Counterfeit SanDisk Compact Flash

1. Genuine has one line of white color production batch/serial number 'BE06xxxxx MADE IN CHINA' on the bottom edge or 2 lines of 'BE05xxxxx' & 'CHINA' on the side edge. Older fake usually has none or has other different pattern of characters like: 'ASS0606DG',  'ASS0607DH'. Another fake variant shows: '650712198 8DC04G1MP2-2LC00 ASS'Y IN TAIWAN' in yellow-green.
2. Newer fakes are now being reported to have the 'legitimate' batch number like the genuine so this may no longer be a useful criteria.

1. Genuine has crisp 'ESP TECHNOLOGY' wordings with ellipse in shinny golden color, with remaining camera body see through the background inside the ellipse. Fake has bolder text and has cloudy black background.
2. On the '20MB/s' speed rating logo, genuine has thick white color band ring with 'LECTURE-LECTURA' below 'READ' and 'ECRITURE-ESCRITURA' above 'WRITE' enclosed inside the white band. The language is French and Spanish respectively. Fake usually has 'READ' in Chinese and 'WRITE' in Chinese characters and without the thick white color band ring and without these foreign language wordings. Beware of the sellers who have this part of the item picture consealed when selling.
3. Genuine has 'SanDisk' and 'E treme' and 'ESP TECHNOLOGY' wordings of the item picture on the packaging with ellipse in matt golden color. Fake is either in shallow gold or in silver color instead. 
4. Inside the box, genuine comes in a fully sealed plastic container that holds everything including paper parts and you need a pair of scissors to cut through the plastic to access the items. Fake is NOT sealed and you simply pull the plastic open to access the items.
5. Genuine also has a 'RescuePro' 3 inch mini-CD with unique serial number. Fake will have identical serial number on all its paper sleeve.
6. Fake has mismatch physical appearance and characteristic with the picture of the item appearing on its own packaging.
7. If item comes in retail packaging, it may have the golden metallic 3D 'SanDisk holographic sticker' at the front of the retail box with unique SanDisk serial number, as pictured. However newer fakes are being reported to also have unique serial numbers so this is no longer a useful check.

Genuine	Counterfeit

Clue #5 SanDisk counterfeit hotline

• SanDisk counterfeit Hotline & Contact

What to do if I have acquired a counterfeit item! Who is responsible?

• Selling counterfeit items deceiving as genuine is considered as  FRAUD, not merely a simple mistake. It is seller's sole responsibility.
• Consumer protection laws are designed to protect all consumers, the gullible as well as the shrewd. The fact that a false statement may be obviously false to those who are trained and experienced does not change its character or take away its power to deceive others less experienced. Our consumer protection laws were enacted for the protection of the people, many who are trusting and naive about the wolves of the business world who come dressed in lambs' clothing.
• Counterfeit items are NOT covered by genuine manufacturer's LIFETIME warranty.
• If you have bought from high volume sellers, you should not be ALONE in the battle. Please kindly advise all other buyers in same situation as you are or simply ask them to review this guide.

How to get full refund and how to expose fraudulent sellers?

• Check if the seller is still actively listing the same counterfeit items right now!
• An effective way against seller FRAUD, is to avoid contacting seller upfront to get refund directly from seller. Instead you should proceed to complete the Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described process dispute after 10 days of item closing date so that eBay or Paypal is alerted of the development of fraudulent situation. If you have paid by Paypal, you can also complete the Paypal Buyer Complaint Process to get refund from Paypal within 45 days.
• Since you have NOT been provided with what you have paid for, it does not falls into seller's return policy. You are covered by the 90 days protection period under eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program.
• Unless these fraudsters would risk their eBay account for permanent suspension, they will for sure be in contact with you quicker than anything else. You then regain control of the situation and the power is again on your side.
• Counterfeit is FRAUD, do not settle with the seller unless the seller is paying for all the associated return shipping cost of the item.
• You still own the right to provide negative feedback against the seller to alert the fraudulent situation to warn other eBayers.
• Provided that you have provided negative feedback to the seller and if subsequently the seller provides you with an unfair retaliatory negative feedback, you have a case to lodge against the seller by requesting eBay for feedback removal to fully protect your feedback.
• Effectively you will get your money back either from the seller or from eBay/Paypal. Most important by going through this, you have assisted the process of exposing fradulent sellers on eBay, which will result in permanent suspension of the seller's account.
• In most countries, FRAUD is a CRIMINAL offense and injunctions may be brought against the fraudsters to prevent them from moving on under a different name after being banned. Thus, you may choose to contact your law enforcement agencies or each respective brand manufacturers in your region, to report counterfeit and provide them with your item detail and the source of the item. 

Benchmarks:

While the results were not conducted in a lab or even in strictly controlled enviroment (multiple windows, open), they were consistent. And the advertised as slower Ultra II, outperformed the eBay bought counterfeit Extreme III.

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last update: september 27, 2006, hosted on kornnuts