Consumers Easily Deceived By Amazon and eBay Memory Card Scam

Consumers risk losing data and images when using counterfeit memory cards.

September 11, 2018, Los Angeles, CA – Consumers purchasing extra computer, cellphone or camera memory on Amazon or eBay may not get what they bargained for. Both websites sell counterfeits of the popular brands of compact memory cards.

It's a simple scam; take a low capacity computer memory card costing a few cents and reprint it with a higher capacity and a globally recognized trademark. Sell the items on Amazon and eBay as authentic items for up to $100.00 or more.

The Counterfeit Report, an award winning consumer advocate and industry watchdog, found over 2.2 million counterfeit memory cards on eBay and Amazon, and purchased over 200. The cards were sold by both Amazon as a direct seller and its third-party sellers, and eBay sellers.

The counterfeit cards usually tested at capacities well below their printed capacity, while some failed during tests as unusable. When the fake cards reach their real capacity, they erase and overwrite existing data.

Alarmingly, Amazon and eBay won't notify buyers they may have purchased a counterfeit item that could destroy data and damage their equipment -- of course, buyers would then be entitled to a refund.

While no bigger than your fingernail, these tiny replaceable memory cards hold your data, photos and contacts in your phone, camera, iPad, tablet, laptop and GPS. If you buy a fake, you are likely to lose your data and images, and you may damage your equipment.

Could you identify this microSDHC^® card as a fake? It does not exist in the Samsung product line, or in the microSDHC^® standard which is limited to just 32GB.

Consumers can't 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 the capacity they print on the counterfeit packaging and card. A free downloadable test program (H2TESTW.exe) will easily tell you the real capacity of your card.

The counterfeit micro SD^® memory cards shown below (and many more on TheCounterfeitReport.com website) were listed for sale on Amazon or eBay. Did you get a fake?

(photos:© The Counterfeit Report^®)

The micro SD^® trademark is owned by SD-3C, LLC, who licenses its use to conforming products. None of the items shown above are authentic licensed products. The fake cards may also tout certification from the FCC, CE, VCCI, and NATA to confuse buyers into believing the card meets certification standards. And, of course, there is no manufacturer to honor any warranty.

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

Companies that enable and facilitate criminal activity and profit from dishonest sales which impact consumer safety, jobs and public trust create a public perception of deception with impunity. The consequence is destroyed U.S. companies and retailers, lost U.S. jobs and duped consumers. The value of counterfeit and pirated goods is forecast to grow to $2.8 trillion, and cost 5.4 million net job losses by 2022 states a 2017 International Chamber of Commerce Report. Counterfeiting is now the world's largest criminal enterprise.