Kingston’s latest usb flash drive product line, DataTraveler 150 is the victim of counterfeiters. Scammers and Fraudsters know a good thing when they see it. The reputation of Kingston for quality products is the perfect target. eBay is the favorite place to sell counterfeit items especially for flash technology. The conduit market is worldwide.
eBay does little to stop these sellers. At most, a fraudlent seller gets a little tap on the wrist, a suspension for a few months. Meanwhile eBay victims are ignored. The damage to brand name products with lowered consumer confidence matters little to eBay’s drive to profit. The only thing eBay will do, is scurry to hide the evidence. How? If they suspend a seller, they now have the opportunity to erase his listings. Cover their tracks and the fake flash sellers tracks from eBay members and any brand name companies that might investigate. Because of this behavior, the FrankenFlash Project is now forced to delay warnings and alerts – until they can collect evidence.
The lastest brand name drive to be counterfeited and sold on eBay is the 32GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive. For validation information see: Kingston USB Flash Drives. How To Check You Have A Genuine One And Not A Counterfeit – Easy Guide. Kingston Technologies Fighting To Protect Consumers And Itself From Counterfeits.
Kingstone released this drive in the fall of 2008. SOSFakeFlash’s network continues to grow and Blogger123 (nom de plume) reported to SOSFakeFlash with evidence on eBay seller abestpartner0. abestpartner0 has sold 1300+ 32GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drives to eBay members.
Here is the investigation and evidence from SOSFakeFlash:
Blogger123 received his drive from abestpartner0. It looked like a genuine Kingston drive.
You might be wondering why the drive has been taken apart. Well, in Blogger123‘s case he got the worst fake of all – a fake without a flash drive chip. Yes, no flash drive. He was unable to write anything to the drive as there was no drive. At the moment he does not dare to pry off the other half of the case as it is glued and like other victims of this seller he is pursuing.
This is what the drive looks like.
Perhaps someone was asleep on the assembly line? Well Kingston goes through a lot of effort to protect their products and has serial numbers that you can use to validate your flash drive purchase. Each drive, just like software has a unique number.
Blogger123 read:Kingston USB Flash Drives – Detect Counterfeits And Fakes – Product Verification and used the Memory Verification
He received a reply:
Kingston Validation Confirmation
You have entered the following information:
Serial Number: KT13852-00015788License Key:
G8xxxxx-xxxxxxxxEmail
Address: Blogger123@PlanetPluto.comThe flash memory product you inquired was already registered by another user, so it may not be authentic Kingston memory product. We suggest that you double check the information on the product label. (Refer to the Kingston Verification website for details).
so the serial number was already registered. That means it was stolen, just like software serial keys can be stolen. Every Kingston drive gets it’s own unique number to combat fraud.
SOSFakeFlash asked us to delay publishing this information as eBayers are getting together. abestpartner0 sold over 1300 of these drives. They sold for less then 1/4 of the usual retail price and offered free shipping too.
Everyone is very interested to know just how eBay will handle this problem:
- Will they try to hide the evidence as they always have?
- Will they come clean with eBayers who bought the drives?
- Will they pretend they have no responsibility for allowing band name counterfeits to be sold?
- Will they tell Kingston, it never happened?
- Just when will eBay grow up and behave in a professional responsible way?
- When will they show transparency and address the problem of counterfeit and fake flash products instead of continuing in denial?
- When will they institute strict and rigorous guidelines for listing such products and actually hold sellers accountable?
SOSFakeFlash made sure to get all the eBay item numbers in case eBay tries wiggle out of this one.
The FrankenFlash Project was founded by victims of fake flash device purchases. They realised this was a serious global problem. It is one thing to be skunked out of money, another to lose important data that can NEVER BE REPLACED!
Members of the Project are very disheartened to see just how quickly a wonderful new drive such as the Kingston DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive has fallen to predators of fake flash profit! It costs a lot of money to innovate technology and this is the last thing Kingston needs!
For older members in the FrankenFlash Project – Kingston is an Icon. It is the brand we all trusted for any flash based needs. The author is typing this article on a computer using Kingston Ram Chips!
Because of SOSFakeFlash’s recent discovery on eBay they advise that no one by any Kingston usb flash drives on eBay.
Go to a local retail store, or buy from a reputable internet site such as newegg.com or newegg.ca. Or better still, buy from Kingston’s site directly. Better to pay a little more and make sure you have the genuine article. Stay away from eBay for any usb flash drive purchases! Unless you buy from the tiny list of genuine sellers SOSFakeFlash has listed.
To buy any flash based item on eBay is to risk not only losing your money, but also your data. It is just not a safe thing to do. It is also not wise.
Visit these sites for additional information:
- New! Flash Drive Education. Fakes and Counterfeits http://flashdrivefacts.wordpress.com/
- Early Warning On Fake Flash Sellers http://fakememorysentinel.wordpress.com/
- Documented Fake Flash Sellers. Help. Main site: http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/
- Known Solutions For Repariing Flash Usb Devices. http://fixfakeflash.wordpress.com/
Fake Flash News - Internet & eBay Fraud 
RM
December 26, 2011
I bought a transcend flash drive > 8GB from a local chinese store a few days back , but when i inserted it into the USB port it wasn’t detected. I then opened it and found not a single component inside to my shock. 😦
Nikola
July 16, 2011
I ordered online [www.kupindo.com] some USB FLash Kingston DataTraveler 32GB and it costed me ~30EUR.
When I insert in drive – SOMETIMES it copies 1GB file for 3.5MB / SEC maximum speed and SOMETIMES [rare but it happens] – copying goes 17MB / SEC!? Also it happens very often that when I copy several files in directories and insert flash into laptop – 90% of the files are appearing as corrupted [!?] while ~80% of the files from directories are MISSING.
Then I tested it with H2Testw program and it writes:
The media is likely to be defective.
7.8 GByte OK (16508680 sectors)
23.8 GByte DATA LOST (50014456 sectors)
Details:0 KByte overwritten (0 sectors)
0 KByte slightly changed (< 8 bit/sector, 0 sectors)
23.8 GByte corrupted (50014456 sectors)
0 KByte aliased memory (0 sectors)
First error at offset: 0x00000001f7ce1000
Expected: 0x00000001f7ce1000
Found: 0x0000000000000000
H2testw version 1.3
Writing speed: 9.32 MByte/s
Reading speed: 10.4 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4
I am testing it on Laptop now [it said it will fill 32gb with test files in 2.5hours!]
This Kingston is made in China [not Taiwan] and is obviously FAKE! I will take some actions again sellers here. Thanks for posting all helpful messages here or I would never think I will ever buy Fake Kingston…
E.B
December 29, 2010
Another Fake Kingston Counterfeit USB & Verbatim 2GB Flash Drive’s Being Sold On Kijiji
Advertising A Fake Kingston Counterfeit USB Datatraveler 200 128gb & Verbatim 2GB
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-Datatraveler-200-128gb-usb-W0QQAdIdZ250738964
Ad ID 250738964 Kingston Datatraveler 200 128gb usb
Date Listed 29-Dec-10
Last Edited 29-Dec-10
Price $80.00
Address Winnipeg, MB R3K 1Z2, Canada
Kingston Datatraveler 200 128gb usb, $80 or obo
Phone 1-204-417-7761
&
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Verbatim-2GB-Usb-drive-W0QQAdIdZ243556961
Ad ID 243556961 Verbatim 2GB Usb drive
Date Listed 20-Nov-10
Price $20.00
Address Winnipeg, MB R3K 1Z2, Canada
Verbatim 2GB Usb drive, $20 obo
Phone 1-204-417-7761
Kenji
December 4, 2010
Kingston is not trying hard, if at all, to stop the counterfeiting. If a victim of a counterfeit calls Kingston’s support, they reply with “this item is not a genuine Kingston product, thus not covered by Kingston warranty. We suggest you to contact your seller for further procedure” and close the case.
I personally suggest you buy another flash drive this time. Not Kingston.
E.B
July 28, 2010
More Fake Kingston Fake USB Flash Drive’s Being Sold On Kijiji
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
Ad ID 219891516 kingston datatraveler 200- 64gb usb flash drive
Date Listed 26-Jul-10
Last Edited 26-Jul-10
Price $60.00
Address Red Deer, AB, Canada
works great just upgraded to a larger one
http://reddeer.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-kingston-datatraveler-200-64gb-usb-flash-drive-W0QQAdIdZ219891516
&
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
Ad ID 219794310 Kingston Data Traveller 128gb USB stick
Date Listed 26-Jul-10
Price $120.00
Address Toronto, ON, Canada
I have a lot of 20 keys, need to sell them all. Come in bulk packaging, brand new and sealed. Asking $120 per unit
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-Data-Traveller-128gb-USB-stick-W0QQAdIdZ219794310
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-PostersOtherAds-W0QQUserIdZ46177417
&
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
Ad ID 206263408 Kingston DT200 128gb Flash drivebrand new in box.
Date Listed 16-Jul-10
Last Edited 16-Jul-10
Price $50.00
Kingston DT200 128gb Flash drive. brand new in box.$50firm
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-DT200-128gb-Flash-drivebrand-new-in-box-W0QQAdIdZ206263408
&
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
Ad ID 217405248 Kingston USB 128 GB, also 256 GB available
Date Listed 15-Jul-10
Price $50.00
Address 72 Lake Promenade, Toronto, ON M8W 1A3, Canada
Kingston USB Stick 128GB configures with:Windows Vista, Windows ReadyBoost, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS and Linux is selling for $50.00.
Also, Kingston USB Stick 256GB configures with:Windows Vista, Windows ReadyBoost, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS and Linux is selling for $90.00.
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-USB-128-GB-also-256-GB-available-W0QQAdIdZ217405248
E.B
July 10, 2010
Same Person Bumping Up His Advertisement or Re-Posting his Fake Kingston DataTraveler150 USB Flash Drive (64GB) That He Has Posted On Kijiji Winnipeg.
Notice He Has Dropped His Pricing Down To $50.00 From $60.00
Ad ID 216607932
Date Listed 10-Jul-10
Price $50.00
Address Winnipeg, MB R2C 3J5, Canada
Kingston DataTraveler150 USB Flash Drive (64GB)
The Kingston DataTraveler 150 Flash Drive was built with simplicity in mind, allowing you to focus on your data. The sleek Flash Memory device lets you store more data than ever before with an incredible 64GB of capacity, and provides budget-conscious users ample storage capacity to easily store and move large files in a device no bigger than a pocketknife. And you won`t loose the cap, since it stores neatly and securely on the end of the device.
• Designed to Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Specifications
• Pocket-sized for Easy Transportability
• Simple to Use – Just Plug into a USB Port and Play (Windows 200, XP, Vista; Macintosh OS X)
If you have any questions or concerns please respond to this ad. Please respond if you are interested. I will accept only cash or Paypal.
Ad ID 216607932
Date Listed 10-Jul-10
Price $50.00
Address Winnipeg, MB R2C 3J5, Canada
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-DataTraveler150-USB-Flash-Drive-64GB-W0QQAdIdZ216607932
Check out my other ads for more deals
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-PostersOtherAds-W0QQUserIdZ31749938
E.B
July 10, 2010
Another Fake Kingston DataTraveler150 USB Flash Drive (64GB) Posted Om Kijiji Winnipeg
Kingston DataTraveler150 USB Flash Drive (64GB)
The Kingston DataTraveler 150 Flash Drive was built with simplicity in mind, allowing you to focus on your data. The sleek Flash Memory device lets you store more data than ever before with an incredible 64GB of capacity, and provides budget-conscious users ample storage capacity to easily store and move large files in a device no bigger than a pocketknife. And you won`t loose the cap, since it stores neatly and securely on the end of the device.
Backed by a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support, the DataTraveler 150 is a reliable, inexpensive solution for carrying large volumes of digital files with you wherever you go.
• Designed to Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Specifications
• Pocket-sized for Easy Transportability
• Simple to Use – Just Plug into a USB Port and Play (Windows 200, XP, Vista; Macintosh OS X)
Ad ID 216277623
Date Listed 08-Jul-10
Price $60.00
Address Winnipeg, MB R2C 3J5, Canada
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-Kingston-DataTraveler150-USB-Flash-Drive-64GB-W0QQAdIdZ216277623
Charlie Culp
June 29, 2010
Well duh, should have seen this site before I bought a 1-64 GB, and 1-128 GB Kingston USB. One arrived, with original packaging but would not copy 22 gs of photos, would not format, would not basically do squat.. Notified paypal and my credit card company. Paypal goes thru a process, but the credit card came back quickly. Ebay strange enough sent an email removing the other USB seller with no explanation, upon checking all traces have been removed of my purchase with the exception of paypal and credit card. This time went straight to the credit card company. First time I ve ever had a problem Ebay, paypal is just bloated, thanks to the credit card company I am just out the time and aggravation..
E.B
June 10, 2010
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computer-accessories-258GB-Flash-Drive-W0QQAdIdZ210332635
Ad ID 210332635
Date Listed 09-Jun-10
Last Edited 09-Jun-10
258GB Flash Drive
Never been used, still in the box
Small in size, although, very big in capacity
Much cheaper than you can ever find it at any stores in Winnipeg!
&
Advertising A Fake Kingston USB
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-128GB-Flash-Drive-W0QQAdIdZ210333074
Ad ID 210333074
Date Listed 09-Jun-10
Price $77.00
128GB Flash Drive
Never been used, still in the box
Small in size, although, very big in capacity
Much cheaper than you can ever find it at any stores in Winnipeg!
&
Advertising A Fake USB
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-Japanese-Flash-Drive-W0QQAdIdZ210337874
Ad ID 210337874
Date Listed 09-Jun-10
Last Edited 09-Jun-10
Price $85.00
128GB Flash Drive
Made in Japan
New,Never been used
Small in size, although, big in capacity
This flash drive is a Japanese product. I have looked a lot to find a Japanese flash drive in Winnipeg but I could not!
If you found the same product at any store in Winnipeg, I would sell it much cheaper!
Edward
June 9, 2010
I got snaked, too. Saw the 100% positive – didn’t notice the fewer than 2 dozen sales. The really bad part with my fake 32GB is that it actually shows that the data copied and if you run properties the size is reported as correct, but the files and folders are corrupt/empty. By what is accessible I estimate that what I received was either a 1GB or a 2GB with some sort of trick hardware designed to falsely report file sizes. I wonder how many people have used these for bups and lost their files?
Kenny
May 10, 2010
As far as the Chinese they sell everything you buy in the store, read the labels on your products.
Almost 90% of the stuff you buy in the US comes from China or some other country.
If you want that to change that good luck Walmarts and Miejer and all huge Dept stores use overseas products to keep you so damn happy about the prices.
This way our companies in the USA continue to cut wages and benefits to try to keep up with 10 cent an hour labor workers in China. What needs to be done is wait for the Chinese to start to want more money for the products they sell and the workers to need more money to buy more like us. LOL thats going to take about 300 years so enjoy your cheap times while you can.
Kenny
May 10, 2010
How about Amazon. I found out some of the top sellers on Amazon are passing off fakes and they only kick off sellers that are new, maybe to pretend they are protecting the buyers. They also seem to hold postings in some A-Z complaints depart and if you can even figure out how to navigate there site to file a real complaint that sticks to a top seller good luck. These fakes are everywhere. Best to buy your USB drives at a store you can drive to.
Peter Jennings
April 15, 2010
Hi, a friend of mine has been stung recently by these Chinese shysters. Ebay, as always does not want to know and will not forward any info about this person so we can pursue them. The simply answer is to boycott ALL Chinese items on ebay and then see how long it takes the Chinese authorities to deal with it, as the loss in revenue worldwide will be colossal. Personally I never buy any Chinese products anyway as they are all shite & shoddy without exeption.
Cheers and good luck to all that have been fleeced by this ramshackle nation.
Darltk
March 15, 2010
I purchased a 64GB from Ebay. The flash can’t be formatted and everything I copy to it becomes corrupt. The asian seller has of course disappeared. Someone should do something about these thiefs. If it is to good to be true due to price it probably is. I hate to say it but I doubt if I will ever purchase something online from any asian seller or the UK. They usually have the lowest prices for a reason.
Chintan
March 10, 2010
I was also victim of the Same. A Guy at Citibank ATM Center sold me a Same pendrive, Even He gave me his number also. But not picking up Phone afterword. Really Awareness is necessary for the same. I have paid 500 Rs for the Same – So will have to sacrifice 2 Drinks!!! Cheers
ravs luthra
March 10, 2010
Guys this is absolutley New – March 10th 2010. (Pune – India)
I stay in Koregoan Park and this guy with a bag of 5 – 6 32gb Kingston pen drives approached me in Kalyani Nagar outside HDFC Bank – the packing looked great and he said it’s from the custom’s thats why its so cheap ( they may come up with other innovative lines to lure you into buying it) i paid him rs.290 after checking if the pendrive was working on my laptop – it recognized the drive and showed 32gb space in properties tab – so i was convinced and thought “I was so lucky to get such a great bargain” – when i got back home all excited i wanted to test it and see if aal is well (from 3idiots) guess what –
this drive copies a 800mb file in around 9minutes (which is like forever) – it does not play movies / music from the USB on your computer – or anyother dvd usb drives you may have (doesnt even recognize it) the next time someone comes up to you and says 32gb for that cheap ( tell him to hang on and you will get the money ) call the cops immediately and make sure they are caught.
I don’t feel that bad coz i just paid him Rs.290 so thats like buying a drink at a bar (this weekend ill have one drink less to make up for my stupidity ) – Be aware and careful (it’s a black in colour with a metal covering – looks neat until you try it ) – spread the awareness and contact me if you need more details – to all my geeky friends – cheers !!
TechReporters
March 10, 2010
Thank you John, for your information. You got the attention of the entire project!
Your information has been documented and preserved and we have written an article. Canada joins the rest of the world to be plagued with these fakes.
John Smith
March 9, 2010
I apologize that the link on my first post is only about the image of the 32 Gb one, here is the actual main AD from the seller.
http://mississauga.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-other-Selling-8GB-16GB-32GB-USBs-W0QQAdIdZ190206029
You can still access this ad when you click my link in my first post and click the “Back To Ad”
Anyways look at his 3 pictures and you will be surprised! They look really really authentic! I would even led to believe that this case is really an authentic kingston one, BUT they NEVER showed the BACKSIDE of the case LOL! Also Observe that he even sells an 8GB Data Traveler 200! As I told you before in my last post, there is NO SUCH THING! The minimum range of capacity for a Data Traveler 200 is 32GB! The minimum price I found on Amazon (directly linked from Kingston main website) is on sale for $79-$80! And this seller is selling it for $35!
Sorry for my multiple posts, but I believe that this warning should come to the attention of many people, that sellers of fake flash drives isn’t isolated in ebay, amazon, or other online sites anymore. They are here in North America, selling locally on local free ad sites like Kijiji and Craiglist. I don’t know about in the US, but is clearly reached here in Canada. Worst thing about is, the fakes are looking more and more like the Authentic one, I am glad that in this case it was obvious by the color codes. I am afraid that one day these fakes will look exactly like the Authentic ones if somebody doesn’t step in and stop them. Oh well, hope my posts were useful to you all!
John Smith
March 9, 2010
Evidence here at Kingston Website:
http://www.kingston.com/flash/dt200.asp
As you can see the range of the capacity of the Data Traveler 200 series is ONLY FROM 32 GB TO 128 GB.
Their respective Color Code Schemes are as follows:
http://www.kingston.com/flash/dt200.asp?id=2
As you can see this is what I meant from my statement above, as you can see from the seller’s pictures, his 32gb Data Traveler 200 is Yellow and Black colored, which doesnt make sense since that is the color FOR 64GB one. Also he has a 16GB Data Traveler 200, which doesnt make sense since 16GB is not one of the capacity range for a Data Traveler 200, also notice that his 16GB and 32GB Data Traveler 200 is THE SAME! Same Color only different capacity, I say SHENANIGANS! That is why I love Kingston, you can tell the capacity difference, not just from the label of the capacity or size, but the color codes! Each capacity in my experience from whatever Data traveler models ALWAYS had different color codes for each capacity. There is no such capacity that have 2 different colors and especially there is no such capacity that have the same color as another different capacity.
So I hope that my findings will add the list of Fraudulent Flash Drives. Man it has already reached North America in selling local flash drives that are fake! Dam counterfeiters!
John Smith
March 9, 2010
Sorry for the Caps I was quite surprised by my findings and had to report it to your attention. I will also clarify my post:
What I meant was there is no such thing as a Data Traveler 200 32GB that is colored like that in the picture a color Yellow and Black, since that Color code scheme is ONLY for 64GB Data Traveler 200, and that THE REAL 32 GB Data Traveler 200 IS COLOR CODED BLUE AND BLACK.
This is to revise that typo and contradictory statement above.
John Smith
March 9, 2010
NEWS FLASH PEOPLE!!! THE FAKE DRIVES HAVE REACHED THE NEWER MODEL OF KINGSTON DATA TRAVELER 200 32 GB!!!! IT IS NOT ONLY FAKE, BUT IT IS BEING SOLD DIRECTLY HERE IN NORTH AMERICA!!! THAT’S RIGHT! IT IS NOT JUST SOLD ONLINE, BUT EVEN THROUGH FREE ADS SITE LIKE KIJIJI CANADA. I LIVE IN TORONTO, CANADA AND WAS BROWSING AROUND FOR FLASH DRIVES WHEN I NOTICED THIS SELLER: NAMED VICTOR NEWMAN SELLING THESE FLASH DRIVES:
http://mississauga.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdLargeImage?AdId=190206029&ImageIndex=2
CHECK IT OUT!!! YOU WILL NEVER GUESS AT FIRST GLANCE THAT IT IS A FAKE!!! BELIEVE ME I WAS FOOLED! I EVEN INQUIRED ABOUT THE PRICE AND YES HE SAID HE WAS SELLING IT BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MANY FLASH DRIVES SINCE HIS COMPANY ISSUES HIM FLASH DRIVES FOR HIS WORK. AND WHEN I EXPRESSED MY INTEREST TO BUY, HE WAS VERY FLEXIBLE! I TRIED USING TWO LOCATIONS, MISSISSAUGA AND TORONTO, AND HE WAS VERY FINE WITH MEETING ME AT ANY OF THOSE CITIES. WHICH REALLY MADE ME WONDER WHY, SINCE MOST SELLERS ONLY WANT TO MEET AT THEIR ADVERTISED CITY IN KIJIJI SINCE IT IS A HASLE TO GO IN ANOTHER CITY, BUT THIS GUY WAS FINE WITH IT!
BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND, LOOK AT HIS PRICES! VERY CHEAP! LOOK AT THE PICTURES AND YOU WOULD BE FOOLED! BUT I AM GLAD THAT I CHECKED FROM THE KINGSTON WEBSITE AND YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DATA TRAVELER 200 THAT IS 16GB LET ALONE 8 GB, AND THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DATA TRAVELER 200 32GB THAT IS YELLOW COLORED!!! THAT IS ONLY FOR THE DATA TRAVELER 200 64 GB, BECAUSE THE 32GB ONE IS COLORED ONLY YELLOW AND BLACK. I CHECKED IN KINGSTON WEBSITES AND OTHER VALID RETAILERS AND I WAS SURE OF IT. SO A WARNING TO ALL PEOPLE WHO GOES TO THIS FREE ONLINE ADS WEBSITE LIKE KIJIJI AND CRAIGLIST FOR SELLING FLASH DRIVES, CHECK THEIR AUTHENTICITY!
L Taylor
March 6, 2010
Fakes have been reported to ebay and still they wont remove them, I have to agree with certain posters here Ebay is not interested in taken them down and losing their fee, the answer i got “its ok you have buyer protection” and leave the sellers to continue to sell this garbage.
the report item button is just there for show
Matej Gagyi
March 3, 2010
It looks, that I was too scammed by Lizhanyou. 38USD for a 128GB flash drive, which has been removed from listing right after I paid. The package can’t be found using tracking number supplied by him. It’s almost 3 weeks after the payment, I’m going to fill a case against him in PayPal.
Victor Chuman
February 28, 2010
This happened to me. I bought a 64 GB flash memory from lizhanyou on ebay and it resulted to be fake. But after all, ebay refunded me the entire price of the memory trough a coupon after I opened a case in the resolution center.
Pjuk
February 10, 2010
I have just spent all day trying to format one of these fake eBay purchases before finding this site. Wish I had seen it earlier. The worst thing about eBay is that they hit out at the wrong people too. Me and my wife have both been barred from eBay (me because my bank details are associated with my wife) but eBay will not tell us why or what we have done (apparently, if they did it would reveal important information with regard to how eBay work!) so we assume we have sold something we shouldn’t. However, my wife is a buyer FROM eBay where she wears fashion and then sells it later in the season, so we are assuming that she has sold something fake that she bought earlier from eBay. The difference appearing to be she didn’t know so didn’t report it. There is no appeal, no way of knowing what was done – no anything and then stuff like this happens but eBay just wash their hands. Disgusting!
dmn2574
January 20, 2010
TRUST and INTEGRITY are what drive buyers to repeatedly buy a product. I lost 2 usb drives from fraudulent sellers in china & Hong Kong. The $48 I lost for these 2 items are negligible in our life time. The issues here will be the collapse of ebay, if ebay continues to let these buyers using ebay as the vehicle to sell fraudulent stuffs.
I have had many lucks with AMAZON.com for they stand behind the listing. I have spent over 10,000 in the past 3 years w Amazon and will continue to do so.
So for now, good bye EBAY and PAYPAL.
Tyrus
December 26, 2009
Got a data traveler 200 32gb from ebay user bibobibo1109
Checked the serial numbers on the kingston site and they replied that the numbers were already registered. immediately opened a paypal dispute and requested full payment back from the seller. Not expecting much love.
Ty
KittyFireFlash
December 24, 2009
Hi Patrick,
Please report in to sosfakeflash at http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/report-a-fake/ so we can document the seller.
Patrick
December 18, 2009
Fake 32GB Kingston Datatraveler 150 from eBay seller : hub2606
Hoping for a settlement from the seller or something from Paypal or eBay.
Narayanachar Murali
December 5, 2009
I too am a victim of fraud with datatraveler Dt200 drive. The seller “html_savings ” says he is probably a victim himself..How can e.bay not take responsibility when people complain with sufficient information for valid prosecution?
The best approach is for the companies to be proactive, replace faulty products for people taking pains to help them trace fakes and use the full power of law to prosecute fakers.
BT
November 17, 2009
Is it time for a class action against EBAY for allowing this to continue? Sounds like if we pushed the issue it may be in their interest to refund those that have purchased this unit..
Whitspirit
November 10, 2009
I also bought a Kingston 64GB pen, its seem´s all coming from china at low price are fake.
i have treid to do everething possible to use the 64gb, but it do not work.
Does paypal will return my money?
I advise all buyers of ebay to be careful.
This should not happen with all of the assurances given by our beloved owners of ebay …
Ali
October 11, 2009
I also purchased an 32GB SDHC from one of those fake sellers. Yeah, that happened to me also. The card doesn’t work. Any os cannot read it, even my video camera. Now the seller has removed his profile from eBay..
Randy
September 18, 2009
Further to TechReporters comments to Leroy
What led Leroy to this blog? Was it because he was a buyer of fake flash or because he is a seller?
He certainly did not take time to understand the issues around fake aka upgraded flash drives or fake merchandise coming from China.
Question to Leroy, would you purchase counterfeit tooth paste made in China? The stuff cleans your teeth but poisons you.
TechReporters
September 17, 2009
To leroy
LOL to you. You used the word “fake” not counterfeit. It is clear you do not understand the issues. It is advised you exercise your grey cells and attempt to READ!
The fact is “fakes” as a rule not deliver the advertised capacity
At the moment, SOSFakeFlash is being overwhelmed with emails reporting “fakes”.
For example a true 4GB chip that has been reprogammed to show 32GB means that the moment people exceed 4GB loss their files! There is no way to reclaim them as they can not be copied to the device.
Before you engage in LOL’s think. If you have the ability….
It is very popular to bash brand names, assuming that they are making millions of excess profit. In the case of Kingston and other brand names that manufacture usb flash drives it is another matter.
R&D costs money. BIG MONEY! It has to be paid for in order to fund future development and design costs. It is factored in to the cost of any genuine article. Do you think R&D is free leroy? Get real. If the R&D costs can not be reclaimed, you will not have any future innovation.
Your attitude toward Kingston is most unkind. Readers, just how many of you have Kingston menory chips in your PC’s and Laptops? True, they are expensive, top of the line. How many of you have had one of chips fail?
Kingston is known for quality products. If you did your search Leroy you would have learned that the counterfeits do not hold the capacity. It is our turn to say: LOL to you!
BTW we do not work for Kingston Technologies or any other brand name.
As for science fiction, star wars is not our favorite. We will let readers guess what our favorite sci fi is. Hint, beaming you up and losing you would not cause anyone grief at FakeFlashNews. You clearly demonstate that you jumped the gun and did notbother to research properly.
In future, if you are capabile, research before you “shout” in caps. Unfortunately, to anyone who does research, the “Moron” is not us…..we will skip who the moron is.
Consider yourself fortunate, Leroy that you have not been left alone in a room of victims who accidentally bought counterfeit non genuine false capacity Kingston fakes!
leroy smith
September 16, 2009
WHO CARES IF ITS FAKE! IF IT HOLDS THE CAPACITY AND IT IS FOR A GOOD PRICE! THEN WHO THE HELL CARES MORON! GO BACK TO WATCHING YOUR STAR WARS! OR JAK OFF TO YOUR KINGSTON PROMO POSTER! LOL
Peter
July 18, 2009
Item number: 290332169981
*HUGE* 128gb Kingston Flash Drive USB Memory stick
128gb Memory Stick, Flash Drive AUSSIE SELLER!!!!!!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290332169981&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com.au%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D290332169981%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1
Not sure about this one, Kingston DT 150 with 128 GB ?
Bee
July 9, 2009
Hi I bought 2 Kingston traveler 150 64gb from a website http://www.kingstonusbcf.com for $158 and of course that everything that is cheap, becomes very expensive at the end. it doesn’t work!!! I should’ve known that. Living and learning! Tried sending email but never receive one back. So fake but perfect labeling and package. He signs as Zhang Yu and his personal email is hh6358@gmail.com. Hope I can help someone not to buy from them. Good luck
Bryan
April 20, 2009
Just got one from eBay passed off as a real one, The thing opens up easily with your fingers, Talk about trying to save $15 I just got one from newegg, Lucky PayPal should refund my money no problem, Click my name to see the pics of the inside of the one I got. It actually does have a flash chip on the other side of the board, Mine held 3.8MB of data before saying it was full, But showed up as 32GB in Windows XP & the data did read from it ok.
John Ozanich
April 8, 2009
Bought 25 Kingston 32 gb drives, none of them were any good, you can write to them and when you try to read the data, you won’t be able to read it…this company was supposed to be out of China, they shipped out of Charolette NC..I returned them, they said they would replace them, they never replaced them and I never got a refund of the $537.00..I reported to their local police and filled out an FBI form over the internet.
the name of the web site was shoponclearance.com and their email address was shoponclearance@gmail.com. I believe the drives were counterfeit. there website is no longer on the web, I believe they have moved and doing business with another name and website. beware of any company selling wholesale, no phone number in the us and they will only take a money order,wire transfer or a certified bank check. example of their ad is Kingston 32 gb drives $19.95 each in lots of 25
Eugen Bilcik
April 5, 2009
Chip from Micron MLC Model=JS29F04G08FANB3_512MB Flash ID=89DC9095 Single Channel, Flash CE=1CE 72nm Flash Type=2K/page
Eugen Bilcik
April 5, 2009
Device Name: +[G:]+USB Mass Storage Device(USB2.0 Flash Disk USB Device)
PnP Device ID: VID = 1221 PID = 3234
Serial Number: 2009040300030015
Revision: 2.10
Device Type: Standard USB device – USB2.0 High-Speed
Chip Vendor: micov(???)
Chip Part-Number: MXT8208
Product Vendor: USB2.0
Product Model: Flash Disk
Tools on Web: http://bbs.mydigit.cn/read.php?tid=72332
kris
April 1, 2009
i bought the same kingston usb from ebay and it doesnt work either. i couldnt get it to work, so i gave it to my friend and he informed me of this website. i was just wondering where on ebay and paypal can i contact them regarding this. thanks.
Canada USB
March 28, 2009
Got my so called USB key all .gG, supposed to be 32G Kingston from niuren2008.
Flimsy piece of crappe.
Ran test as per below.
Warning: Only 471 of 31969 MByte tested.
The media is likely to be defective.
467.9 MByte OK (958320 sectors)
3.0 MByte DATA LOST (6288 sectors)
Details:1 MByte overwritten (2048 sectors)
3.5 KByte slightly changed (< 8 bit/sector, 7 sectors)
2.0 MByte corrupted (4233 sectors)
128 KByte aliased memory (256 sectors)
First error at offset: 0x000000000002f048
Expected: 0xadf196c5c24efbd1
Found: 0xadf196c5c24ef3d1
Fell apart while getting out of package.
Definitely not a or b grade flash memory, and not kingston.
I solely blame my self for buying, to cheap to be real, but all information on it is copied perfectly.
Ebay and Paypal are just a guilty if not more than the seller niuren2008.
H2testw version 1.3
Reading speed: 12.5 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4
Ripped
March 28, 2009
Bought one of these so called authentic 32GB Kingston keys from honest niuren2008.
First time I tried to use it the silver usb end slid inside the main body, popped it open with my baby finger nail with no effort, circuit board had been held in place with some hot glue. Tried to register and got back it was already registered. Drive is corrupt and chip has no manufacturer name on it.
All the documentation is as it was authentic from Kingston, but not, if that isn’t counterfeit what is.
Ebay/Paypal has a different version of what is counterfeit or fraud, it is as long as they make money, to hell with buyers.
Jz-ts
March 27, 2009
I just got my drive 32gb Data Travler 32gb, it of course does not work. So I’m one more to add to the list as burned by this seller.
tharun
March 21, 2009
I also got the fake. I reported. Here is my message to seller and paypal
“He so tricky that he use a original like or original Kingston packing and sent the product. Also it showed 32gb in computer . But actually it is less than 8gb. Also the product casing is very loose. Also the number of product on the packing was registered by another user. Some of the buyers identified the fake. But others still don’t know.
He is day by day creating new profile and selleing fake kingston DT150 32Gb. He has sold over 2400 by auction. all are fake.But only some of the buyers identified it.
He have cheated over $100,000 by this profile and same amount with another profile http://myworld.ebay.com/niuren2008
I need you to take action against the fake seller in name of kinston and also tell other buyers to file for refund, many of them don’t know this is fake.
Also i want you to report this to paypal and make the refund process more speedy. Paypal will also be cheated by the fake information given by this seller.”
Harry Baung
March 19, 2009
This is the worst case of fraud I’ve ever encountered so far on ebay (since 2002). Unbelievable! I bought a Kingston 32GB flash drive. The first time I used it, my computer told me it had a capacity of 31.6GB and I was able to actually copy about maybe 2GB worth of files onto it. Then I formatted it in Fat32. After that, I couldn’t access the drive anymore, and could not format it! I can now see why Chinese manufacturers and sellers have a reputation for being unreliable and/or producing shoddy quality products (unlike the Taiwanese and Japanese).
Dan F.
March 17, 2009
Here is the link from Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=260369564117
I won the item and received it. You can see also from the feedbacks how many people have bought the said USB Flash. Reported it to Ebay and Paypal, now its up to them.
Tried copying 11Gb and most of the files are corrupted. Tested the Flash using TestDrive (Dos Based) and it shows only 4096MB. Authentic USB Flash can be formatted to NTFS but this one you can’t. Noticed also the cheap plastic cover and there is no LED. The same Serial Number.
Hope this helps.
Sam D
March 16, 2009
I went through the same issue as you awhile back. Instead of not working, the USB was full of viruses, crashed my computer before syncing my hard drive with some network. I will only buy my electronics from a store like Best buy now. Its amazing how easy it is to replicate these products, they look the same…but they don’t act the same!
blogger123
March 16, 2009
DF give all the evidence to this site. Maybe we gonna need each other in the case that paypal doesn’t accept to return our money. After all, it’s a question of honor and not of dollars
DF
March 16, 2009
Mistakenly bought from the said seller the same Kingston Flash Drive. If I had searched first and found this site I could have prevented buying from the seller.
Thanks for the info. I tried emailing some of the buyers and gave this link/site.
X’llent job you did.
-Dan
blogger123
March 16, 2009
Ebay will have soon legal issues with this question. I think that who to blame is more ebay than these chinese criminals. Ebay sells them the weapon of crime and take the dirty money…
Norrie
March 16, 2009
Hi I sourced and sold my own brand ‘Kingdom USB’ of 4GB 8GB and 16GB memory sticks which I sold on eBay.Unfortunatly I did not realise how many fakes I was competing with and as a result have lost thousands of pounds. So here is one seller of genuine flash drive sticks you will not see again on eBay, one less honest seller because eBay refuses to ban the fakers.
Norrie