Dec 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM#1
PeptideElite's website went down 5 days ago. Their email bounces. Their phone number is disconnected. Their Instagram is deleted. Their Telegram channel is gone.
I have a pending order from March 3rd for $340 worth of semaglutide that I paid for via Zelle. Order showed "processing" for a week and now the site is just... gone.
Based on DMs I've received since posting about this on Reddit, I'm not alone. At least 15-20 people are in the same boat with pending orders ranging from $150-$600. That's potentially $5,000-10,000+ stolen.
What are our legal options? Can we do anything? Has anyone been through this before?
12 7RetaRick_CA, JenPlateau, SallyK_inj and 9 others
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Dec 21, 2025 at 9:49 PM#2
Attorney here (not your attorney, not legal advice, etc.). Here's the realistic breakdown:
If you paid by credit card:
- File a chargeback immediately. You have strong grounds (merchant fraud, goods not received)
- Time limit is usually 120 days from transaction
- Success rate is high for clear-cut cases like this
If you paid by Zelle/Venmo/CashApp:
- Unfortunately these are treated as cash transactions
- Zelle has stated they do not cover payments for goods/services
- You CAN file a fraud claim with your bank but success rate is very low
- Contact the platform directly anyway — document everything
If you paid by crypto:
- The money is almost certainly gone
- You can file a report but recovery is extremely unlikely
For everyone:
- File a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- File a report with your state Attorney General
- File with the FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center)
- If you know the vendor's real identity or location, small claims court is an option
Realistically, for amounts under $500, the cost of legal action often exceeds the loss. Group action could change that math.
11 6VanRx_Mike, steve_okc, dave_SLC and 8 others
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Dec 21, 2025 at 10:01 PM#3
I did some digging. The domain peptideelite.com was registered through a privacy service, so the WHOIS data is hidden. However, their old website was cached by the Wayback Machine and I found some breadcrumbs:
- Their "about" page mentioned being based in "Tampa, Florida"
- Their terms of service PDF had metadata showing it was created by someone with the initials "J.R."
- Their payment processor was a company that's been flagged before for processing payments for scam vendors
I also found their original Reddit account that was promoting PeptideElite 6 months ago. The same account previously promoted TWO other vendor sites that also disappeared: "PremiumPeptideCo" (gone March 2025) and "ResearchChemDirect" (gone August 2025).
This is a serial scammer running the same playbook repeatedly. Build trust for a few months, collect a wave of orders, vanish, rebrand.
10 5CanadaChris, ZaraB_AL, JakeSmashed95 and 7 others
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PeptideDetective — Independent Peptide Analytics
Community-driven peptide testing and vendor rating platform. Transparent results. Unbiased analysis. Trusted by thousands.
View ResultsDec 21, 2025 at 10:13 PM#4
holy crap. So this person has done this at least THREE times? That's organized fraud. Is there enough here to get law enforcement involved?
I paid $340 via Zelle. My bank already told me there's nothing they can do. This is so frustrating.
Last edited: Dec 22, 2025 at 12:13 AM
9 4TomFromTexas, mike.trainer_LA, sarah_nash92 and 6 others
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Dec 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM#5
I'm out $480. Two vials of tirz 30mg. Paid with Zelle because they offered a 10% discount for "direct payment." Classic tactic — incentivize non-reversible payment methods.
I feel like an idiot. The 10% discount was the bait to get me off credit card. I should have recognized that red flag.
For future reference everyone: any vendor that offers discounts specifically for Zelle/Venmo/crypto is a massive red flag. Legitimate businesses don't care how you pay — scammers specifically want non-reversible payments.
Last edited: Dec 22, 2025 at 2:15 AM
8 3LarryQC_SD, wanda_boise, NurseAsh_DET and 5 others
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