Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.
You're better off lubing it real nice and good. Make sure it doesn't squeak anymore after you're done with it since ordering a new fan from China would take a minimum of two weeks to receive it.
Yeah, 600$ for high end seems about right. I remember when 8800GTX's rolled out. They completely dominated the market in terms of performance. They were around $700 and sold out quickly.