Lots of fake GeForce GTX 1060 cards sold via eBay

Posted on Monday, October 15 2018 @ 20:33 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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TechPowerUp published version 2.12.0 of the GPU-Z tool and one of the main new features in this release is the ability to detect fake NVIDIA graphics cards. This is necessary because of the rising number of fake video cards that are sold via non-traditional channels. Basically, these are usually older, low-end video cards that are relabeled as newer, higher-end models.

A day ago, German tech site C't wrote a cautionary tale about this problem. The site warns a large number of (usually Chinese) vendors are selling fake video cards. For example, there's a large volume of "GeForce GTX 1060" cards that are sold for just 54-80EUR, whereas second-hand cards usually sell for at least 150EUR.

The site decided to buy eight cards to see what they'd get. After inspection, the cheap "GeForce GTX 1060" cards turned out to be relabeled NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 GPUs. Basically, eight-year old garbage.

The next step was to contact the vendors. The reaction from the sellers was broadly similar, they denied the forgeries and demanded evidence in the form of photos and screenshots. Some first (incorrectly) claimed the cards were not compatible with Windows 10, while others demanded a return to China before they'd issue a refund.

Getting in touch with eBay didn't provide much solace either. Despite eBay's Buyer Protection, getting a refund for the fake video cards turned out to be very hard. Just one of the eight refunds was handled in a somewhat satisfactory way, and PayPal and eBay both failed to meet their buyer protection commitments.

Furthermore, C't reports the counterfeiters are still active on eBay. As far as the site can see, eBay has not sanctioned them, and is not proactively banning fake video card from its marketplace.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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