Man Opens Old USB Drive – Big Mistake

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Have you ever found yourself succumbing to the allure of ordering a questionable product from Wish, even though deep down you know it’s likely too good to be true due to its incredibly low price? One Reddit user believed he had been using a genuine external hard drive for years, until his curiosity finally overcame him. Upon opening it up, he instantly understood that he had been deceived. Inside was not advanced technology or high-end storage; rather, it was a simple trick hidden within a plastic casing. Here’s what you should know about this peculiar scam.

When ‘High-Capacity’ Means High Deception

For approximately three years, the Reddit user had been utilizing his external hard drive without encountering any problems. But when it suddenly malfunctioned, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to open it up. What he discovered left him astonished — instead of the anticipated mechanical HDD, there was a cheap flash memory chip inside. To his surprise, what was labeled as a 1TB drive, was in fact just a small, low-capacity flash drive. This revelation made it abundantly clear that the “hard drive” was nothing more than a cleverly disguised gimmick.

Did I got Scammed? After 3 years my HDD stopped working and this was the Result after Opening it
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To give the appearance of an authentic drive, the vendor embedded a small metal piece within the case for added heft. Authentic USB 3.0 HDDs can achieve speeds as high as 100 MB/s, but this fake drive fell far short, managing only about 30 MB/s, more in line with typical USB 2.0 performance. The buyer was misled into thinking he possessed a 1TB storage device, but in truth, the capacity was significantly lower and the actual performance was far from what was advertised.

Spotting the Red Flags Early

As a gamer who stumbled upon a Reddit post asking if they had been scammed, I saw the original post disappear after merely two days. Yet, the responses from fellow gamers, all agreeing that yes, indeed, they had been scammed, remained. Some were puzzled about how the scam went unnoticed for so long, while others warned that even purchasing a product on Amazon doesn’t guarantee freedom from being scammed. A hat-tip goes out to our colleagues at Gamestar for preserving this valuable online find, which inspired this article. One can only speculate that embarrassment may have been the reason behind deleting the post.

To avoid falling into the same trap as that Reddit user, keep an eye out for inconsistencies between advertised specifications and actual performance. For instance, if a hard drive is supposed to make typical noises but remains silent, or if transfer speeds are slower than expected, it could be a sign of trouble.

When shopping for hardware, buy from trusted vendors and thoroughly research customer reviews, product specifications, and benchmark data before making a purchase. To add an extra layer of assurance, run a benchmark test on the product as soon as you receive it to ensure it lives up to its promises.

Have you ever encountered such a scam in the hardware business? Share your experiences with us in the comments that highlight what has earned your trust when buying hardware.

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2025-02-07 18:39