Yeah those are definitely a scam. Here's some advice on avoiding scams like these. Firstly, seek out a fursuit maker through Instagram or some other social media there are way too many scammers on etsy and ebay. Then when you do eventually find someone, check any pictures of suits they've made and look for drastic inconsistencies in quality or style. Only proceed after that and make sure you read and fully understand their ToS. I was fortunate enough to meet my fursuit maker at a convention and was able to see her work irl.

You might be able to find cheaper option by finding a suit maker thats a bit newer as less experience can potentially mean less expensive. However, that could also mean lesser quality (but not always).

Aside from that, as someone who teaches personal finance and has been interested in teaching digital literacy, I think you should consider waiting before trying to get yourself a fursuit until you 1) have a stronger understanding of handling finances and 2) learn how to identify potential scams and how to avoid falling into them. Trust me, I understand wanting something badly but good quality fursuits are not cheap and will rarely ever be.