Recently, I have been reading many forum posts, articles, and watching YouTube videos about the fake SSDs. They are packaged in the same product boxes and designed to imitate the real ones. I am not talking about those unnamed portable drives that can be detected easily at first glance. This is happening with popular brands like Samsung, WD, Crucial, etc, where the exact replica of their drives is sold.
Did you know Samsung has secretly released the Samsung 980 EVO?
No, right?
It has been released by the scammers, and they have, very smartly, managed to print custom labels and packaging. Have a look at it. I am amazed they somehow forgot to print the brand logo and match the speeds with specifications. Being a PCIe-based drive, its label shows the performance numbers of a SATA drive. Well, we can’t expect anything more from scammers.
Fake SSDs with SD cards inside them are also normal. Most of the other fake drives offer a lesser capacity than what they actually promise. They do it by firmware manipulation.
I can give you hundreds of examples and these images. Reddit is full of these threads. But, I am going to help you make the right decision and possibly detect if you come across one of these fake devices.
Ok, can you see any visual difference in these drives?
I believe you can’t.
Well, first of all, I want to thank Toss Song for letting me take images from his recent YouTube video “Fake vs Real SSD (in 2025)“. You can check it out if you want.
This is a rare case where the scammers are smart and they have replicated the drive almost the same, at least from the outside. It is hard to say it is a fake drive just by looking at it. Mostly, users are unaware of it, and they pay the same price for these fake drives. However, sometimes, the scammers sell these drives at very cheap prices, and this is how they attract their victims.
In this case, my friend, Toss Song, got his drive from AliExpress. He got the Samsung 970 EVO Plus for $47.72, which is generally priced at $69.00. This is the case with most SSDs on these shady online platforms. You think this is a genuine deal that is hard to resist. Fortunately, there are ways to identify fake drives before you purchase them.
How do you recognize a fake SSD?
Visual Inspection
There is nothing much that you can do when buying your SSD online. But, in case you are buying it offline, you can easily check the visual clues for a real or fake drive. The packaging will look offer and the brand name might be altered. In some cases, the brand name would not be mentioned at all, even though the package will look exactly like a real one. You can compare it with the image of the real packaging from the internet. Some other visual clues can be seen for wrong spellings and languages.
Choose a reputable platform and seller
First of all, choose a reputable marketplace and then reputable sellers. Do not fall for the cheap drives delivered by third-party vendors like this one. They aren’t always fake sellers or scammers, but it is good to go for the sellers with a good reputation or the official sellers if available.
Beware if the price is too good to be true
As we discussed above, most people go for the fake drives and get scammed to save some money. It is Ok if you see a deal running on special occasions and you are able to save 10 to 20 bucks. But, if the price is way off from the actual price, like a 100$ drive is available for 50$, you should be super cautious making that purchase.
How to check if an SSD is fake or real?
There are several methods to test this. But, generally, SSDs are non-replaceable, and you’ll not be able to get them replaced. We are going to look at some methods to try for replacement, but it is good to check for your SSD’s authenticity, as a fake drive also puts your data at risk.
Check whether the drive is recognized by the official software
Most brands have their official SSD monitoring software, like Samsung Magician for Samsung SSDs and SanDisk WD Dashboard for WD drives. In most cases, again, if the scammer is not too smart, your drive won’t be detected by those software. Even though the drive is detected, just go through each of the steps given below.
You can also choose third-party software like CrystalDiskInfo or HWiNFO to check the manufacturer, model name, and S.M.A.R.T. attributes. Use H2testw to write and read back the SSD’s entire capacity. It will detect wraparound storage pretty effectively.
Check performance
Use any SSD benchmarking tool like CrystalDiskMark, Anvil Pro, or BlackMagic Disk speed test to check if the drive is reaching the advertised speeds or near. Fake drives are cheap because they use cheap components with extremely poor performance. So, if that is the case, your drive is probably fake.
Physical TearDown
Now, when you have your drive in hand, you can tear it down and check if the components are real or fake. Check the official website or TechPowerUp SSD database to confirm which brand of NAND flash and controller is used. The SSD must have those brand names written on the components. If they appear to be others, and especially the ones that you have never heard of, your SSD is probably a fake one.
Other Red Flags
If an SSD offers very large capacities at very cheap prices, beware of it. Fake SSDs can start to show signs of failure or corruption. In some cases, the system may refuse to recognize your SSD. The best way is to check the deal itself. The rule of thumb is to go for the known brands and choose the official websites to purchase if possible. If not, go for the reputed sellers and marketplaces. You will be able to dodge most of these red flags and the chances of scams.
How to ask for replacements?
SSDs are generally non-returnable components. But, in case of counterfeit drives or even defective drives, replacement is possible. If the marketplace doesn’t allow a replacement request, send an email or chat with the support services. Gather evidence like the product images, wrong information on packaging, bad speed, etc. In case of offline purchase, the replacement should be much easier.
If your complaint gets rejected for any reason, you can escalate this issue to the FTC in the USA or the other fraud-prevention authority of your country. If you do not want a replacement, you can even ask for a full refund. Most online marketplaces refund in these cases. Also, it is your responsibility to report the seller to the manufacturer as well and inform them about the issue.
Conclusion
Fake SSDs are becoming normal in today’s marketplaces. It is important to stay cautious, especially when you see the deals that are hard to believe. I hope this guide will help you make a buying decision wisely.
