I Feel really bad about what happened to you. The fact this guy had this scam all figured out means hes done it many times before. There has to be some way to setup a sting for the onshore scammers
What really scares me is all these Cash and Carry deals I see on Craigslist etc.
2k in cash is a big payday for a career criminal with little to loose. I've been tempted
on a few occasions to travel and pickup a game and wondered what might happen if things went South. I had one or two sketchy deals come my way in last couple years. Fortunately my spider senses kicked in and I asked a few to many questions for the scammers could'nt answer.
No pinball machine is worth throwing caution to the wind on. Sorry you got burnt