I would bet that the patient probably got duped as well and wasn't trying to pull a scam. Most people just don't know what to look for and have no idea what they should expect to pay for the genuine article (and that they aren't sold on the beach)
Until I got into cigars I would have never guessed there was such a large prevalence of fake Cubans.
Nevertheless, it's a good thing you gave your folks the head's up so they don't buy anymore.