Complaint Review: Tommy Price (probably not real name)

Hi there, I am currently a college student with little money. I am going for a bachelors in biology with a video production minor. For this reason, I was very anxious to get a new camera when I decided I would be going backpacking out west August 16th. This camera was an investment that I thought hard and long about. This was not just for a hobby but also for business to make money while going to school and studying. While out there I planned on making a short film and possibly some freelance photography for a local business. I was very excited to upgrade but looked for the cheapest option with the most legitimacy for a couple months. Finally, I found a Nikon D500 with a Kit Lens 16-80mm for $1500 on craigslist. I searched all of craggiest using a search engine that combined all the local spots across the country. This led me to find this post from a man in Seattle. I talked him down to $1200 and was very excited and have been for 2 weeks now.

After making the purchase over PayPal with an invoice that states there is a 7-day return policy after inspection as well as receiving a tracking code that has been working, I was feeling confident that I was not going to be getting scammed. With the trip getting closer I began to worry last night when the package did not arrive on the date it was supposed to. I decided to take a look back on craigslist to see if the post was reposted and sure enough it was. The same exact wording and the same exact picture was posted another email address. I then contacted that email address to see what was going on and got the same exact response that i had got the first time around. Now I am out $1200 for a piece of equipment that was tough to spend the money on in the first place with all the student loans I have to keep paying. I decide to buy thinking it was an investment that I would slowly make my money back while freelancing and expanding my video and photography skills. Unfortunately I have no camera now and do not know what to do about the $1200 I have lost to this scammer. I do not know whether you guys can help or not but I am pretty desperate. I do not want anyone else getting scammed like I have. This may seem minor but I am very disappointed in the disrespect people have for one another. I have contacted PayPal to open a case against him but he has stole another mans identity with the name of Tommy Price and is unable to be reached. Please help!