eBay Memory Chip Scam May Leave Consumers Without Data, Photos

Tens of thousands deceived by fake microSDHC^® memory cards sold on eBay.

September 8, 2016, Los Angeles, CA – It's no bigger than your fingernail, but this tiny replaceable memory card holds your data, photos and contacts in your phone, camera, iPad, tablet, laptop and GPS. If you buy this fake, you are likely to lose your data, images and you may damage your equipment.

The fake "generic" microSDHC memory cards shown are widely available on eBay^®, often at highly discounted prices and advertised through eBay direct email solicitations. Except, there is simply no such legitimate microSDHC^® product.

(photos: The Counterfeit Report^®)

The Counterfeit Report^®, a watchdog and consumer education website, purchased dozens of the fake microSDHC cards from eBay, representing sales of over 100,000 cards to unsuspecting consumers. All the microSDHC^® memory cards purchased and tested by The Counterfeit Report tested at 7GB or less, a fraction of their stated capacity. It was not uncommon for some counterfeit cards to fail during the test. When the counterfeit memory cards reach their actual capacity, they begin to overwrite and erase any existing data.

The microSDHC^® trademark is owned by SD-3C, LLC, who confirmed the products are fake "Products bearing the microSDHC^® trademark with capacities above 32GB (64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB etc.) are all fake products." The Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC^®) format is defined in version 2.0 of the SD specification, supporting cards with capacities up to 32GB.

The fake cards may tout certification from the FCC, CE, VCCI, and NATA leading you to believe that the card meets certification standards, but it does not. And, there is no manufacturer to honor any warranty.

Consumers cannot determine the actual memory capacity of a counterfeit memory card by simply viewing the capacity displayed on their computer, phone or camera. The counterfeiters are too smart for that, and simply overwrite the real memory capacity with a false capacity to match any capacity they print on the counterfeit packaging and card.

The removable microSD memory storage card is an amazing, convenient and trouble-free storage device. When it works, it is unnoticed. When you get a fake, it will be the very core of your frustration, despair and pain – and your data will be gone.

If you are going to trust your data and photos to a microSD^® card, be sure to buy authentic memory cards from authorized retailers or directly from the manufacturer. See TheCounterfeitReport.com for more examples of counterfeit and fake memory cards.

If you received any fake product, notify eBay immediately at (866)540-3229, and open a refund claim under eBay's Money Back Guarantee.