- Seagate Exos and Ironwolf Pro HDDs are the main targets of scammers
- Scammers change QR codes and even operate serial numbers
- Toshiba and Western Digital are not as targeted as Seagate – why?
The controversy of scammers who change used Seagate hard drives to appear unused despite being lit in thousands of hours of rage.
EXOS HDDs were originally targeted, but new evidence from Heise (via computer base – both originally in German) suggests that Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro NAS drive with capacity between 8 TB and 16 TB are now also drawn into Fidus.
Merchanted devices of the fastest hard drives can be displayed new if key data such as smart (self -monitoring, analysis and reporting technology) Parameters are manipulated.
How scammers manipulate hard disk data
Some of these drives have been shown to have logged over 27,000 operating times. However, users can verify a drive’s true state using tools such as SmartMontOols to retrieve hidden operational data.
Scammers also change product labels and QR codes to bypass Seagate’s warranty -verification system. Instead of instructing users to a page showing accurate product information, these changed QR codes redirects to Seagate’s warranty control but does not provide serial number or storage capacity.
Another used method is the manipulation of serial number, where scammers take serial numbers from newer drives and attach them to old devices that fool Seagate’s system to show an extended warranty period.
However, this system often calculates exactly a five -year warranty from their suspected date of production, which is a potentially red flag that concerned customers can investigate.
Experts suggest that potential buyers can control certain logs – such as self -test logs or SATA PHY event counters – to determine if a drive has been used in the past.
Seagate has acknowledged the question and confirms that false practice affects Ironwolf and Exos HDDs. The company is currently investigating the matter to tackle these concerns.
Meanwhile, buyers are advised to be careful when buying Seagate hard drives from unofficial sellers and verifying product information using multiple sources before making a purchase.
So far, there have been no confirmed reports of similar scams involving Toshiba or Western Digital (WD) hard drives. This raises the question: Why is Seagate the primary goal?
One possible reason is that Seagate’s verification system is dependent on data that scammers find easier to manipulate; Unlike Seagate, WD and Toshiba do not use the same agricultural value system.
