With thanks to CE Geek from the forums

Handheld PC users should beware of the lure of eBay's promise of cheap, high capacity CF cards. "More than 95% of all 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB USB Flash Drives listed on eBay are counterfeit items and have 'fake' capacities", or so claims certified eBay guide writer memory-r-us.

The scam involves the rebranding and repackaging of lower-capacity, generic solid state cards as much sought after high-capacity memory for a rock-bottom price. The scam targets well known, and respected brand names in the memory industry, including the two giants of solid-state technologies, SanDisk and Kingston.

Victims of the fraud are left out of pocket with a sub-standard, low quality memory product while the sellers seemingly flout all eBay rules and community safe guards by ritually cycling through user accounts as a means to sell their wares.

HPC:Factor strongly advises that anyone who currently finds themselves within the memory follow some simple steps to keep safe

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Avoid buying from new, unranked sellers - especially if they are attempting to put on a commercial stant on their auction
• Avoid listings which make promises of availability only being from them in your country/region. If the product isn't legitimately available where you live there is a reason for it
• Avoid any listing which has flooded the search results with the same product
• Where possible, always buy from sellers both trading and shipping within your home country as it gives you greater legal protection
• Check selling sellers previous sales patterns - if the user has suddenly shifted to selling large quantities of CF cards from an unrelated market, they could have a hijacked eBay account
• Pay using an escrow service or a protected payment method such as PayPal
• Remember that items under $25 USD are not covered under eBay fraud protection rules

You can read the eBay Guide from the link below. If you believe you have fallen victim to this scam, please contact both eBay and the spoofed memory manufacturer's customer services department to report the suspected fraud. If applicable, also take up the issue with your merchant (e.g. PayPal).

View: eBay Guides Warning