Some online shoppers are saying that the AMD Ryzen chips they bought on Amazon are fake.
Considering how the AMD CPUs have been a hot item, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that some scammers are taking advantage of the situation.
The Fake AMD Ryzen Chips Scam
In the cases at hand, the users placed an order for a Ryzen 7 1700. Instead, what they got was an Intel Celeron.
At first glance, the processors seem to be legitimate AMD products, but after further inspection, they are obviously fake. This goes to show that a lot of work was put into making these shady products.
It should be mentioned that this kind of scam is more or less old, which has used imitation Core i7 units in the past.
Now at this point, it's still not clear whether this is just the work of a few sketchy retailers on Amazon or a mass-RMA fraud, but at any rate, it's never a bad idea to take some measures in avoiding the scam until the listings have been cleaned up.
How To Avoid The Fake AMD Ryzen Chips Scam
Avoid third-party retailers: Even though the reports say the fake Ryzen chips came from Amazon sellers, be wary of third-party merchants on other websites such as eBay and Newegg too, for good measure.
Choose payment options with hassle-free refunds: Some payment services offer easy ways to refund your money, such as PayPal. When making a purchase online, it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan to get your cash back conveniently.
Refer to AMD's website on how to verify authentic products: AMD has a couple of tips to help users steer clear of counterfeit items.
One way is to check the security label stuck on the box's top flap. Another one is to download a scanner app to determine a product's legitimacy.
Sure, it might prove to be difficult to use these methods when shopping online, but at the very least, they can let you be doubly sure whether the AMD component you bought is genuine or not.
The Bottom Line
Fake Ryzen chips seem to be starting to become rampant online, particularly on Amazon. That said, shoppers should be more cautious nowadays when they're in the market for a new chip.
Have you dealt with a similar fraud before? If so, feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.
