New forums like this are easy targets for scammers. In the future, ask if they are members of other forums(snipershide, longrangehunting etc) so you can check any seller/buyer feedback they might have.
It sucks that this happened. A wife dying and a fire shortly after.... both desperate attempts at confusing the honest person(you) on the other end.
I've been buying/selling on forums & ebay since '02. I've only had 1 issue, and it was the ONE time I did Not listen to my gut. Always, always go with your gut. Hope this was your 1 bad run in with an ass, and the rest smooth transactions 👍🙏