Logically speaking, this is illogical, so everyone who sells these accounts is either useless acc that you cannot participate in signature campaigns, or they are linked to scam.
Sorry for losing your money, but consider it a lesson for you to learn better. post in English board or your local board and continue to post for several months. If you do not get merits, PM me. If you find that you are posting accepted posts and add a value to your local community, I will give you some merits.
You've always been a coordinated and reputable influencer member in the forum. I always see how you always encourage members with merits whose posts are worth merited in the local boards.
That really feels convenient for beginners to build their accounts without feeling sidelined of being ignored to merit their quality posts.
Something those that buys accounts in the forum fails to understand the contention of appreciating oneself in building and account from scratch.
Anyone who buys a forum account will never appreciate it because they don't know the tasks involved.
The Op also need to be sanctioned of violating the forum policy because buying an account is illegal and impersonation.
Like you said, let it serve as a lesson to him and the rest but though still feels pity for him because a $40 could be a $1,000 to some persons like the poor people in my place considering the economy and the devalued of our currency.