Seagate Warns of Massive Fake HDD Surge: Used Drives Sold as New

Seagate reports a sharp uptick in complaints about hard drives sold as new but actually secondhand. 3DNews indicates fraudsters apply counterfeit labels and erase metadata that shows long-term usage. Customers often notice discrepancies between SMART data and a drive’s cosmetic condition.

A key development is that scammers have learned to falsify FARM readings, once considered a surefire way to detect prior usage. Seagate urges buyers to check manufacture dates: more than six months between production and sale can be a red flag. Likewise, missing a factory barcode sticker is another warning sign.

Experts note thousands of such disks may have entered circulation after being offloaded by mining farms that switched operations or shut down. Seagate promises to roll out additional authenticity-check tools and advises consumers to purchase from authorized channels.