That is a really heartbreaking read!  It's not uncommon, however. In my antique refrigerator hobby, I search out nonworking examples local to me to buy, fix, and flip for a few dollars.  In talking with people, you hear some really sorry stories. 

One that comes to mind is a beautiful porcelain cabinet 1937 Frigidaire. It had been on Craig's List for months with decreasing prices. It was finally in the zone where I was considering it.  When I got to the seller's place, I learned that she was unloading it for $100 after a $2000 loss. She had bought it from a seller in Atlanta who claimed it had been restored recently by a famous company in northern Georgia, but they moved recently and their new home had no place for it. Sold "works as it should." 

It worked for about a week before it stopped cooling and began running all the time. They were unable to get any consideration from the seller, and took it back to the shop in north Georgia where the previous owner had claimed to have had it fixed.  That shop told the owner that (A); they had never worked on it before and (B); someone had charged it with a wrong gas which had wrecked the compressor. It had apparently been charged up just before sale, and worked just long enough to enable them to rip off the buyer.

There are so many people who are just looking to take in money without any regard to providing value to anyone in return. It's so disappointing. It's especially bad when the victims are elderly or on fixed income. The lady I bought the Frigidaire above from was probably in her late 70's. Her son was there and helped with the sale and had helped tell the story. She bought it because it reminded her of her childhood.