Back in September, I read a message about fake SanDisk cards. I had just bought three 2GB Extreme III CF cards on eBay and to my horror after reading the post discovered that I had three fake cards.

After contacting the seller who did not reply, I opened a dispute with PayPal and am glad to say that they have come through for me and I have been awarded a full refund. Also, the seller's name still appears on eBay but he has no items for sale.

The seller’s eBay name is 24memorysupplier.

Brian

I did have a word with SanDisk about this issue when I was at Photokina and they said at the moment there isn't a lot they can do about fake cards although they are going to change this soon.

They suggest a bit of common sense when you are buying, such as buying from a big high street shop or an internet shop you trust. And also look at the card limitations - if someone sells you an 8GB SD card then you know its gonna be fake!

Oh and if you are in a shop then look over the packaging - unfortunately this doesn't help much when you buy online

How to spot a fake SanDisk card.

Extreme Fakes:
http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-SanDisk-Extreme-Compact-Flash-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001456539

Ultra Fakes:
http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-SanDisk-Ultra-Compact-Flash-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001235396

Brian

Yeah, a while ago before all this was in the news I bought some fakes on eBay...

They were smart - Ultras (not Extremes) selling for about 5 - 10% less than retail. Cheap enough to make me interested - not cheap enough to make me suspicious. Generally Ultras are for enthusiasts rather than pros so it's less likely a buyer would check them.

I timed the transfer rates and they were way too slow so I knew they were fake. Before sending them back I compared them to some known genuine ones. All I can say is that the eBay links will help you spot some fakes. SanDisk packaging is made in different factories - I've seen genune ones that vary more from other genuine ones than the fakes do.

Sad to say (cos I love a bargain) but it seems the best way to tell they are fakes is that they are sold on eBay....

Six months later and those fakes are still out there on eBay! Got stung, got refunded. Two words for you: 'Trading Standards'. Last I heard, they were thinking about raiding the guy...

Sandisk cards are so much cheaper than they used to be (got a genuine 2gb Extreme III card for £17 the other day from a reputable on-line dealer) there's no point taking the risk. The OEM 2gb card I bought last year (and shoved into an abandoned iPod Mini) cost me more than twice that!

PS The above guides on spotting fakes still hold true, but you can also call up Sandisk and have them run the serial number through their computers.