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> The hacked firmware writes new data on top of the old data and keeps the directory. It appears to be working, but when you try to access your files, there's n

> The hacked firmware writes new data on top of the old data and keeps the directory. It appears to be working, but when you try to access your files, there's nothing there. I don't understand why someone would release fake products like this. If you're going to sell a fake product, wouldn't you be better off sending like a functioning 0.5TB HDD, or sending a literal brick? Why would you send a fake product that causes data loss?

charcircuit 4y ago
The goal is to increase the amount of time before the customer notices what they got is not what you claimed. If the drive's capacity immediately shows something different they will start whatever refund process within the window where that is allowed.
Karunamon 4y ago
Because it increases the length of time between your fake product being sold and the return claims/consumers calling shenanigans get you kicked off of the platform. If they opened the box and see a brick, or plug it in and only see half a terabyte of capacity, they will immediately start a return. Unless you are the rare type who thoroughly tests all storage you buy before you use it, it is likely you would be backing up data to this and be blissfully unaware of what it is doing until much later, and even then it's likely you'll think of the drive as defective, rather than intentionally sold as fraudulent.
- baobabKoodaa 4y ago
  This is a good explanation. Thank you.
pwg 4y ago
Because as the scammer once you have the payment from the purchaser, you don't care. And a 0.5TB disk would cut into your 'margins' on something like this.
- dymk 4y ago
  Going through the effort of hacking the firmware cuts into their margins. Why go through the effort when they already have your money at that point?
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    You have to minimize the customer returns in the first 30 days. Sending a brick gets lots of immediate returns and probably the device pulled from the shop. Making it look like it mostly works, enough to pass a 5-minute “is this a scam?” test probably even gets some legitimate users to write a 5-star “I can’t believe it’s true, but it is!” review.
rdtsc 4y ago
It keeps overwriting the file data but keeps the folder structure. So it may take months to find out it was fake and by that point too late to return or get a refund. So the answer to “why?” then is to make money with their scam and get as few refunds and returns as possible.
numpad0 4y ago
This type of devices are supposed to be sold in cash to tourists, not online where victims could issue chargebacks. But I suppose the sellers has their scheme to avoid repayment anyway so it works anyway. It’s also a calculated and managed risk, so the marketplace don’t care anyway, either. It’s a cash wheelbarrow of moral.
Aeolun 4y ago
More people buy 30TB fake disks than 0.5TB real ones. You also automatically filter out the people that’d be smart enough to notice something was off.
- baobabKoodaa 4y ago
  > More people buy 30TB fake disks than 0.5TB real ones. I wasn't suggesting "sell a 0.5TB device honestly as a 0.5TB device", I was suggesting "sell a 0.5TB device claiming it is a 30TB device". > You also automatically filter out the people that’d be smart enough to notice something was off. You won't find a single "smart" person in the world that will buy a "30TB" disk for $30. So the smart people have already been filtered out in any case.
deleted 4y ago
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charcircuit 4y ago

The goal is to increase the amount of time before the customer notices what they got is not what you claimed. If the drive's capacity immediately shows something different they will start whatever refund process within the window where that is allowed.

Karunamon 4y ago

Because it increases the length of time between your fake product being sold and the return claims/consumers calling shenanigans get you kicked off of the platform. If they opened the box and see a brick, or plug it in and only see half a terabyte of capacity, they will immediately start a return. Unless you are the rare type who thoroughly tests all storage you buy before you use it, it is likely you would be backing up data to this and be blissfully unaware of what it is doing until much later, and even then it's likely you'll think of the drive as defective, rather than intentionally sold as fraudulent.

baobabKoodaa 4y ago
This is a good explanation. Thank you.

pwg 4y ago

Because as the scammer once you have the payment from the purchaser, you don't care. And a 0.5TB disk would cut into your 'margins' on something like this.

dymk 4y ago
Going through the effort of hacking the firmware cuts into their margins. Why go through the effort when they already have your money at that point?
- sokoloff 4y ago
  You have to minimize the customer returns in the first 30 days. Sending a brick gets lots of immediate returns and probably the device pulled from the shop. Making it look like it mostly works, enough to pass a 5-minute “is this a scam?” test probably even gets some legitimate users to write a 5-star “I can’t believe it’s true, but it is!” review.

rdtsc 4y ago

It keeps overwriting the file data but keeps the folder structure. So it may take months to find out it was fake and by that point too late to return or get a refund. So the answer to “why?” then is to make money with their scam and get as few refunds and returns as possible.

numpad0 4y ago

This type of devices are supposed to be sold in cash to tourists, not online where victims could issue chargebacks. But I suppose the sellers has their scheme to avoid repayment anyway so it works anyway. It’s also a calculated and managed risk, so the marketplace don’t care anyway, either. It’s a cash wheelbarrow of moral.

Aeolun 4y ago

More people buy 30TB fake disks than 0.5TB real ones. You also automatically filter out the people that’d be smart enough to notice something was off.

baobabKoodaa 4y ago
> More people buy 30TB fake disks than 0.5TB real ones. I wasn't suggesting "sell a 0.5TB device honestly as a 0.5TB device", I was suggesting "sell a 0.5TB device claiming it is a 30TB device". > You also automatically filter out the people that’d be smart enough to notice something was off. You won't find a single "smart" person in the world that will buy a "30TB" disk for $30. So the smart people have already been filtered out in any case.

deleted 4y ago

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