As fake memory cards have now proliferated throughout the marketplace, it is important to be able to spot a fake. This page includes methods to spot fakes, and examples of fake cards.
Why should you care?
- Inferior quality card – you’re not getting what you paid for
- No warranty – when the card fails, you’re out of luck
- Fake cards sometimes have invalid partition sizes, making it likely to fail
- It will drive costs of genuine cards up
So how can we spot the fake?
First of all we recommend to buy memory cards on Amazon.com ->
Either just read and be careful buying memory cards! 1. Software method: A program called H2testw 1.4 has been written (thanks to German writer Herald Bögeholz and c’t Magazin für Computertechnik) which correctly analyzes and reports a flash drive’s true size capacity; letting you know it is a fake. If you don’t believe that, read this article at http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/h2testw-14-gold-standard-in-detecting-usb-counterfeit-drives/ This make life a bit easier! 2. Presentation quality and differences First thing to look for is poorly printed labels and material; most fake cards have slight differences from the real deal. Most manufacturers have a page where you can download high resolution pictures of their cards. Below is a list of manufacturer image page links: |
Sample 1:
Example of fake 1GB Sandisk SD Card
This particular card was also missing a notch, making it quite easy to spot:
Sample 2:
Example of fake 2GB Sandisk CF Card:
Note the faded red print on the back, and the “TM” next to “CF” at the top right side on the fake:
Note there is no serial on the bottom of the fake (serial blurred on the real one):
Note the fake box has no hologram:
Sample 3:
Another example of Sandisk 2GB CF Card
Note the poor print and alignment of label:
Note the poor quality workmanship on edge, print quality and alignment of text:
Sample 4:
Fake Sony Pro Duo 2GB
Note that the fake card has poor quality printing and does not have the same various extrusions and intrusions as the genuine card. With the number of lips and dips on the genuine card it isn’t difficult to spot the fake.
Note there is no hologram sticker
Note the incorrect corporation name of ‘Sorry Corporation’
Note the incorrect serial number
Note that the front of the card looks very similar to a real card.
The SanDisk card manual was different to the real thing as well (note that the manual on the right hand is from a Sandisk Ultra II, wheras the manual on the left is for a ‘flash memory card’):
