Fake 30 TB External SSDs Discovered: How Scammers Tricked Buyers and What to Watch For
Recently, a troubling scam emerged around external solid-state drives advertised as 30 terabytes. Some listings priced unusually low, such as 39 dollars, were found to mislead shoppers by mimicking Samsung’s latest product. A dedicated blogger documented the scheme and highlighted the deceptive packaging and hardware tricks that made these drives appear much larger than they actually were.
Initial sightings appeared on the online platform of a major U.S. retailer, sparking concern that such counterfeit devices could be circulating widely. Subsequent investigations revealed similar listings in other markets, including physical stores and online marketplaces. The pattern suggested a concerted effort to imitate a premium brand while exploiting buyers’ assumptions about capacity and speed.
One example involved purchasing a drive advertised at the same price and with a design that matched the real product. Upon inspection, the packaging claimed 30 TB, but the internal hardware told a different story. A memory card reader housing two microSD cards, each labeled with 512 MB, was hidden inside the device. The cards were configured so that when connected to a computer, the system reported a total capacity of 15 TB per card, adding up to 30 TB in aggregate when viewed together. The apparent capacity was a calculated misrepresentation designed to mislead.
The scam relied on a clever manipulation of the device’s firmware and the way capacity is reported by the system. In practice, real 30 TB storage devices do not typically show a perfectly round capacity due to the space needed to run the drive and manage file systems. The counterfeit approach used a pair of small memory cards and a reflash of the device to present a falsified total capacity rather than true storage space.
When users attempted to write large volumes of data, the drive did not report errors in a straightforward way. Instead, the data was overwritten in a cyclic manner—new information could replace existing files. The effect was that, after a large copy operation, some files disappeared or became corrupted without an obvious alarm signaling trouble. This behavior raised questions about data integrity and the risk of unrecoverable loss on devices believed to hold far more capacity than they actually did.
Industry guidance from consumer protection and brand-security circles has emphasized caution with drives advertised at unusually low prices and with oversized capacity claims. Buyers are urged to verify both the physical product and its performance before making a purchase. In some cases, even products that appear legitimate can be altered with hidden hardware or modified firmware, so scrutiny should extend to packaging, serial numbers, and supported warranty terms. A cautionary note from a former Samsung representative advised customers to treat suspicious devices with extreme care to prevent potential data leakage or loss. In practical terms, that guidance translates to avoiding the use of suspect drives for important data and seeking verification from trusted retailers and official brand channels [citation].
What can shoppers do to minimize risk? Start by researching the seller and reading independent reviews. Check the device’s official specifications against what’s advertised, and be wary of glossy packaging that promises unrealistic capacity. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Use tools that test drive health and expected performance under sustained writes before trusting any sale with critical information. When in doubt, opt for models sold through recognized, authorized channels and confirm the product’s authenticity through official brand support pages or customer service contacts. Observers note that the broader pattern of counterfeit drives often involves clever cosmetic updates paired with compromised internals, so verification is essential for anyone shopping in Canada or the United States [citation].
In the ongoing effort to protect consumers, researchers and journalists continue to monitor listings and share findings on what to watch for when evaluating external SSDs. The bottom line remains clear: capacity labeling can be misleading, and real-world performance should be validated before data is committed to any storage device. This vigilance helps ensure that purchases deliver the reliability and capacity promised by reputable manufacturers and retailers [citation].