Fake DDR5 RAM sticks are now using plastic chips to fool buyers

Fake DDR5 and laptop memory modules are spreading through online and gray markets, often with cloned labels and packaging that imitate Samsung or SK Hynix.

Some counterfeit sticks even use plastic dummy chips to look like real DRAM, while others fail outright or offer less capacity than advertised.

Because RAM is rarely inspected closely after purchase, the fraud can be harder for buyers to spot than other hardware scams.

The result is a higher risk of paying for memory that is fake, under-capacity, or nonfunctional.