy protection through Namecheap, paid with crypto. The "business address" on their site was a UPS Store mailbox. These are all hallmarks of someone who planned to disappear from day one. The entire operation was designed for an exit scam — the months of legitimate orders were just building the trap.