Don't Fall For This Fake 4TB Samsung 1080 Pro SSD For Just $31

The knockoffs market has exploded in the past year or so, leading to fake Palworld and Helldivers 2 listings on Steam among many others. However, knockoffs are not exclusive to software and extend to the PC market, targeting folks looking to save a buck on the latest and greatest components for their PC build. While it is certainly scammy, the fakes are easily removed from the market. However, new scams will crop up in their stead, so you need to know what to look out for when you are shopping around.

Over on AliExpress, some new and impressive-sounding SSDs appeared recently, claiming up to “14,000MB/S” speeds or 7450MB/S reads, depending on where you look in the listing, specifically for the 4TB SSD option. This sounds all too good to be true, and that is because it most definitely is. Besides the impossible PCIe 4 14GB/sec technical specifications (Gen 4 drives max out at around 7GB/sec), these SSDs start at 500GB for $27.70 and go up to 4TB for $31.13. While scam products have been around for a while, the larger problem is that these devices are effectively ripping off Samsung brand style guide for their drives, to make it look like the next generation of Samsung Pro series SSDs.

Folks at Quasar Zone discovered the SSDs labeled “New Original SSD 1080 Pro,” which, as mentioned, had branding that was “a wonderful copy, as if it were the successor to the Samsung 980 PRO.” Despite being fakes, they piqued the interest of the team at Quasar, and as such, they ordered some and tested them. To nobody’s surprise, they performed incredibly poorly and didn’t pass tests to verify that the disks could store the advertised capacity.

To most who have been around the block once or twice, these scams are fairly obvious and aren’t really any threat. However, for folks new to the tech space, it could appear as a great option instead of some of the more expensive alternatives, or as a good gift for a tech friend. With that in mind, the best bet is to stick to reputable brands and dealers like Samsung or Western Digital on Newegg and Amazon. However, even these places are no guarantee, as online retailers' standards have been dropping. As such, look out for lofty claims and unclear branding that does not specifically say a reputable brand name, or ship directly from a known manufacturer.