SOSFakeFlash Releases Report On eBay For Fake Flash Memory Sold. The Different Price Lists From Wholesalers In The Orient For Flash Memory Products. Fakes verse Genuine.

eBay is not a good place to buy or even sell usb flash drives, memory cards or mp3 mp4 players. Sellers and resellers need to be aware there are usually two different price lists offered in the Orient for the same items. Choose the wrong list and you will regret it.

Kingston Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card Counterfeit SD4/32GB

Beware Kingston Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card Counterfeit SD4/32GB advertised as 32GB with this packaging is counterfeit – fake! Kingston did not produce these. The memory card is likely to have a real capacity of only 2GB. This model was recently sold on eBay.

Front:

Back:

Testing revealed a true capacity of only 2GB. The serial information also failed validation at Kingston.

Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this memory card in the packaging shown, you risk loosing your photos. Do not sell this usb flash drive! Instead, if you wish to buy on the internet visit a Kingston’s site to determine the models offered and find on of their authorized resellers.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

Counterfeit Kingston flash memory items removed from ebay

The frankenflash has been working with Kingston for some months to have listings for counterfeit Kingston flash drives removed from ebay. This is both for the sake of buyers and to help Kingston defend it’s well earned reputation for reliability. The sale of counterfeits undermines buyer confidence in brand names because when something goes wrong (as it inevitably does with counterfeit flash drives) it does not occur to most people to blame the seller – instead they blame the brand!

However (with all the other issues the long-standing members of the project deal with) we did not have the manpower to hunt out all those selling counterfeit Kingston until recently. However we now have a dedicated Kingston counterfeit hunter who has become very experienced at hunting down these and has developed a good rapport with Kingston. He now heads the counterfeit team at the fightflashfraud branch of the frankenflash project. As a result these counterfeits are being removed more quickly than ever before.

This fake flash angel (you know who you are!) has been awarded gold wings for his sterling efforts to warn sellers and buyers of fake flash items as well as his work with Kingston. Unfortunately sometimes we can’t get the message out quickly enough to stop some items being sold -if you find that a Kingston item vanished from your won list claim a refund through Paypal. Ebay knows it is counterfeit and there is no excuse for not refunding your money.

The frankenflash project is a worldwide coalition of ebay members who are former victims of fake flash fraud. We have a number of small teams working within the various branches of the project who work on different aspects of the problem. We have a dedicated team in the fightflashfraud branch who specialise in hunting out counterfeits.

What is a counterfeit?

A counterfeit anything is a cheap copy of a brand name item. Though counterfeits are always lower quality than the genuine article there is an additional problem with counterfeit flash memory items. A counterfeit fragrance, handbag, pair of counterfeit shoes, jeans or other such items may be poorer quality and less durable than the genuine article but at least they are useable and unlikely to cause damage.

Counterfeit flash memory is an entirely different story.

The user of a counterfeit Gucci handbag is unlikely to find that when she opens her handbag everything she put in it has either disappeared or turned to dust. The wearer of a pair of counterfeit Kalvin Kleing boxers is unlikely to find that his dangly bits have either vanished or shrivelled up and become unusable. The user of a counterfeit flash memory item is not so lucky.

Buyers of counterfeit flash memory, besides being defrauded financially, can end up with considerable amounts of lost and corrupted data. Anyone using a counterfeit will eventually find all their data (treasured photos or videos of the family, important business documents or whatever) has either been lost or corrupted. Why?

Because, as well as not being manufactured by the brand whose name they carry, they are also fake capacity. Once the true capacity (usually tiny in comparison with the capacity they seem) is exceeded – pouf – everything (or almost everything – depending on how much was “saved” to the drive) is gone or corrupt.

If you bought a flash memory item on ebay that bears the Kingston name and the item has mysteriously vanished from your won list it is no doubt because the item was counterfeit. Under pressure from Kingston, ebay has been forced to remove the item.

If you have not yet paid for it – do not do so!! If you have paid, claim a refund through paypal. Look at the refund advice on the sosfakeflash blog – this was written by previous victims of fraud to help you by giving you the benefit of their experience. Use it to overcome the barriers paypal often put in the way of victims of fraud. The knowledge you glean will arm you to deal with paypal’s tacticts to try and hang onto your cash.

Do You Want To sell Kingston DataTraveler USB Flash Drives On eBay Or the Internet? Becareful.

Recently The FrankenFlash Project uncovered a seller who was determined to sell counterfeit Kingston DataTraveler usb flash drives. The seller operates on eBay and also has an independent site. Operating under the name uk-choice and ukmobi this seller sold fake 8GB usb flash drives. When confronted, instead of removing the items for sale the seller simply changed the listing description to state the capacity found in testing, not realizing just how dangerous it was to consumers. It is a very serious case of fraud.

If you buy from an unauthorized wholesaler of Kingston Technology you are asking for only one thing, trouble. If you think that you are simply cutting out the middle men, and that this explains the lower prices, you are dead wrong! The sad fact is, the profit from selling true capacity usb flash drives, mp players and memory cards is small. To make money, you have to move volume! Too many honest sellers learned this the hard way on eBay, they were forced to close shop and even sell below their costs to try and reclaim at least some of their investment.

Most people think this is a hot selling item with large profits waiting in the wings. Unfortunately this is not true. SOSFakeFlash and also FightFlashFraud are committed to finding and publishing fake flash sellers on the internet. FakeFlashNews also publishes the most important stories to increase consumer awareness.

If you are thinking of selling do your homework first! You don’t want to be reported at those sites, if they have evidence they will never consider removing it. The FrankenFlash Project is devoted to stopping this problem and there is now a zero tolerance policy in effect.

To see just how some people are so stubborn and motivated by greed and ignorance we are publishing the article presented at FakeFlashNews.

From FakeFlashNews:

Some sellers will do anything to make money. The case of uk-choice and ukmobi demonstrates just how far a seller will go to sell and offload false capacity usb nand technology to consumers causing data loss. This recent case first published at SOSFakeFlash demonstrates that sellers are often ignorant of the technology they sell and are determined to sell the items no matter what.

It is a frightening example. Consumers mean nothing. The reputation of Kingston Technologies means nothing. The only thing that seems important is to SELL! Get the investment back. Those who sell these devices in the Orient know exactly what they are doing. Those who sell these false capacity items in the West show their ignorance, stupidity and their greed.

If you wish to by MP Players, usb flash drives or memory cards, you should stay away from eBay. If you want to buy at an independent internet site, be extremely careful. Frankly Techreporters advises that if you really need these items, buy in a local reputable retail store. It will cost more but you will be spared from potentially becoming a victim and the nightmare that follows from trying to save a little.

The story of uk-choice, ukmobi is a perfect example of what is out there on the internet waiting for you!

From SOSFakeFlash:

uk-choice is an eBay seller of Counterfeit (Fake) Kingston DataTraveler Flash USB drives. Registered in the United Kingdom, uk-choice also has an independent website, ukmobi. This seller is ignorant of the technology he sells. One of the worse examples the FrankenFlash Project has uncovered so far. You will find this example astonishing!

Advertising at 8GB for this model,the photo is correct for the 8GB DataTraveler. Only they actually say the size is 4GB and in fact that is the tested capacity. The information on this fact has also independently been preserved.

Is it possible this seller simply has no understanding of the products he sells, or employee’s don’t?

On eBay uk-choice has released dangerous false capacity usb flash drives for sale. Furthermore, in using private actions for usb flash drives, uk-choice earns the classification of devious. This auction category is the most dangerous for nand based flash technology, it has allowed too many fraudlent sellers to victimize eBay members and to escape detection – increasing the number of victims.

As a result of complaint, what did uk-choice do?

1) Continue to list on eBay

But modify the title, yet show the same correct colour for the Kingston DataTraveler 8GB. Then further down in the listing shows:

Sorry there never was a 4GB Kingston DataTraveler in Black!

2) Makes similar changes at their own website.

Their website: http://www.ukmobi.co.uk/Product_info.asp?id=1501

The FrankenFlash Project has never seen such stupidity or ignorance of technology. Both uk-choice and ukmobi SELL technology. Are you frightened? If not you should be!

The test results for this usb flash drive:

Warning: Only 7983 of 7984 MByte tested.
The media is likely to be defective.
3.9 GByte OK (8285056 sectors)
3.8 GByte DATA LOST (8064128 sectors)
Details:2.8 GByte overwritten (6048096 sectors)
0 KByte slightly changed (< 8 bit/sector, 0 sectors)
984.3 MByte corrupted (2016032 sectors)
1.5 KByte aliased memory (3 sectors)
First error at offset: 0×00000000fcd70000
Expected: 0×00000000fcd70000
Found: 0×00000000aa55aa55
H2testw version 1.3
Writing speed: 6.45 MByte/s
Reading speed: 18.6 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

We doubt very much that this fraudster has been staying up all night performing low level formats to return these usb flash drives to the correct size of the actual flash storage chips. Any consumer who uses this flash drive would lose data after 3.9 GB without a corrective to return the usb flash drives to their actual capacity.

Even if uk-choice and ukmobi did this it is fraud. Why? Contact Kingston to ask their opinions!

uk-choice and ukmobi stubborn resolve to unload these dangerous devices to unsuspecting consumers demonstrates just how low some sellers can be. Anything to make money, anything to recover their capital. It doesn’t matter that they are harming Kingston Technologies reputation or causing data loss to consumers.

Profit at any cost, is the mantra uk-choice and ukmobi chant.

Quick Detection Genuine or Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler Michael’s Guide

eBay is not a safe place to buy usb flash drives. eBay sellers in the orient get a lot of bad press. People are suspicious. But you can just as easily buy a fake or counterfeit flash drive from eBay in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe or even in Australia.

Reprinted from SOSFakeFlash.

The FrankenFlash Project has been busy publishing alerts and documenting Kingston DT150 DataTraveler counterfeits (see articles at the end ). First 32GB fakes appeared, then 64GB fakes and now 32GB fakes have spread to many eBay countries. The United States is a serious target.

What are the signs for a counterfeit 32GB DT150 DataTraveler fake? How can you tell? Michael shows you how.

Michael is a recent victim. He bought from an American eBay seller, tested his drive and found it to be a counterfeit. Immediately Michael created a dispute at Paypal and dialogued with the seller. The seller refunded him but Paypal would not release the funds, demanding he return the counterfeit. In the end both seller and buyer united against PayPal to solve the issue and make the refund come true. See http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/report-a-fake/comment-page-2/#comment-2094

So what does a counterfeit DT150 32GB DataTraveler look like?

There is no laser etching on the usb connector front with serial information or model information. Kingston adds this as a counter measure to counterfeiting. Below is what this etching looks like for a genuine usb flash drive.

Kingston DataTraveler DT150’s are laser etched on their usb plugs with drive model information , size and a serial number too. This is a primary anti-counterfeiting defense. The one shown is for a DT150 64GB flash drive.

Kingston DT150 32GB packaging front. Note this is sealed packaging used by genuine kingston DT150 usb flash drives and not the dead giveaway of plastic snap pack. It also means that counterfeiters are able to duplicate more expensive packaging.

usb plug back of a counterfeit 32GB DT150.

The counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB packaging back with no serial information and upc code for it. All genuine Kingston DT150’s have this information inside the packaging.

It is unique, every single drive has a different serial. No two drives have the same one. It is missing here. In some counterfeits, you will find a serial label but when you check at Kingstons authentication site you will find it has already been used. It you find in a retail store, they all have the same serial number information on the back, stay away!

Kingston DT150 32GB front LED. In every report so far, the LED does not work. Not surprising really. The insides are different for a fake. The circuit board and connectors are not the same, so how could they make the LED work? The LED is really “pretend”, just to look a bit like the real one. Otherwise everyone would recognize the fake immediately.

Kingston DT150 32GB front. Many people also report the casing is made of lighter material than a genuine version and does not weigh as much.

Kingston DT150 32GB back.

Kingston label is peeling from the casing.

If you bought a counterfeit usb flash drive on eBay please report in to SOSFakeFlash, using the Report A Fake Tab For Information.

Read: Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification

Additional information published by the FrankenFlash Project:

May 27, 2009 Genuine or Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler – Quick Detection – A Guide

May 25, 2009 eBay Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drives Revealed – Case of eBay Seller fufu$$

May 20, 2009 fufu$$ And The Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drives

May 19, 2009 celeste_689 Ebay Fake Flash Seller Alert – USA – Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler

May 18, 2009 fufu$$ Ebay Fake Flash Seller Alert – Australia – Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler

April 12, 2009 minggege99 Ebay Fake Flash Seller High Alert Deregistered – China. eBay and PayPal Try To Block Victims From Refunds For Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler 150

April 14, 2009 Counterfeit Ring – eBay Sellers minggege99, abestpartner0, and niuren2008

April 14, 2009 KINGSTON DT150 128GB USB Flash Drive Shows Up On eBay!

April 9, 2009 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drive Counterfeits eBay Scandal – Wholesale Costs For Counterfeits

April 7, 2009 abestpartner0 – Did You Buy a 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB 32 GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive From This eBay Seller?

March 29, 2009 niuren2008 Ebay Fake Flash Seller High Alert Deregistered – China – Counterfeit DT150 32GB 32 GB Data Traveler 150

The first story:

March 16, 2009 Kingston Counterfeit Fake 32GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive Found On eBay

Genuine or Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler – Quick Detection – A Guide

Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler usb flash drive pensticks are being counterfeited – how can you tell? Recently fake Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler flash drives began to appear on eBay, it is growing with alarming speed! eBay is not the only place you will find them, they are available at internet wholesaling sites in the orient.

What is the quickest inspection you can do to find out if you bought a counterfeit? Kingston engaves it’s usb connector for the DT150 64GB DataTraveler.

Here are other signs reported by victims when they compare counterfeits to the genuine Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler:

1. The main font is slightly (but definitely) different.
2. The actual USB plug is mounted upside down – such that the indicator light (which doesn’t work anyway) is facing downward when the drive is plugged in normally.
3. The lanyard hole is round as opposed the slightly square on the real Kingston.
4. Plastic moulding is poorly finished, with seams and visible.
5. The burgundy coloured outer finish is a very cheap & nasty stick on affair that doesn’t [quite] fit at the edge reliefs.

On a real one the USB connector is engraved and the back of the package has a second Bar Code sticker (see pictures below).

1. The counterfeits don’t have a blue light (although there is a spot for it).
2. The counterfeits are put together backwards, note on the real one pictured here you can see the copper path through the holes in the USB connector on the counterfeits its black from that side because they are backwards.
3. The counterfeit is very light in weight, less half the weight.
4. The best way to tell is the size of registered trademark symbol ® after the words DataTraveler on the front side that has 64GB on it, the counterfeit has a very small ®, about the size of one of the small dots on the surface, on a real one its over twice as big ®, see the pictures and compare.

This is the counterfeit and you can see how tiny the registered trademark symbol ® is compared to the genuine drive. Note that counterfeits unlike a genuine drive can come in several different variations.

The other thing that usually distinguishes genuine Kingston Flash drives from counterfeits is the packaging. Look at the back.

Some counterfeits to have serial number information but you can easliy verify see: Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification Kingston can help with their detection site to determine if the Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler you bought is genuine.

If you bought a counterfeit (fake) from a seller on eBay please report in to SOSFakeFlash Report A Fake Tab

Additional reading:

• Wholesale Prices For Fake Sony Kingston Counterfeit USB Flash Drives 16GB 32GB 64Gb 120GB 240GB 360GB 500GB
• 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drive Counterfeits – Current Wholesale Costs For Fakes
• What Are The Real Costs For Flash Chips In China? Guide 2009

Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler Found On eBay

A Counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler usb flash drive has been found on eBay. It appears that now the 64GB capacity is no longer safe from those who wish to make a profit at the expense of Kingston Technologies.

If you are interested in selling Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler usb flash drives and you are planning to import from a wholesaler in the orient – Becareful! Ensure that you test any merchandise you receive for true capacity before you offer it for sale. Use a program such as H2testw 1.4 to do the testing, do not reply on what you might see in properties for an operating system!

With permission from SOSFakeFlash here is the alert they just issued against the seller to warn buyers.

fufu$$ is an eBay seller of Counterfeit (Fake) Flash USB drives. Based in Austrialia fufu$$ has been selling fake Kingston DataTraveler 150 usb flash pen sticks advertised at 64GB. This is the first time an eBay seller has been confirmed to sell counterfeits for the Kingston DT150 in 64GB. Sadly the Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler 150 is no longer safe from counterfeiters. Beware!

At the moment SOSFakeFlash does not know the details on how fufu$$ acquired these counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB DataTraveler 150 usb flash drives. It is suspected that they came from one of those wholesaler sites in the Orient.

SOSFakeFlash STRONGLY ADVISES that any eBay seller who wished to sell any usb flash drives, MP Players, Memory Cards using Flash nand memory technology TEST THEIR MERCHANDISE prior to offering it for sale on eBay. A seller needs to inspect his wares. Relying on a quick operating system verification is not sufficient!

Read: Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification

In a very short period of time fufu$$ earned a lot of money – this false capacity fakes advertised at 64GB commanded very high prices.

The story on eBay seller fufu$$ is not over, it could only just be beginning. Kingston’s reputation has suffered a great deal because their Brand name is being counterfeited. The drives and packaging look similar to the real items. People around the world are finding themselves with fake Kingston merchandise and this is not fair to Kingston. Consumer confidence is being impacted.

While people around the world end up with Kingston fake usb flash drives, do you know where the problem is the greatest?

India.

The damage being done to data and buyers in India is not well reported nor understood by most – they also learn the hard and painful way – through data loss and in many cases virus infections of their machines. Awareness is growing but far too slowly. Like everyone else they are wary of fake usb flash drives, that is why they chose the Kingston Brand in the first place, to avoid getting a fake!

fufu$$ is a local eBay seller. People bought from him because he was in Australia – to avoid getting a fake. It only shows once again, there is no safe country on eBay to buy usb flash drives from. You will find them just as easily in your own home eBay country as you will in the orient! It also demonstrates one more that buying brand names on eBay is not going to protect you from acquiring a fake. You can get a false capacity usb flash drive as a brand name, as you can from a generic usb flash drive.

Given the high prices paid for these counterfeit Kingston DT150 64GB on eBay SOSFakeFlash recommends you do not buy any Kingston DT150 usb flash drives on eBay. Not until eBay addresses the issue of false capacity usb flash drives for sale once and for all! This may seem unfair to some eBay sellers, but how can a buyer distinquish between a true brand name offering and a fake? In the 32GB to 64GB capacity range and the prices that people pay, the risk is just too great.

Important Reading:

• eBay – What To Do When Sellers Demands You Change Your Negative Feedback To Positive For A Refund Or Demands Positive As A Condition Of Refund – A Guide
• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Why Leave Immediate Negative Feedback For an eBay Fake Flash Seller?
• PayPal Orders You To Return Fake MP Players, Fake MP Players , Fake USB Flash Drives, Fake Memory Cards To Get A Refund? Think Again!
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• What Are The Real Costs For Flash Chips In China? Guide 2009

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

Don’t forget to leave the calling card of “SOSFakeFlash” and “H2testw” in your feedback to help others. Do not change your feedback to get a refund – you will only create more victims. See what we have on file.

Wholesale Prices For Fake Sony Kingston Counterfeit USB Flash Drives 16GB 32GB 64Gb 120GB 240GB 360GB 500GB

Why do eBay members and internet shoppers end up buying fake counterfeit Kingston DataTraveler and Sony MicroVault usb flash drives? Whose fault is it? The buyer? The reseller? The Wholesaler? The black market profiteer who has the flash chips reprogrammed to lie about their real size? It is obvious that the black market profiteer knows what he is doing. Almost all wholesalers do as well. Some resellers know, but quiet a few do not. Buyers are not aware and they pay the price.

The FrankenFlash Project is continuing on the mission to educate the Global Public about fake flash usb drives, MP Players and memory cards.

InspectorTech and FlashChipTutor, researched and prepared another shopping trip! Fish out your calculator and have it handy to punch in numbers. Unlike other shopping trips internet addresses and the sites visited are not revealed, instead screen captures are provided as evidence. The Project isn’t interested in promoting these sites or educating people on how to become a fake flash seller. Instead it is an outreach to resellers and consumers to promote awareness.

Here is a rough cost sheet for flash drive chips valid as of March 2009 and likely to remain for the rest of the year:

1GB = 3.38
2GB = 4.11
4GB = 6.61
8GB = 13.23
16GB = 29.41

These are the costs of the chips. It does not include the rest of the usb drive, MP Player or memory card – just the nand flash chip. Write the prices down on paper for 1GB, 2GB, 4GB. These are the most common true capacity sizes found when testing fakes. It doesn’t matter what the advertised size is. Remember for a usb flash drive the cost of rest of the drive can be about $2 to $5 US more. We don’t have the cost for a 512MB flash chip handy but it may be as low as $1 US.

Every one of these usb flash drives is a counterfeit. Every Sony drive shown was never made by Sony. Only the Kingston may have been made by Kingston and repackaged – the lime model is 2GB real capacity. Do you know the true capacity found for the “Sony Counterfeits”? Not one drive has shown a capacity higher than 512MB! Surprise. They are using chips most likely cost less than $1 US Dollar. Just like eBay, there are the hidden costs that come with shipping and in many cases you can double the prices you see here. Then add import duties.

Who makes the profit? These items have sold on eBay for more than $60 US at resale to buyers who did not do their homework and trusted in the brand names. Unfortunately eBay is not the only place you will find these drives. They have evaded just about every country imported by resellers who find the prices so attractive and are dreaming of profit heaven. Soon they will discover the sad truth. Buyers will not spare sellers who sell them and many have contacted local law authorities.

Please do not buy these items. Do not import them into your country. If you are a buyer, report the seller to Kingston or to Sony immediately and give them all the details of the transaction including the sellers address information. If you bought any of these items on eBay, do not spare eBay, eBay seller or PayPal. There is no excuse for sellers not doing their product research before selling. eBay should patrol for these items instead of keeping their head in the sand. Paypal according to SOSFakeFlash needs to stop moaning and wiggling away from refunding buyers – take ownership for buyer protection or remove it all together as it is a sham in the eyes of victims.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB Ebay Seller Ring Confirmed

eBay members, victims of the seller ids: minggege99, abestpartner0, and niuren2008 have suspected same person was involved in the trafficking in these Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB usb flash drives recently flooding eBay. Over 4600+ units were sold and over £80,000 of listing sales on eBay!

eBay has removed all evidence of listings and deregistered the seller ids. PayPal is trying to evade responsibilty in refunding buyers. SOSFakeFlash finds nothing new there. Both must be very worried about hearing from Kingston Technologies for allowing these items to be sold on eBay. Many eBay members have contacted Kingston and all were told the items they had purchased were counterfeits.

Who is the seller or distributor? Reported by victims, one:

LEE Wai Bun

FLAT RM 842 6/floor
HANG SENGBLDG
64 DES VOEUX RD
CENTRAL
Hong Kong

To assist the Hong Kong Police and the Hong Kong Technology Crime Division to find and question Lee Wai Bun about these counterfeits:

You can also write to the Technology Crime Prevention Unit at:

cpu-tcd@police.gov.hk

or if you wish, donate your fake by mailing it with your details to:

Technology Crime Prevention Unit,
Technology Crime Division,
Commercial Crime Bureau, HKP,
22/F, Arsenal House,
Police Headquarters,
1 Arsenal Street, Wanchai
Hong Kong.

SOSFakeFlash believes more of these fake Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler 150 will be flooding eBay. They can easily be purchased from wholesalers for import to unleash local data loss plagues around the world.

• 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drive Counterfeits eBay Scandal – Wholesale Costs For Counterfeits
• minggege99 Ebay Fake Flash Seller High Alert Deregistered – China. eBay and PayPal Try To Block Victims From Refunds For Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler 150
• What Are The Real Costs For Flash Chips In China? Guide 2009

256GB Kingston DT101 256GB 256 GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive Counterfeits

Beware Kingston DataTraveler Kingston DT101 256GB advertised as 256GB with this packaging and drive etchings of 256GB is a counterfeit – fake! Kingston has not yet offered this size for sale in ANY Model !. It is sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong.

Currently the largest capacity offered is 64GB on the consumer market. At Kingston’s site you will not find this model in the size shown below, nor in the colour revealed here. The Kingston DT101 is a swivel model, distinct in it’s colours and Kingston etches the same colour on the swivel as the plastic casing for lettering. If they made a 256GB Kingston DT101 you can be sure they would showcase it at their site.

Recently a lot of counterfeit Kingston DT150 DataTraveler usb flash drives have shown up on eBay! You can read about it in Confirmed – Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler Ring eBay Sellers minggege99, abestpartner0, and niuren2008 The counterfeit shown here has been offered for sale on eBay too.

Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive in the packaging shown, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive! Instead, if you wish to buy on the internet visit Kingston’s site to determine the models offered and the colour coding for sizes to help you avoid a false capacity drive.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

The real Kingston DataTraveler 101 is only made up to 16GB looks like this:

To review the models really made by Kingston visit: http://www.kingston.com/flash/dt101.asp

If you want to review all the counterfeits found on eBay you can visit these two sites. Just type in the word Kingston in the search box to see what is currently documented:

• http://fightflashfraud.wordpress.com/
• http://fakeflashnews.wordpress.com/

128GB Kingston DT150 128GB 128 GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive Counterfeits

Beware Kingston DataTraveler Kingston DT150 128GB advertised as 128GB with this packaging and drive markings of 128GB is a counterfeit – fake! Kingston has not yet offered this size for sale. It is sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong.

Currently the largest capacity offered is 64GB on the consumer market. At Kingston’s site this model is no where to be found. It they made a whopping 128GB Kingston DT150 you can be sure they would present it for the whole world to see! Afterall as of April 12th, 2009 they would be the first to offer a 128GB usb flash drive on the market! The counterfeit below is a fake and so obvious too. Kingston would never use a sticker on packaging to advertise the size of their usb flash drives.

Recently a lot of counterfeit Kingston DT150 DataTraveler usb flash drives have shown up on eBay! You can read about it in Confirmed – Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler Ring eBay Sellers minggege99, abestpartner0, and niuren2008

Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive in the packaging shown, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive! Instead, if you wish to buy on the internet visit Kingston’s site to determine the models offered and the colour coding for sizes to help you avoid a false capacity drive.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

See DataTraveler 150 Models Available at Kingston For Inspection Always visit Kingston’s site to verify what they make!

If you want to review all the counterfeits found on eBay you can visit these two sites. Just type in the word Kingston in the search box to see what is currently documented:

• http://fightflashfraud.wordpress.com/
• http://fakeflashnews.wordpress.com/

32GB Kingston DataTraveler 101 Counterfeit Fake USB Flash Drive DT101

Beware Kingston DataTraveler 101 advertised as 32GB with this packaging it is counterfeit – fake! Kingston did not produce these. The Kingston DataTraveler 101 is a swivel usb flash drive. These counterfeits are sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive! Instead, if you wish to buy on the internet visit Kingston’s site to check the genuine models offered to help you avoid a counterfeit.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

The real Kingston DataTraveler 101 is only made up to 16GB looks like this:

To review the models really make by Kingston visit: http://www.kingston.com/flash/dt101.asp

If you want to review all the counterfeits found on eBay you can visit these two sites. Just type in the word Kingston in the search box to see what is currently documented:

• http://fightflashfraud.wordpress.com/
• http://fakeflashnews.wordpress.com/

minggege99 Ebay Fake Flash Seller High Alert Deregistered – China. eBay and PayPal Try To Block Victims From Refunds For Counterfeit Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler 150

minggege99 was an eBay seller of Counterfeit (Fake) Flash USB drives. Based in China minggege99 sold over 1600+ counterfeit DT150 32GB 32 GB DataTraveler 150 USB 2.0 Flash Drives. minggege99 is the third eBay id based in China caught selling these counterfeits in one month.

As news of Kingston DT150 32GB counterfeits on eBay spread, eBay quickly deregistered this id leaving buyers stranded. Information on purchases disappeared from their “won list”. SOSFakeFlash noticed victims of minggege99 desperately searching for information and awaited testing results.

ShadowRanger a victim of minggege99 reported:

First, i tried checking the size of the pens, by putting a lot o files inside them. And that caused errors.

Second, i made a lot of research and found various complaints about the issue.

Third, i opened both, found that they have the same chip that and has nothing to do with Kingston. Tried to fix one of the pens with no success.

Last, i received a message from Paypal saying that if i want to become eligible for a refund, i have to send back the items.

And i ask, what for? I’ll just spend more money, and it’s very possible that i don’t get a refund.

ShadowRanger experiences are all too familiar – repeated by thousands of eBayers since 2005 on eBay. Yet the problem continues. In deregistering fake flash seller minggege99, eBay was not trying to help eBayers but hide the fact that this seller managed to list and sell over 1600+ units.

PayPal demanding that the item be returned to the fake flash seller is also too familiar. Their systems are flawed as as SOSFakeFlash and eBay victims have pointed out so many times. They use robotic emailers and templates. There is very little human intelligence involved. PayPal knows better than to demand this people return these items. See PayPal Apologizes To eBayer Ordered Return Counterfeit Items Using Postal Services – Fake Flash eBay Sellers

Still it does not stop. FlashStormer had to break down the doors of Paypal to get them to listen.

ShadowRanger, the newest detective to assist SOSFakeFlash is correct in his conclusions. Most people who send back fake flash items, never get a refund. The seller will claim it never received. Often when the return address is actually real, the item is resold to a new victim.

minggege99, abestpartner0, and niuren2008 together generated over £80,000 in sales. Buyers who reported to Kingston all received the same news – the flash drives counterfeits. In the case of the Kingston DT150 32GB, there is a quick way to determine if it is a counterfeit or not – validation of the serial id on the packaging: Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification

ShadowRanger sent in the results for his fake Kingston DT150 32GB. It tested to a miserable 256MB chip, substandard in very bad condition, only about 232MB usable. The smallest actual capacity on record.

There may be as many as 4,600 eBay members who are victims of these latest counterfeits. First victimized by the fake flash seller, second victimized by eBay removing the evidence of listing and third victimized by PayPal not refunding. In the case of PayPal, they know better. The evidence is very clear. They may promote their “Buyer Protection” but all victims of fake flash know this is spin – not truth.

To get a refund victims will have to fight. It is not simply about money, it is principal. Both eBay are well aware of the problem with fake flash MP Players, Memory Cards and usb flash drives being sold. Some members get refunds easily, read: eBay Member Reveals Latest Information As eBay Struggles To Address Issue of Fake USB Flash Drives, MP Players and Memory Cards being sold and are even given hush money as gift certificates. Most have to fight and refuse to let eBay and PayPal get away with it. PayPal has 180 days to open an investigation on a seller. Is this more spin, or is this a fact? Both eBay and PayPal just hope the buyers will go away. Give up. It is about percentages. How do you feel about this?

The problem not stop until eBay members fight back against fake flash seller, eBay and PayPal. It has been a very bad month for fake flash reports. Tragedy in data loss has been high. Important memories and milestone events in people’s lives stolen forever – impossible to recover.

ShadowRanger’s story and his conclusions explain why this continues on eBay. Both eBay and PayPal are not willing to address the problem. They have chosen to hide behind automation instead of having employees address issues of fraud. eBay in the summer of 2008 said they had 2,000 employee’s who work on issues of addressing fraud. Do you believe this? SOSFakeFlash and victims don’t.

Fight for you refund from fake flash seller minggege99. Do the same if you are a victim of abestpartner0 and niuren2008. As these sellers are deregistered you can not leave any feedback, but you can comment on our posts.

Every dispute filed against one of these sellers is a permanent record that PayPal will have on record. They can not erase them. The facts remain.

minggege99’s shipping address:

Lee Wai Bun

FLAT RM 842 6/Floor
HANG SENGBLDG
64 DES VOEUX RD
CENTRAL
Hong Kong

minggege99 return address According to PayPal:

Rm 1603,Tower C,Binfushiji,shiyi Road,
Kejiyuan,
nanshan Shenzhen
Guangdong 518000
China

Additional Reading:

• 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drive Counterfeits eBay Scandal – Wholesale Costs For Counterfeits
• niuren2008 Ebay Fake Flash Seller High Alert Deregistered – China – Counterfeit DT150 32GB 32 GB Data Traveler 150
• abestpartner0 Ebay Fake Flash Seller Alert – China – counterfeit DT150 32GB 32 GB Data Traveler 150

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device minggege99 or any other eBay seller.

32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drive Counterfeits – Current Wholesale Costs For Fakes

You can buy counterfeit 32GB Kingston DT150 32GB DataTraveler USB Flash Drives on internet wholesale sites in the orient for as little as $14 US. Imagine your reselling profits until you get caught! Police and Buyers knocking on your door. Here is a perfect example of upgrading – read – digitally altering a small flash drive to appear bigger to an operating system – see the listing below.

Recently three eBay sellers: minggege99, nuiren2008, abestpartner0 together sold over 4,500 units on eBay. They were caught by eBayers who reported them to SOSFakeFlash. Soon internet alerts were published and negatives poured in. The FrankenFlash Project websites went to work. All three sellers are now toast. Angry buyers are storming PayPal demanding FULL Refunds. With over 4,500 fakes sold you can imagine what this means for PayPal and the dispute console – it is sizzling.

Do not buy this usb flash drive on eBay. Do not buy it at internet wholesalers in the orient – especially if you plan to resell. Be very wary – upgrade is a polite term for digitally altering the drive to report a larger size than it really is. This will cause people to lose their data when they exceed the real capacity of the drive. When this happens buyers will investigate. The profit margin for selling genuine usb flash drives is small. Genuine usb flash drive sale profit is not high. Large retail chains do not have a hugh mark up as many people think, their profit comes from selling in volume, not by the unit. If you want to sell genuine usb flash drives at the true capacity, unless you can be a volume seller, your profits will not be high. Too many people have been ruined for selling fakes, please do not join them. If you do intend to sell on the internet or eBay make sure you test each model you sell for true capacity first. Chose at random.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• What Are The Real Costs For Flash Chips In China? Guide 2009
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

If you want to review all the counterfeits found on eBay you can visit these two sites. Just type in the word Kingston in the search box to see what is currently documented:

• http://fightflashfraud.wordpress.com/
• http://fakeflashnews.wordpress.com/

16GB USB Flash Drive Sony MicroVault DataTraveler Wholesale $11 US Fake Counterfeits Cheap – Brand Name Confusion!

A Sony MicroVault DataTraveler usb flash drive. Yes you can buy them wholesale. The best of both worlds Sony and Kingston. Their famous usb flash drive names: MicroVault and Datatraveler.

Of course there is no such thing. Kingston did not make it and Sony did not make it. FlashChipTutor is convinced they are not the ones to come up with such a hybrid. Of course it is just more fake flash spin. You can buy them cheap too. These 16GB fakes are selling at less then the cost of an grade A 8GB flash drive chip!

Naturally you can expect to NOT receive the advertised capacity. This the famous little fake that sports the Sony name and the Microvault brand. SOSFakeFlash doesn’t have a true capacity on record higher than 512MB so far. It can be just about any size you want it to be, fake flash reprogrammers are happy to oblige so long as they get their cut. The bigger you want it to be, the more they will charge you. This little counterfeit has been sold in sizes as high as 500GB! There are no usb flash pen sticks on the market for consumers higher than 64GB. This famous counterfeit does a lot of damage to buyers data. If you want to lose your precious files, buy this drive. If you are a reseller who wants to cheat people and then be chased from pillar to post by angry buyers and have the police knocking at your door this is thing to sell.

Important Reading:

• USB Flash Drives Best Price Bargains Fair Value To Sell Or Buy 8GB 16GB 32GB
• Genuine Verses Fake Counterfeit USB Flash Drives – A Guide – USB Flash Chips Used – Grades A B C D
• Buying Kingston and Sony USB Flash Drives On eBay Safely – A Guide
• Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification
• Free Fake Flash Guide Download From Fighting flash fraud on Ebay

• H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives

Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.

If you want to review all the counterfeits found on eBay you can visit these two sites. Just type in the word Kingston in the search box to see what is currently documented:

• http://fightflashfraud.wordpress.com/
• http://fakeflashnews.wordpress.com/