Good questions all Charlotta. And hard to answer because of all the details you have clearly mentioned, and as the saying goes: "The Devil is in the Details".
Masik was not a 1st time buyer, she had made previous purchases utilizing official channels and on this particular last purchase it all went down to hell. Many here on the forum have suggested over time -and time and time again- to purchase using reputable buyers. I am always advocating to utilize your "local companies" (this saves in shipping, export/import fees and makes refunds/exchanges easier too. But local refers to your country in these days of the internet too) because this gives you a better guarantee of success against any issues because you have the same (Federal) laws.
In any case, this should serve as a warning to us all about the security issues raised by purchasing items on the internet using "alternative means": if you pay via PayPal, use the acceptable manner, not via "Friends & Family", if the company has an eStore, then use the store and avoid eMail transactions, and so forth.
In the end...if you have an international fraud case and you go to the lawyers...you might end up spending much more on them, than what you spent and had them swindle you for. They know this.
I have a "personal" case to tell about: last year, one of my twin daughters wanted a "manga doll" (a Japanese exclusive) and the shipping & fees to get it home from Japan made the doll worth about $150 dollars, so she looked around on eBay and found the same doll on pre-sale for just $70 dollars, but she had to pay the company $10 dollars to have it "on hold" for her and when finally available she had to pay the rest. They gave her a deadline: 3 months.
To make the story short, when the time limit was up the "company" had disappeared and PayPal considered that after 90 days there was no way to file a claim. They did not scam her for thousands, but they scammed hundreds of other people and made some good money from us all! For us, it was not worth the time to go after them. My daughter learned the lesson: better to buy from a reputable seller at the actual price, than to "save money" and actually just loose it all (yes, the figurine was a "limited edition" so she could not get it afterwards because it was sold out).
So, there are responsibilities here for all. But if you trust in people because someone has recommended their inventories or services, then you become a customer and make larger purchases...and then the axe swings on you. We should all be informed, and we should all know this is happening and we should abhor these fraudulent operations. Stick to reliable and reputable sellers and always use the proper ways to pay them. Make sure the vendor has a complete satisfaction guarantee...we could make a list but probably someone out there -on the net- has made such a list available. I will look it up and if -or when- I find it I will share it right here.
Anyway, such a sad issue.
