Man Orders $3,000 Sony Camera, Receives Bags of Mysterious White Powder Instead

A photographer who spent $3,000 on a Sony camera was shocked to discover nothing but an empty box and bags of mysterious white powder when it was delivered. 

Jakub Sokolowski of Edinburgh ordered a £2,400 Sony a7 IV from Jessops, a leading British photography gear retailer, to be delivered by DPD. However, on November 25 last year, when he received the package and opened the box, he says it was full of nothing but bags of some sort of white powder, likely meant to weigh the package down to avoid arousing suspicion. 

Sokolowski experienced significant difficulties both from not having the camera he ordered and in trying to remedy the situation, despite speaking to Police Scotland, DPD, Jessops and the Citizen Advice Bureau:

I bought a camera online from a reputable source, which is Jessops, and DPD was the courier. I never got the camera instead of equipment I found white powder in my parcel. The worst part of this situation is that none of the companies were willing to help nor refund me the money I lost... it was supposed to be an investment for work and take my work to the next level. I saved £1,000 over a year to buy it, and now, I have not only lost the money I spent on the camera but money from jobs I have had to cancel because it never arrived.

Sokolowski went on to say the situation has caused significant stress, leading to trouble sleeping and difficulty in his personal relationships. It has also had an impact on his financial standing:

I lost £1,000 of the upfront payment, but I still need to pay off the rest of it. If I don't, it will affect my credit score. It's outrageous.

Thankfully, DPD has recently said they are investigating the incident and plan to refund Sokolowski in the coming days.