Fake Storage Devices

I wish I could get 8 TB of storage for $30! This is clearly fake.

Fake storage devices with high capacities at ridiculously low prices are a scourge and have probably lost countless people’s data. They’re usually a smaller-capacity device that’s been reprogrammed to trick the computer into thinking it’s bigger than it actually is. When you try to save data that’s too big for the real capacity, old data gets overwritten so your files get corrupted.

As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probaby is. Of course, computer storage and memory are getting cheaper all the time, so search a reputable website to get a sense of current prices. Right now, real 8 TB solid state drives cost well over $500. Even traditional hard drives, which are cheaper than SSDs, still cost $150-200 for 8 TB.

If you’re not sure a device is real, there are several free tools to check it (search “fake flash drive tester”). Basically, they save data to the entire advertised capacity and then try to read it back to make sure it’s all still there.

(Side note: One intrepid buyer found out that this particular device is a 64 GB microSD card in a case, with another chip to perform the trickery. Given that you can buy 64 GB microSD cards for $10-20 now, the price makes more sense.)