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How To Verify That SD Card isn't A Fake? Please Help!

I just bought a 120GB SD card for my camera and Windows computer, and I found that the actual capacity is drastically smaller than what they advertise, and the space beyond the original capacity cannot be used, which means that the files are unavailable when the stored file exceeds the actual capacity. Can anyone in this community tell me how to verify the genuineness of a SD card?

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Wilsey Young

Wilsey Young

Answered on Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Hi, very glad to help you!

Some fake SD cards may have the following phenomena:

  • Reduced capacity
  • Reduced reading and writing speed
  • Incredibly low selling price
  • From unauthorized seller

 

You can run through a few checks to check if SD card is fake:

  1. Inspect Product Packaging: The package should contain necessary and important information about the product, such as its specifications, as well as all the appropriate labels, warranty info, and a proper UPC.
  2. Using third-party software to detect fake SD card: If the SD card you have is fake, the software may report errors and show you how much actual data was written and read.

Here are some buying tips that you may find helpful:

  • Buy an SD card from an authorized or official seller.
  • Be careful about cheap SD cards from unauthorized sellers or stores.
  • Used or refurbished SD cards should be directly ignored.
 

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