If it's too good to be true, that's because it probably is and this is the case in a recent SSD scam. The scam saw $4,000 worth of hardware being sold for just shy of $30.
Why 30TB is Way Too Much Storage
To put things into perspective, most computers don't come with even 1TB of storage as the standard for a lot of modern laptops and PCs is offering just around 500GB of storage. This is half of one 1TB.
Now, imagine if there was a way to get over 60x what a buyer would normally get when they purchase a computer. This is what the scam is about, offering 30TB for just a tenth of the usual price.
30TB SSDs are Selling for Around $4,000
According to the story by PC World, at market prices, buying a 30TB would set the buyer back around $4000. One example of how expensive SSDs are can be seen with the Oyen Digital 16TB which already costs $1,899 and still might not be as portable as buyers would have wanted.
The article said that the price could hit $4,000 and buyers could still have to split the storage between different devices. The publication notes that they were able to find an SSD that comes with 30TB or portable storage for significantly less than the price of a SanDisk 1TB SSD.
Fake 30TB SSD Spotted Selling for Just $29
Ray [REDACTED] on Twitter shared how he was able to find a 30TB SSD for just $29 on AliExpress so they decided to try and purchase it. The findings of the account saw that Windows reported the SSD card as 15 terabytes but the tricky part is in its speed.
Have you ever heard the expression “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”? Well AliExpress is currently advertising a 30 Terabyte SSD for $29. And I just had one delivered. Let’s open it up, shall we? /1 pic.twitter.com/cVXtr42LW5
— Ray [REDACTED] (@RayRedacted) August 25, 2022
SSD Only Ran on USB 2.0 Meaning It had a Speed of Just 480 or 60 MBps
Despite its memory, the owner of the account's son pointed out that the storage is only capable of working on USB 2.0 and runs at 480 MBps or 60MBps. This means that in order to test out one of the 15TB drives for capacity, it would take them 250 days.
The account also explained the USB-C to USB-C 3.1 cable does not work so this means that the device was manufactured to be USB 2.0 only. The account shared another tweet revealing that the SSDs are also being sold at Walmart.
The plot thickens. Apparently these are on sale at WalMart, including the “30 terabyte”ones. But check out some@of the reviews: https://t.co/SNGDhBXbUN
— Ray [REDACTED] (@RayRedacted) August 25, 2022
Why the 15TB Indicated on the Computer was a Scam
The account then explained that the scammers basically got two 512MB or 1GB flash drives and added firmware in order for Windows to misreport its size. One indicator of this is that Windows would report the memory as exactly 15.0 terabytes and not 14.89, 14.78, or other more specific numbers.
The flash drives being used are kind of like the ones used in a 20-year-old MP3 player.
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Written by Urian B.
