- Counterfeits now reach a very high standard
- An Asus ROG Strix RTX 4090 proved indistinguishable from a genuine Nvidia GPU upon first inspection by a repair expert
- There’s a worrying level of sophistication here, and we’ve also seen it in recent times with fake SSDs
A fake Asus ROG Strix RTX 4090 is an example of how genuine scam hardware can work, and it’s a worrying reminder as this kind of scam is on the rise lately.
VideoCardz reports that Northwest Repair (a Kentucky-based repair shop in the US) highlighted the incident with a YouTube video (which you can watch below).
As Northwest Repair (NR) points out, the color on the board didn’t look fake at all, and overall it appeared to be a factory-made, genuine Nvidia graphics card. Typical clues like a lack of thermal bonding around the corners of the GPU chip—which would indicate that the chip had been removed (and then replaced)—were not present.
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On first inspection, the only noticeable clue was that the thermal compound was somewhat darker than normal (or more “baked”), which NR picked up on, but noted that this could be because the RTX 4090 was perhaps being used for some serious overclocking – it’s not necessarily a telltale sign of a fake.
Even the laser engraving of the model number on the chip looked authentic, as did the video memory.
In short, this was a carefully crafted fake GPU which, as NR makes clear, is made to a standard that the repair expert has not seen before. “This is the best scam I’ve ever seen,” he remarked, noting, “We’ve reached a point where the scam has become so good that even the trained eye can’t detect it.”
Only by examining the board under a microscope, in fine detail, did they reveal small traces (mostly related to soldering) that gave away that this was a fake.
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Analysis: a reminder that we must be ever more vigilant
The advice NR gives is clear: don’t buy an expensive flagship GPU used, as these days there is too much risk of someone trying to scam you out of a lot of money. The only exception is if you buy the graphics card from a trusted friend.
Counterfeits also cast doubt on the practice of buying ‘open box’ returns, because the buyer returning that hardware could have swapped it out for a fake – one that stands up to inspection (but not to testing, although the retailer won’t necessarily check).
The sad reality of high prices for all PC components is that we are seeing an increase in hardware scams targeting this market. That includes graphics card fraud and incidents where a third-party marketplace seller doesn’t even bother to include a fake GPU, but just a weighty “dummy” item instead (a packet of detergent, for example, or more commonly a rock or lump of metal).
What you need to be most wary of right now, however, are scams related to RAM and SSDs, where prices have risen to ridiculous levels, tempting scammers to try their hand more with these components. As well as this very sophisticated fake of an RTX 4090, we’ve seen some very convincing fake SSDs recently – here’s what you need to know about looking out for them.
The level of fraud seen this year has even prompted action from RAM manufacturers – Corsair has introduced new packaging in an attempt to make life more difficult for criminals trying to defraud consumers.
The best graphics cards for all budgets
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