Fakes, Coming to a Store Near You

fishdan writes to tell us that while most Slashdotters have their own trusted sources for gear there is a growing concern that all consumers should look out for. According to PC World, more and more counterfeit hardware is coming to market each year. From the article: '...batteries aren't the only tech item that counterfeiters love. In October 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in Anchorage, Alaska, seized 20,000 suspected fake Memorex USB memory key thumb drives from Asia. And last year, Miami officials seized 900 allegedly phony laptops valued at $700,000. "Maybe it's a laptop, an MP3 player, or a component like a DVD drive--anything in the digital world can be counterfeited," says Therese Randazzo, a U.S. Customs Service counterfeiting expert.'"

Comments

Act now to stop hardware counterfeiting

[Statecraftsman]

I've decided to offer my own consumer hardware....ummm....authentication service. If you suspect you are in posession of counterfeit hardware(expecially the xbox 360 or an iPod nano), please send it it to:

P.O. Box 12345
Hometown, USA 12345

Please note that due to cost concerns, your hardware cannot be returned. Thanks and if you include your email address I'll let you know if it's counterfeit.

(just a joke...please don't actually send me anything cuz that address is extreme bogusness)

Re:Act now to stop hardware counterfeiting

[WoodieR]

when you make your second million, drop me the first ...

Re:Act now to stop hardware counterfeiting

[Jinsaku]

I work at a Satellite TV company, and I heard stories that back in "the day", about 4 or 5 years ago Q&A and development would test with production data, as there apparently was no way at the time to differentiate between test and prod accounts. So, one of the things everyone did was put the words (in big bold capital letters) "DO NOT INSTALL" on address line 2, and the full address was real, but with a fake apartment number like "#545329823098234" or something.

Apparently, one of the big reasons they ended up setting up a test system was due to money loss from installers trying to find apartment #545329823098234 on "DO NOT INSTALL" lane. :P

Is this the real /.

[SecondHand]

or some fake. How to tell?

Dupe?

[6Yankee]

Not a dupe? Hey, whoever counterfeited Slashdot, back to work!

Windows

[Freaky Spook]

I think my copy of windows may be counterfeit. Its really slow and every time I open internet explorer I keep getting directed to hardcore porn sites.

Re:Windows

[thanextgeneration]

that's not counterfeit that's just a 'feature' :P

Re:I don't get it

[The Clockwork Troll]

Is that the secret of NiMH?

Fake laptops are almost indistinguishable

[SecondHand]

See for yourself: http://www.home.ecommerce.hct.ac.ae/news/adwcake.j pg

I've got a fake Music CD

[Advocadus Diaboli]

said it comes from Sony/BMG and then it was a rootkit installer. :-)

Re:But does it run Linux?

[legalize.ganja.now.]

no. they run a counterfeit version of minix.

Re:Wow I'm glad he's an "expert"

[WheresMyDingo]

Basically anything can be counterfeited. If this guy counts as an expert I'd hate to see a n00b.

Maybe he's a counterfeit expert?

Re:I don't get it

[narsiman]

Also, how would like to buy an Intel computer but only to find that the insides are actually made by a Chinese knockoff company.

That happened to me. I bought a thinkpad and found out that it was a knock of from some chinese company - Lenovo or somethting.