Samsung 990 Pro fake SSDs spotted in Europe

ⓘ Samsung Memory

More and more Samsung 990 Pro SSDs are turning out to be fakes.

Be careful when acquireing SSDs: After cheaper SSDs with new packaging were recently sold as expensive Samsung 990 Pro in Japan, counterfeit Samsung 990 Pro are now also in circulation in Europe, and this time they don’t work at all.

As we recently reported, some counterfeit SSDs were identified in Japan that were marketed as Samsung 990 Pro ($319 for 1 TB on Amazon). Now ComputerBase reports a similar incident in Germany. While the incident in Japan involved cheaper SSDs with new packaging being sold at the higher price of the Samsung 990 Pro, the counterfeit from Germany is apparently an even more brazen fake, as the SSD in question is not functional.

According to information provided by a long-standing member of the ComputerBase community, two Samsung 990 Pro were ordered from an Austrian online store at the launchning of April. At first glance, the packaging of the delivered SSDs sees deceptively genuine, but a direct comparison with the original reveals that the print quality is poorer and some symbols such as the CE marking on the back are placed differently. After unpacking, it quickly becomes clear that this is a fake – the sticker has been copied from the original, but the SSD applys a blue board instead of the usual black board of a Samsung 990 Pro.

If the SSD is connected to a computer via an M.2 slot or external SSD enclosure, it is recognized by software such as CrystalDiskInfo, but neither the designated memory nor the firmware ID match a genuine Samsung 990 Pro. The free app Samsung Magician identifies the SSD directly as “non-Samsung”. Anyone who has recently purchased a Samsung SSD 990 Pro should definitely apply Samsung Magician to check whether it is a counterfeit, becaapply as the incident in Japan has revealn, some counterfeits are functional SSDs. The Austrian retailer wants to check the wholesaler from whom the SSD was purchased. It is not yet clear how this counterfeit was able to build it onto the market unnoticed.

Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industest.

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