Last November, I bought two autographed K-pop posters from members of my favorite band. They were listed in my country’s main Facebook selling group for the fandom, and the seller authenticated them with enough proof that I was comfortable buying. I spent a couple thousand dollars on them as a gift to myself for graduating with my Master’s and landing a "big girl" job after interning all summer to secure it, which kept me from traveling like I wanted.
A few weeks after posting them on Instagram, I got a message from a girl, "Ana," from another country. She claimed the posters were stolen from her by her ex-roommate, who sold them to me without her consent, and demanded I return them immediately as stolen property. She sent a picture of the posters with a timestamp showing early February 2025, saying her ex-roommate had stolen over $10k worth of rare merchandise from her.
Ana was really confrontational, implying I should’ve known they were stolen because she posted about it a lot on social media. But I don’t follow her country’s side of the fandom. I live on the other side of the world and don’t speak the language. From what I gathered, her ex-roommate, Maria, came to my country for graduate school and sold the posters here to people who were unlikely to have seen Ana’s posts.
I asked Ana if she was going to pay me back what I spent, but she said no, insisting she shouldn’t have to because the posters were stolen.
I told Ana I was sorry to hear about her situation, but I wouldn’t be returning the posters without being reimbursed for the full amount I paid. I offered to send her screenshots of the listing and details of the PayPal transaction, but I wasn’t going to give up the posters based on her word alone, especially without compensation.
I also mentioned that, while I sympathized, this could potentially be a scam between her and Maria to get both the posters and the money. There have been elaborate scams in the K-pop buy/sell community before.
I told Ana that if the posters were truly stolen and worth thousands, she should file a police report in her country and handle it that way.
I checked with my brother, who’s a lawyer, and he confirmed I’m in the clear to keep the posters. Since I bought them in good faith, I’m not liable, and I’ve only done something wrong if I knew they were stolen at the time of purchase. He also said if Ana takes legal action against Maria in her country, and wins, it’s very unlikely the authorities would pursue me in my country for such a (relatively) low-value case.
Since all of this happened, I’ve had to make my Instagram & TikTok private because Ana sent what I can only describe as "flying monkeys" into my comments, attacking me and calling me a thief. It’s gotten pretty stressful, and now I’m being bombarded with messages from strangers telling me I’m in the wrong. Some people are outright calling me an asshole for not returning the posters. So, am I?
NAH, assuming Ana is telling the truth.
If it’s true, it sucks for her but you also did nothing wrong here. It’s not really fair to expect you to be out thousands of dollars because her roommate on the other side of the world from her and sold the items to you. Like you say, she should file a police report about the stolen items and let it be handled that way.
You’re completely right to be cautious that it might be a scam hoping you feel bad and return the posters. Unfortunately scammers can be quite sophisticated and make up elaborate stories to their victims.
I’d agree with the judgement until Ana has started harassing op and emboldened other people to do so too. Bullying and harassing on or offline is not okay .
That’s when she became a huge ah as this isn’t op s fault. María is the one she needs to hold accountable.
And OP offered to return them for what she paid for
NTA op
NTA you offered to send proof of purchase for ana to take the legal route against maria and get back your money,she refused to do so.
NTA you’re response is 100% correct, someone claiming they’re stolen is very convenient when it’s that much
NTA She can’t supply a police report or any evidence she is telling the truth and IF she is should be able to and the compensation to her should come from the person who stole the items from her not you morally speaking, BUT your brother maybe a lawyer but he is very wrong, it does not matter that you brought them in good faith the person you got them from had no legal right to pass title on to you and they remain the original owners property (assuming you live in the USA) so if she has a police report and can prove her roommate stole them she can force you to return them if you do not it is regarded as civil theft, in the USA anyway.
NTA. The fact that she went so angry and harassing about the situation makes it seem so much more suspicious as a scam. You’ll likely never know if it was or not, but as you said, you bought them in good faith and aren’t the one that did anything wrong. If Ana definitely had them stolen, she should be using this energy to file with the police, not bullying you. Regardless of if she’s the victim, she’s the AH for taking it out on you, when you were innocent in this situation. The bullying should be towards Maria if she’s telling the truth, not you.
Totally agree with this. Scammers tend to go aggro at the drop of a hat, and try to put their victims off balance.
My default stance would be to assume that this is a scam, and to trust that authorities will be involved if it is not.
NTA. If they are truly stolen then she should’ve filed a police report when they were stolen. It all sounds fishy to me. I definitely wouldn’t take her word on it. Enjoy your posters and block the haters. You can make your social media accounts entirely private while it all cools down.
I’m going to assume your brother knows the law in your country better than any random Redditor. In most English speaking countries, purchasing stolen goods is a crime in itself – usually not prosecuted beyond returning the goods to their owners (if purchased “in good faith” as your brother mentioned), but I’ve never heard of anyone getting reimbursement from the person who was stolen from – that sounds monstrously unfair.
Now, if Ana had actual proof that they were hers I imagine it would be the police talking to you – I personally wouldn’t trust her word from an email, and would assume she was attempting a scam.
In terms of jerkishness: insufficient info. If Ana is telling the truth she should have her property back – but you are under no obligation to take her word for it. One of Ana or Maria is TA – possibly both. In your shoes I would assume a scam unless presented with overwhelming evidence or law enforcement.
NTA. You bought the posters in good faith from someone who presented them as legitimate. You had no way of knowing they were allegedly stolen, and you offered a reasonable path for the original owner to recover them legally.
Returning them without reimbursement would be rewarding a potential scam and punishing yourself for something outside your control. Your responsibility is to act in good faith, and you have done that. The harassment and accusations from strangers do not change the fact that you are legally and ethically in the clear.
Sympathy for Ana’s situation is fine, but it does not override your rights as a bona fide purchaser.
Your brother has already provided you with the correct advice. You need no further vindication. You know how to protect yourself on line, so keep doing that.
I don’t understand this whole thing. Is there only one copy of each poster in the world? Why would someone in another country — or anywhere for that matter — assume those were *their* posters?
Eta: Ignoring that issue for the moment, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea that they’re hers without a police report. Did her roommate steal thousands of dollars worth of stuff and she did nothing about it?
NTA
If Ana was the true owner of this merchandise why was she not scouring every selling site to get them back? It seems odd that she has only tried to claim them after seeing your post.
NTA. This is a scam. How else did she know to contact you? If she was genuine, authorities would be involved.