Kingston USB Flash Drives. How To Check You Have A Genuine One And Not A Counterfeit – Easy Guide. Kingston Technologies Fighting To Protect Consumers And Itself From Counterfeits.

Counterfeiters of Kingston Technologie’s USB flash drives are now more sophisticated. How can you detect and validate if you have a genuine item? FakeMemorySentinel has some important information to help you.

Forgers can duplicate packaging almost to perfection. It is suspected that in some cases, real packaging is used too. The outside shell casings for usb flash drives look real. The packaging back has UPS bar codes and even serial numbers.

Most would have difficultly telling the difference between a genuine Kingston DataTraveler usb flash drive and a fake, by the packaging alone. Sealed, the only way people will discover the awful true is after they buy.

The Kingston brand is well known. In the early days of fakes, the first generation DataTraveler was counterfeited. FlashDriveFacts has an online catalogue of Kingstone fakes.

When Kingston launchs new usb flash drive products, the counterfeiters are quick to follow. The fakes start appearing only a few months after product launch.

To fight back, Kingston started engraving the silver usb connector tip. This is your most important evidence . On a genuine Kingston usb flash drive, you should see information similar to this:

Note: The image above is an example. Each model has different serial information.

If you do not have serial engraving information, you probably have a counterfeit! This is especially true for DataTraveler usb flash drives in the DT150, DT200, DT300, DT310, DT400 series. Engraving the usb flash drive connector is expected to continue for newer models.

The FrankenFlash project finds Kingston Technologies is helpful to consumers.

You can contact them at your local Kingston website in your country or region, under support. They will answer your emails.

When should you contact them?

1. If you purchased a usb flash drive that does not have a serial number on the usb connector tip. State the model, advertised capacity and the source of your purchase.

2. If you have one with an engraving serial, behaving strangely, not holding anywhere near the advertised capacity. You should include the existing serial information on your usb flash drive connector. Follow the example above.

3. For a model where Kingston includes software but it was absent, NOT on the usb drive. Include the existing serial information on your usb flash drive connector. Follow the example above.

What will happen when you contact Kingston?

You will receive a reply at your email address.

• If it was an older usb flash drive before engraving, they will tell you so and might request additional information.
• If you sent them the serial information, they will verify and respond to you confirming it is genuine or a fake.
• If it is a flash drive that should be engraved and it is not, they will confirm you purchased a counterfeit and will advise you on your options, generally to seek a refund from the seller.

For people with bad eyesight to read serial information, they will give you the opportunity to send images. You should send a picture of the front and back of the usb silver connector tip.

Kingston Technologies is offering a great service to consumers to help detect if they purchased a counterfeit. If you fall into categories 1 – 3, you should contact them. It is also an opportunity to help fight the problem, by providing Kingston with valuable information as to the source of your acquistion. This information is important to help them track where the counterfeits are coming from and where they are being sold.

For people who purchased Kingston USB flash drives on eBay or from an internet Wholesaler in the Orient, a reply from Kingston is extremely important to help validate your case and claim.

 

FakeMemorySentinel sees Kingston Tech support’s help as “Win – Win”, for both consumers and Kingston.

There is only way to put a STOP to the problem, when everyone works together and cooperates. The FrankenFlash project is helping, will you?

Additional Information:

Kingston Technologies Flash Memory Validation Tool

This tool allows you to validate all Kingston flash memory products and memory modules. It uses the serial number on the back of retail packaging or product labels.

Counterfeits Kingston category at FlashDriveFacts Website.

This site also has a breakdown on their left menu bar of documented fakes for Kingston. It covers memory cards as well.

Testing advertised capacity of usb flash memory products. Read : H2testw 1.4 – Gold Standard In Detecting USB Counterfeit Drives. It explains why H2testw is such a great tool and includes links to obtain the free software.

Reporting fakes to SOSFakeFlash. SOSFakeFlash routinely releases alerts on the internet to protect consumers. They focus heavily on eBay, as this is the place most buyers acquire Kingston Counterfeits. You can report in to them using the Report A Fake Tab. They will investigate the seller, document and issue an alert to warn the public. They also publish black lists of sellers with accumulate counts against the eBay seller.