Amazon sells both "new" and "refurbished" HDDs. They are clearly marked in the description, but this is often awkwardly-conveniently after the truncation point

Amazon sells both "new" and "refurbished" HDDs. They are clearly marked in the description, but this is often awkwardly-conveniently after the truncation point for search results listings, so you need to be vigilant. In contrast, the article is about used devices sold as new, and with SMART counters reset. That absolutely smells like fraud -- though to be fair, I can concoct at plausible sequence of errors and omissions that arrives at the same result. I expect that someone with subpoena power will need to take it from here.