Wow, I knew of Vadim too.....like you say, super knowledgeable guy. My first thought would be that his account got hacked but you can never know.
Well, he had people wiring money to him directly and to his wife. I sent a MoneyGram order to him personally, as well as tons of other members.
There was no suspicion of hacking outside of the first few days. So many people came out of the woodwork to say that he wasn't shipping out there orders too. And that's when everyone realized he was scamming them. People in Poland's bodybuilding scene also commented on it. It was a scam, not an imposter. People suspected that he ran into financial issues or maybe a substance abuse issue (he did work in a pharmacy after all). He refused proper medical treatment and died from something he shouldn't have. It was sad.
Although I'm pissed off, I still feel like he was a good guy. He went to great lengths answering my PMs for years. Everyone has their demons. And that's why I don't trust anyone online fully, because anyone could turn around and scam you. It's part of the game. Been ripped off so many times that it never surprises me.