> ...USB controller chip alone is about $1... That's for official parts and at lower quantities I presume. Knock off chips are often pennies, especially at sca

> ...USB controller chip alone is about $1... That's for official parts and at lower quantities I presume. Knock off chips are often pennies, especially at scale. When I buy chips for side projects, I often just source them from ebay/alibaba where you can get them for ridiculously cheap prices. [1][2] > ...it's still orders of magnitude more expensive than email based spam. Relative to how much they drain from elderly folks retirement accounts, I think it's a logical investment for them given that existing scammer tactics are being made obsolete. In any case, I just checked Alibaba and found several listings [3][4] that claim ≤50¢ at scale. They look rather professional and you could even brand a logo on them. 1 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/392526892417 https://www.ebay.com/itm/392526892417 (USB - Serial converter, NOT a USB drive IC) 2 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/392540419491 https://www.ebay.com/itm/392540419491 (power bank chip) 3 - https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Usb-Drive-Usb-Drive-Low-Price_62014581781.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Usb-Drive-Usb-Drive-L... 4 - https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cheap-customized-Logo-Usb-Stick-2_1600384094970.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cheap-customized-Logo...