Scammers are selling fake DDR5 with empty plastic chips relabeled to pass as legit — fake components mounted to PCBs are yet another sign of the RAMpocalypse

Fake DDR5 RAM modules are appearing in some Asian and Japanese secondhand markets, with hollow plastic or fiberglass chips mounted on boards and marked to resemble Samsung or SK Hynix parts.

Some sellers list the counterfeit memory as broken, as-is, or no-return, while others may introduce it through bait-and-switch returns in resale channels.

The scams can leave buyers paying for nonfunctional hardware, especially in used PC part listings where verification is harder and shortages make demand high.

The issue highlights wider fraud risk in the memory market, including on platforms such as Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, and through Amazon returns.