I divide peptide "scams" related to overseas suppliers into six main categories:
1. The Impersonation Scam. This is when people fall into the trap of not being diligent about the contact details of a source. They mistake the scam username "PɘptideLady17" for the legit username "PeptideLady17". They'll almost always use the same avatar and do as much as they can to appear as if they're the real rep. This is often compounded when someone joins a Discord or Telegram group and are contacted by the impersonator offering them exactly what they need, or they trust some seemingly "helpful" online person who provides them with the contact info.
2. The Website Scam. 99% of overseas sources DO NOT HAVE a website. This isn't fucking Amazon or Walmart. Stop Googling "Peptide Lady 17" and assuming that peptidelady17.com is really their website and safe to use for ordering. While there are a couple suppliers with websites, they still take orders via email/WhatsApp/Telegram, etc. so anyone relying on a website to order is setting themselves up to be scammed.
3. The Fake Company Scam. This is where those asinine "Has anybody heard of?" or "Has anybody bought from?" posts come back to bite people in the ass, because that's how 99% of fake company scammers start getting their name in front of people. Then the adventurous freelancers figuring they can save an additional 10 cents by tracking down this previously unheard of seller that some rando mentioned on the internet. Or, again, thinking they "know a better way", they start perusing Made in China, EChemi, Global Sources, or even Alibaba and AliExpress in search of that gem of a supplier that nobody else has discovered yet.
4. The Exit Scam. This is when a previously "reputable" seller takes the money and runs. This scam has two main ways of unfolding. Sometimes it's their plan from the start; build a reputation and fulfill a number of orders, then when the time is right, run some can't-resist promotion that gets everyone buying, string them along as long as possible (adding as many more victims as possible along the way), until finally taking the midnight train to ghost town. The rest of the time, usually due to government intervention or other outside forces, they vanish into the wind, with no answers or explanations.
5. The Extra Shipping/Customs Clearance Fee Scam. This is always an add-on to any of the first three scams where the "sales rep" tells you that your package has been seized or held up in customs and requires an additional payment in order to facilitate clearing customs and get your package delivered. 100% scam every single time.
6. The Imagined Scam. These are the Karens and Kevins who get all bent out of shape and start screaming scam when they sent payment at 10AM US east coast time (which is 10PM in China), but haven't received a tracking number within a few hours. This also covers people who cry scam at a product they've determined is "bunk" based on their "feels". Bad products do happen, but are rarely part of a scam and more likely just a screwup. Even clear-cut screwups and bad customer service do not equal scam. Ultimately, the only scam is the trick their brain is playing on them (often to shift the blame to anyone but themselves).
There are a variety of subtle differences possible with all of these scams, and some we haven't seen yet or that haven't been invented yet, so it's impossible to cover every possibility.