Not cowardly, and exactly the correct and safe and SMARTEST way to extract yourself from this situation.
Two things - #1. Don't hire provide who list that they are involved with PNP.
and #2 - while it is indeed a sad situation, it is not your problem to fix him, but it is best that you leave a review here to warn others of your experience. It is not unfair to help others not be in this situation as well.
You yourself may have benefited from others leaving warnings of this kind of danger. Pay it forward.
And what to do when they show up high? exactly what you did do. The only other thing you can do is make sure it doesn't happen to someone else.
Wait a few weeks if you don't want to leave a review that he can trace back to you.
