Guy at Geelong computer swap meet selling fake storage cards.

-=Monty=- · 26th July 2006, 7:59 AM

I went to the swap meet last sunday to look for a skt 478 cpu - not too easy to find.

I was looking around, and found a guy selling a ton of sd, mmc, memory stick pro duo, compact flash cards. He sold 2GB Sandisk ultra II cards for somthing like $83. All his other prices, were unaturally cheap.

As i have just had an experience with buying 2x fake 2gb sandisk ultra II CF cards from ebay, i know what to look for.

I personally own a real 512mb ultra II card, and i have compared it to the fakes i bought, and there are a few, very minor differences. The cards the guy was selling looked exactally like the fake cards i bought, and did not look like the real card i have.

The differences i've noticed between his (and my) fake cards, and real ones i've seen, and have.

The sticker on the front of the card:

Real: the colour is perfect, smooth, and vibrant.

Fake: The sticker on the front is not as vibrant, and is not alligned properly to the card, also the colours are mis-matched. The colour is also not as consistant.

The actual card

Real: all corners of the metal are rounded, and the metal has a "machined" finish, with the "grain" running across the card.

Fake: The top left and right corners of metal on the cards are square, and the metal has a matte texture.

Packaging:
The real card's packets are larger, and the actual cards come in a moulded piece of plastic. They do not come in the traditional cf card holders.

The fake ones do come in those memory card holders.

The manuals are also slightly different between the real and the fake ones.

The back sticker:
Here is where it is given away the most.

Real: There are various different fonts used on different parts of the card, some are smaller, some are bold, some are normal.

Fake: The part that says (c) 03 is in arial, whereas on the real card, it is in a "sandisk" type font. The PAT (patents) at the bottom of the card has a comma after it instead of a full stop. EG: PAT, 52455.... Compared to PAT. 54548....
The numbers are also a lot smaller on the real card, and are bold in the fake card.

there are also a few other, minor differences. But of course, the biggest one is performance. The fakes often corrupt data, and are nowhere near as fast as the real ones.

So, i dont know what to do. I dont know weather to report the guy, or if he'll even be there next week.

I think that i will buy one of his cards, and as him if he will be back in the afternoon. In the time being, i will use a real card, bought from a photographic shop, and i will run various tests on the 2. The main test being Sisandra testing.

Unfortunatly, i do not have my digital camera at the moment, but i will try to borrow my friend's and take some comparison pictures.

Any other advice to what i should do?

unixyk · 26th July 2006, 8:02 AM

Inform him that he's selling fake cards and that you'll report his ass.

-=Monty=- · 26th July 2006, 8:12 AM

http://tranchant.plus.com/notes/dodgy-cf

The bottom picture is exactally what i have explained, if you look, you will see that the "03" is in arial. If you can find a picture of a real one (or have one) you will see that it is different.

DiGiTaL MoNkEY · 26th July 2006, 8:15 AM

Go back to the guy ask him if he knows that he's selling fake cards, if he doesn’t show him a picture of a real one & a fake one, ask for the money back since its fake..if he will not refund you money then get in contact with the guys that organise the swap meets.

Thats all i think you can do, considering some retailers selling fake cards *forum thread* then this guy might not even know.

-=Monty=- · 26th July 2006, 8:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiGiTaL_MoNkEY

Go back to the guy ask him if he knows that he's selling fake cards, if he doesn’t show him a picture of a real one & a fake one, ask for the money back since its fake..if he will not refund you money then get in contact with the guys that organise the swap meets.

Thats all i think you can do, considering some retailers selling fake cards *forum thread* then this guy might not even know.

The thing is, i didn't buy any cards from HIM, i bought the 2 2gb cards from an ebay member, who has since, been suspended.

But i do suspect that he knows. As i asked him to have a close look at the cards, and he wasn't really happy about that.

I'm just wanting to help others out, who might be buying fake cards from this guy.

I think that i'll talk to him first, then talk to the people that organise the meet.

DiGiTaL MoNkEY · 26th July 2006, 8:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Monty=-

The thing is, i didn't buy any cards from HIM, i bought the 2 2gb cards from an ebay member, who has since, been suspended.

But i do suspect that he knows. As i asked him to have a close look at the cards, and he wasn't really happy about that.

I'm just wanting to help others out, who might be buying fake cards from this guy.

I think that i'll talk to him first, then talk to the people that organise the meet.

Just read the post again...*its early yawn* ...

"I think that i'll talk to him first, then talk to the people that organise the meet" - Best way to do it

fox1 · 26th July 2006, 10:17 AM

Talk to him? pft Just call the cops and tell them a guy at the meet is selling counterfeit products.

yoink · 26th July 2006, 11:02 AM

Well, due to my dealings with fake memory cards, I've started a wiki page on how to spot a fake:

http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Fake_Memeory_Cards

Feel free to add information if you like

V8R · 26th July 2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoink

http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Fake_Memeory_Cards

Feel free to add information if you like

Could start by changing the page name to the correct spelling

yoink · 26th July 2006, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8R

Could start by changing the page name to the correct spelling

Hmmm... good point

Done

Vladdo · 26th July 2006, 11:26 AM

Hey Monty..

I've noticed that guy too.. he was down the back right hand side, where the lady with the comp games usually is.. I think he was there on the weekend before.. I saw all these cards, and asked for a price on a 2gb MS Duo Pro.. he said $93.. i said, hey, thats cheap.. he replied.. yeah, they've come down a lot in price recently... i walked off knowing that it was all fake ebay rubbish..

Whatever you do.. don't give him any money.. you'll NEVER see it again.. I wouldn't even give him the benefit of telling him that its fake stuff, since if you're selling it, you'd definitely know that something wasn't right.. I really have no sympathy for people that do that, coz, they know.. they deliberately conceal it, and then if you bought something back, claim complete innocence.. or try to shift the blame onto you..

If you do see him next time, I'd be more inclined to call the geelong police first and see what they have to say.. tell them that he's at the swap meet and if they're going to do anything.. do it when you know he's there so that they can catch him red handed..

It just annoys the shit outta me that people like that do a great and dishonest service to all the decent traders that are in there.. its people like that that give swap meets a bad name.. obviously people get sucked in by his cheap prices, then figure it must be my fault the card don't work properly and then whinge to their friends that its all dodgy.. same with all those other people that you see from time to time that crop up, selling 'OEM' versions of FULL photoshop/acrobat/illustrator/Win XP all for $10 a disc..

MAXKNOTT · 26th July 2006, 11:28 AM

i saw a guy @ the swapmeet selling obviously fake/pirated versions of windows server/xp/office. even had a sign that said "WORKS WITH UPDATES"

bigheadache · 26th July 2006, 2:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladdo

same with all those other people that you see from time to time that crop up, selling 'OEM' versions of FULL photoshop/acrobat/illustrator/Win XP all for $10 a disc..

I haven't seen them sold as OEM. I've seen them sold as "trialware" and they are becoming increasingly frequent at all the swapmeets. Frankly I don't understand why people pay $$$ for pirated software and amazingly the organisers like comtrader appear happy to take their table fees and let them operate freely.

sreg0r · 27th July 2006, 9:19 PM

how do people think they can get away with selling obviously fake software. Everybody knows that you can download it for free

momita · 27th July 2006, 11:39 PM

Umm was this the guy that when you walk into the entrace, is in the 2nd last row on the corner? If so, do you know if his memory sticks are fake because I purchased one from him and it seems fine but just wan't to make sure.

26th July 2006, 7:59 AM	#1
-=Monty=- Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Geelong, Victoria Posts: 274	Guy at Geelong computer swap meet selling fake storage cards. I went to the swap meet last sunday to look for a skt 478 cpu - not too easy to find. I was looking around, and found a guy selling a ton of sd, mmc, memory stick pro duo, compact flash cards. He sold 2GB Sandisk ultra II cards for somthing like $83. All his other prices, were unaturally cheap. As i have just had an experience with buying 2x fake 2gb sandisk ultra II CF cards from ebay, i know what to look for. I personally own a real 512mb ultra II card, and i have compared it to the fakes i bought, and there are a few, very minor differences. The cards the guy was selling looked exactally like the fake cards i bought, and did not look like the real card i have. The differences i've noticed between his (and my) fake cards, and real ones i've seen, and have. The sticker on the front of the card: Real: the colour is perfect, smooth, and vibrant. Fake: The sticker on the front is not as vibrant, and is not alligned properly to the card, also the colours are mis-matched. The colour is also not as consistant. The actual card Real: all corners of the metal are rounded, and the metal has a "machined" finish, with the "grain" running across the card. Fake: The top left and right corners of metal on the cards are square, and the metal has a matte texture. Packaging: The real card's packets are larger, and the actual cards come in a moulded piece of plastic. They do not come in the traditional cf card holders. The fake ones do come in those memory card holders. The manuals are also slightly different between the real and the fake ones. The back sticker: Here is where it is given away the most. Real: There are various different fonts used on different parts of the card, some are smaller, some are bold, some are normal. Fake: The part that says (c) 03 is in arial, whereas on the real card, it is in a "sandisk" type font. The PAT (patents) at the bottom of the card has a comma after it instead of a full stop. EG: PAT, 52455.... Compared to PAT. 54548.... The numbers are also a lot smaller on the real card, and are bold in the fake card. there are also a few other, minor differences. But of course, the biggest one is performance. The fakes often corrupt data, and are nowhere near as fast as the real ones. So, i dont know what to do. I dont know weather to report the guy, or if he'll even be there next week. I think that i will buy one of his cards, and as him if he will be back in the afternoon. In the time being, i will use a real card, bought from a photographic shop, and i will run various tests on the 2. The main test being Sisandra testing. Unfortunatly, i do not have my digital camera at the moment, but i will try to borrow my friend's and take some comparison pictures. Any other advice to what i should do? __________________ EOCF.com Sucessful trades with: Scum, kmeck0, KRAGGAH, llamaboy, half-cut, harpie, nathantauber, matt89, Biovore

26th July 2006, 8:02 AM	#2
unixyk Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 806	Inform him that he's selling fake cards and that you'll report his ass. __________________ Successful Trades: Too many to list...

26th July 2006, 8:12 AM	#3
-=Monty=- Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Geelong, Victoria Posts: 274	http://tranchant.plus.com/notes/dodgy-cf The bottom picture is exactally what i have explained, if you look, you will see that the "03" is in arial. If you can find a picture of a real one (or have one) you will see that it is different. __________________ EOCF.com Sucessful trades with: Scum, kmeck0, KRAGGAH, llamaboy, half-cut, harpie, nathantauber, matt89, Biovore

26th July 2006, 10:17 AM	#7
fox1 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 3,065	Talk to him? pft Just call the cops and tell them a guy at the meet is selling counterfeit products. __________________ Spreading hate since Jun 2001. Roses are red, Violets are blue, I'm going to kill you with a rake.

26th July 2006, 11:02 AM	#8
yoink Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,055	Well, due to my dealings with fake memory cards, I've started a wiki page on how to spot a fake: http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Fake_Memeory_Cards Feel free to add information if you like __________________ Over 200 trades and counting! BatteryFree Mouse! Where is your avatar? Fake Memory Cards Paxjs vobiscum!

26th July 2006, 8:15 AM	#4
DiGiTaL MoNkEY Inverted Monkey Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Posts: 26,700	Go back to the guy ask him if he knows that he's selling fake cards, if he doesn’t show him a picture of a real one & a fake one, ask for the money back since its fake..if he will not refund you money then get in contact with the guys that organise the swap meets. Thats all i think you can do, considering some retailers selling fake cards forum thread then this guy might not even know.

26th July 2006, 11:26 AM	#11
Vladdo Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Laverton, Melbourne Posts: 6,285	Hey Monty.. I've noticed that guy too.. he was down the back right hand side, where the lady with the comp games usually is.. I think he was there on the weekend before.. I saw all these cards, and asked for a price on a 2gb MS Duo Pro.. he said $93.. i said, hey, thats cheap.. he replied.. yeah, they've come down a lot in price recently... i walked off knowing that it was all fake ebay rubbish.. Whatever you do.. don't give him any money.. you'll NEVER see it again.. I wouldn't even give him the benefit of telling him that its fake stuff, since if you're selling it, you'd definitely know that something wasn't right.. I really have no sympathy for people that do that, coz, they know.. they deliberately conceal it, and then if you bought something back, claim complete innocence.. or try to shift the blame onto you.. If you do see him next time, I'd be more inclined to call the geelong police first and see what they have to say.. tell them that he's at the swap meet and if they're going to do anything.. do it when you know he's there so that they can catch him red handed.. It just annoys the shit outta me that people like that do a great and dishonest service to all the decent traders that are in there.. its people like that that give swap meets a bad name.. obviously people get sucked in by his cheap prices, then figure it must be my fault the card don't work properly and then whinge to their friends that its all dodgy.. same with all those other people that you see from time to time that crop up, selling 'OEM' versions of FULL photoshop/acrobat/illustrator/Win XP all for $10 a disc.. __________________ Gaming Rig \| i7-3770k @ 4.8 \| ASUS Z77V Pro \| 8gb Ripjaws \| 2x7970 \| Samsung 3xS27A950 \| Sandisk Extreme 2x240gb SSD \| Asus Xonar D2X \| XFX 1000W PSU \| 22mbit ADSL \|

26th July 2006, 11:28 AM	#12
MAXKNOTT Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: west melbourne Posts: 1,735	i saw a guy @ the swapmeet selling obviously fake/pirated versions of windows server/xp/office. even had a sign that said "WORKS WITH UPDATES" __________________ 500+GOODTRADES PC&MAC user RAMPAGE FAN

27th July 2006, 9:19 PM	#14
sreg0r Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,101	how do people think they can get away with selling obviously fake software. Everybody knows that you can download it for free

27th July 2006, 11:39 PM	#15
momita Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,099	Umm was this the guy that when you walk into the entrace, is in the 2nd last row on the corner? If so, do you know if his memory sticks are fake because I purchased one from him and it seems fine but just wan't to make sure.