I feel like such a dumbass.

A few days after bidding on  FAMIR's auction, I got a message by someone acting as them on Tele to tell me that they apparently opened up a 2nd slot & would allow me to claim it for the SB of $200. Talked with them & said I'd send my ref across after work.

Fast-forward to the end of my 9 hour shift exhausted & finally home, I sent it & they followed up with their PayPal. First warning sign since they normally use Boosty. Went ahead with the payment anyways & I noticed I couldn't switch friends & family for goods & services. This is the point I should have stopped, but regardless I continued on & paid. It was almost immediately after I started looking for FAMIR's Telegram to compare... sure enough it was a completely different account. The scammer used a similar profile picture & handle but with an extra letter added onto the end. Something I REALLY should have caught but didn't.

Tried to get the problem resolved with PayPal tonight, but being friends & family the dispute was almost immediately closed in their favour. Massive props to (the real) FAMIR for trying to resolve the situation with me but it looks like I'm just going to have to accept the loss & guilt of giving money to a scumbag scammer.

If you're ever in doubt, or even if you're not, ALWAYS cross-check who you're talking to before exchanging any money,
learnt that lesson the hard way today.

EDIT: Imgur link w/ conversation logs