If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened? You sent the money and the parts did not arrive? If that's the case...I feel for you! People in our hobby tends to be trustworthy and honest, and those scammers are probably aren't in the hobby for real. Sigh. It is difficult as parts are something you need, and it is not necessarily going to be within your driving distance...so some trust have to be made. May I ask how the item was paid for? That might be your recourse to get your money back?
This is one advantage of eBay, as the money is somewhat protected and credit cards are accepted, which adds another layer of security as the credit card company will void the charge and reimburse the buyer. There are other ways such as PayPal, whereas the funds are in escrow and released once the item arrives.
Another trick I use is that I would ask a question that the person would have to actually go to the product to answer your question, For example, you can ask if the steering rack has two or three mounting holes and request a picture. Another example is to ask for the part number to be photographed for verification. Most scammers tends not to have the part, but "steal" pictures from other ads. That's why you have seen a picture of an identical car advertised by different sellers in different locations, and they do not respond when you ask for additional pictures.
Sigh, despite the loss, please don't give up on the hobby and your trust of others...trust but verify is the rule of thumb! ;-)
Happy Motoring!
Dan