Archive for the ‘Counterfeits Sony’ Category
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 19, 2009
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:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
Posted in DataTraveler, Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Kingston, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, Kingston DataTraveler, SOSFakeFlash | 3 Comments »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 18, 2009
Beware Sony Vaio USB Flash Drive advertised as 512GB with a packaging label of 512GB is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb pen stick flash drive – Vaio is for Sony’s Laptop brand, MicroVault is for Sony usb flash drives. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This is the most common Sony fake sold on eBay. It rarely has a true capacity over 512MB. You can buy one for less than $21 US. Currently the highest capacity available to the consumer market is 64GB so where did this usb flash drive come from. Pluto? Shown below is just how far counterfeiters will go: Sony. Vaio. Microvault. All in one package. See the Counterfeit Sony Microvault series under categories at this site. Recognize the drive? Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
The fake shown above has been around a long time. It is the oldest Sony Counterfeit still being sold. Big false sizes, little real capacity chips.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line documented.
Posted in Micro Vault, VAIO | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 512GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 17, 2009
Beware Sony Vaio USB Flash Drive advertised as 120GB with sophisticated black packaging it is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb pen stick flash drive – Vaio is for Sony’s Laptop brand, MicroVault is for Sony usb flash drives. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This model sold on eBay, targeting those with upscale tastes wanting large capacity usb flash drives. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
Notice how this drive has a tape marking the advertised capacity? Now would this make sense? Remember Vaio is laptop not flash drive.
If you see this for sale anywhere please contact Sony at:stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line documented.
Posted in VAIO | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 120GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 16, 2009
Beware Sony Vaio USB Flash Drive advertised as 32GB with packaging of VAIO Sony and a sticker of 32GB is a counterfeit – fake! This model sports a red plastic jewel in green white packaging. Sony never produced this usb pen stick flash drive – Vaio is for Sony’s Laptop brand, MicroVault is for Sony usb flash drives. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This model sold a lot on eBay, targeting those who do not know the difference between MicroVault and Vaio, only that they are both famous. Sony would never use a sticker for it’s sizing. The span packaging is the famous tell tail sign of a counterfeiter. SOSFakeFlash has never seen a genunie capacity usb flash drive using this packaging yet. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
If you see this for sale anywhere please contact Sony at:stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line documented.
Posted in VAIO | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 32GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 15, 2009
Beware Sony Vaio USB Flash Drive advertised as 32GB with packaging of VAIO Sony and a sticker of 32GB is a counterfeit – fake! This model sports a red plastic jewel in red white packaging. Sony never produced this usb pen stick flash drive – Vaio is for Sony’s Laptop brand, MicroVault is for Sony usb flash drives. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This model sold a lot on eBay, targeting those who do not know the difference between MicroVault and Vaio, only that they are both famous. Sony would never use a sticker for it’s sizing. The snap packaging is the famous tell tail sign of a counterfeiter. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
This advertising is very high priced. It is a warning that not all counterfeits are cheap, some attempt to pretend to be genuine by offering very high prices. If one fish hook does not get you another is designed to. Counterfeiters have many.
If you see this for sale anywhere please contact Sony at:stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line documented.
Posted in VAIO | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 32GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 14, 2009
Beware Sony Vaio USB Flash Drive advertised as 32GB with sophisticated black packaging it is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb pen stick flash drive – Vaio is for Sony’s Laptop brand, MicroVault is for Sony usb flash drives. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This model sold a lot on eBay, targeting those with upscale tastes. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
If you see this for sale anywhere please contact Sony at:stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line documented.
Posted in VAIO | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 32GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 13, 2009
Beware of the 240GB Sony flash memory pen drives in silver metal advertised as 240GB and stamped with the Sony brand name, they are a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced them. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. This model is seen a lot on eBay. Anyone who resells in this black market is making a large profit. You can buy them for as little as $6 US. Imaging the resell profit until you get caught by buyers and the police. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive if such capacity sizes are advertised!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Sony Named | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 240GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 12, 2009
Beware mini Sony flash memory pen drives in plastic advertised as 32GB and stamped with the Sony brand name, they are a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced them. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. This model is sold on eBay, it is a counterfeit. The wholesale cost is below the price of a real 8GB flash drive chip. That alone should warn you. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive if such capacity sizes are advertised!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project.
Posted in Sony Named | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 32GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 11, 2009
Beware Sony flash memory pen drives in leather advertised as 16GB and stamped with the Sony brand name, they are a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced them. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. This model often has a real capacity of only 512MB and rarely more than 2GB. It is also the oldest “classic” fake sold. Most use the old icreate controller chips. It is sold a lot on eBay but rarely as stamped with the Sony brand anymore – too obvious. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive if such capacity sizes are advertised!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Sony Named | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 16GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 8, 2009
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:
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:
Posted in DataTraveler, Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Kingston, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 16GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, Kingston DataTraveler, Sony Microvault, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on April 7, 2009
Sony and Kingston brands are being targeted by counterfeiters. Please check Sony and Kingston websites for usb flash drives to find attractive 16GB usb flash drives offered in pleasant spring colours!
Kingston does offer DataTraveler 101 usb flash drives with similar colours, only it is a swivel drive not capped. Also it says Kingston, not Sony! Kingston is offering the 16GB at $56 US but we found a seller charging over $70 for a drive never made by Kingston. Is the surcharge because Sony’s name is being used? This drive is not made by Sony either.
Important Reading:
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:
Posted in Counterfeits Sony, DataTraveler | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Kingston, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 16GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, Kingston DataTraveler, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on March 26, 2009
Beware Sony Microvault model USM16024 advertised as 16GB with a packaging label of 16G is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb flash drive. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This drive is unlikely to have a real capacity of more than 512MB. This model is the favorite Sony Micro vault counterfeit sold on eBay. It comes in other sizes and packaging. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
The fake shown above has been around a long time.
Please report any internet listing like this to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
The closest historical model that appears similar was USM16
The only similarity is the packaging and the rounded shape.
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 16GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SONY MICRO VAULT, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on March 26, 2009
Beware Sony Microvault model USM4042 advertised as 32GB with a packaging label of 32G is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb flash drive. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This drive is unlikely to have a real capacity of more than 512MB. This model is the favorite Sony Micro vault counterfeit sold on eBay. It comes in other sizes and packaging. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
The fake shown above has been around a long time.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
The closest historical model that appears similar was USM32
The only similarity is the packaging and the rounded shape.
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 32GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SONY MICRO VAULT, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on March 26, 2009
Beware Sony Microvault model advertised as 60GB with a packaging label of 60G is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb flash drive. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This drive is unlikely to have a real capacity of more than 512MB. This model is the favorite Sony Micro vault counterfeit sold on eBay. It comes in other sizes and packaging. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
The fake shown above has been around a long time and 60GB or 60G is very bad flash drive math. Whoever dreamed up that label was thinking hard disks not flash drives. Sizing is 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB etc.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 60GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SONY MICRO VAULT, SOSFakeFlash | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flashchiptutor on March 26, 2009
Beware Sony Microvault model USM64024 advertised as 64GB with a packaging label of 64G is a counterfeit – fake! Sony never produced this usb flash drive. Sold on wholesaler internet sites in China and Hong Kong. Often sold as “upgraded” – there is no such thing. This drive is unlikely to have a real capacity of more than 512MB. This model is the favorite Sony Micro vault counterfeit sold on eBay. It comes in other sizes and packaging. Avoid being frauded or scammed. Do not buy this usb flash drive, you risk data loss. Do not sell this usb flash drive!
Important Reading:
Report in to SOSFakeFlash if your testing confirms you have a false capacity device.
The fakes shown above has been around a long time.
Please report any internet listing to:
stopfakes@am.sony.com
The closest historical model that appears similar was USM64
The only similarity is the packaging and the rounded shape.
Visit http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/ for the list of sites in the FrankenFlash Project. You will find plenty of evidence on this counterfeit line that has been documented.
Posted in Micro Vault | Tagged: Counterfeit Flash Drives, Counterfeit Sony, eBay Fake Flash Guides, Fake 64GB USB Flash Drive, FlashDriveFacts, FrankenFlash Project, Fraud USB Flash, SONY MICRO VAULT, SOSFakeFlash | 4 Comments »
