I got this memo from network admin Scott Quinlin
I am sure that you have heard about the fraudulent 10 Gig SanDisk Thumb Drives.
Now they are getting good enough to where the only sure way to tell that they are a fraud is to try and install the cruzer lock software and if the drive letter drop down does not populate then you know it is a fraud. (The software only installs on authentic SanDisk drives)
I recently purchased 3 Cruzer Mini 1GB Drives. All three were getting corrupted immediately after reformatting. We called SanDisk three times to ensure that they were frauds.
I had previously purchased a Cruzer Mini 512MB Drive and when I grabbed it for comparison it became apparent that the drives were frauds. Painted plastic instead of dyed. The case was made with less precision. The logos were printed with different ink. The crazy thing is that they came in the same package with a lanyard and two extra caps just like the “official” drive.
To boot, they came from PC Mall who in my opinion is a very reputable distributor.
Just thought you would like to know. If these drives are penetrating distributors like PC Mall, this cannot be good news for SanDisk.
I chatted with Mike Wong at SanDisk and he told me that they are aware of fake drives appearing on eBay and other online sources. As yet he hasn’t heard of anything sneaking into mainstream channels. That would actually be good news for them since they can trace the source more easily. More importantly SanDisk does NOT MAKE 8 and 10 gig thumb drives yet. They advise users to check out their website at www.sandisk.com to make sure some of these products exist in the first place. Also Mike said, “If the price is too good to be ture, it’s probably not true.” He also advises people compare prices with the website.
related link:
The Vortex of Piracy
I saw a couple these 8 gig drives recently and I got excited until I saw the $1000 price tags. What a rip off! I guess, a cheap 8 gig drive is also too good to be true…
Fraud, on internet retailers?? When did that happen??
Sorry, but it pays to research any too good to be true products before you buy. And if you get an ordinary product replaced with a fraudulent one, do as these folks have done and call all parties concerned, but also call your state Attorney General. Many retailers will continue to sell the crap goods until legal action is implied by an authoritative body. Let’s look out for each other out there.
Does this mean my 6 TB Hard drive might be fake too?
He seems a little inconsistent with:
“Now they are getting good enough to where the only sure way to tell that they are a fraud is to try and install the cruzer lock software …”
followed by
“… a Cruzer Mini 512MB Drive and when I grabbed it for comparison it became apparent that the drives were frauds.”
In the time-honored tradition of knock-off Rolex watches, Gucci handbags, etc – is it any surprise the fakes are hard to distinguish? 🙂
John should link to his “Vortex of Piracy” column [one of my favorites].
OK, Mike..I will
Yes, well, that was the idea. In many situations you have to see it to believe it. And I could have done a better job if I knew in advance what it was like and better prepared myself.
these are the ones that were supposed to be bootable right?
So these are just goods purporting to be from a well known brand? They don’t deliver any malicious software or anything?
For more info on Fake Flash Disks and some remedies/fix’s have a look at http://www.users.on.net/~cit/flashscam.html this is relevant so I hope it’s not deemed spam.
Yeah it seems fake sandisks and others alike are creeping up everywhere.
Checkout this fake Sandisk SD revealed:
http://members.shaw.ca/fakesandisk/