In this digital age, where data is considered invaluable, losing it can be a harrowing experience. Imagine transferring your precious files to a newly purchased external solid-state drive (SSD), only to find them vanish into thin air.
This is the unfortunate story of a Singaporean man who lost almost all his data files during what should have been a routine transfer, after buying what turned out to be a fake external hard disk.
The Need for More Storage
A man from Singapore, Mr Bong, ran out of storage space on his computer and went online to buy an external hard disk drive.
While browsing Lazada, Bong came across a store named “Harboring Shore” which had impressive 88% positive seller rating. Even though the SSD listing had no reviews, Bong felt reassured by the store’s legitimacy.
The product that caught Bong’s eye was a portable SSD with a massive 8TB storage capacity, all for the reasonable price of S$29.90.
A week later, Bong’s eagerly awaited SSD arrived. As he plugged it into his computer, the drive displayed a storage capacity of 7.6TB, he then began transferring his files, which totaled around 1TB in size.
Missing files
Bong’s transfer process commenced smoothly, but it soon turned into a grueling two-day ordeal. After what felt like an eternity, he noticed that most of the folders in the SSD remained empty. Panic set in as he realized that his original files on his computer were also missing.
Alarmed and desperate to retrieve his data, Bong decided to consult a data recovery center. Their assessment was grim—they suspected that Bong’s SSD was a counterfeit product.
To make matters worse, the data recovery service came with a hefty price tag of at least S$380, and this did not even cover the cost of a new external hard drive for storing the recovered files.
Bong faced a difficult choice: pay a significant sum to recover his files or take matters into his own hands.
Found MicroSD inside
Faced with the prospect of spending a small fortune on data recovery, Bong decided to explore alternative options. He stumbled upon a free data recovery software tool online.
Miraculously, Bong’s efforts paid off. Using the free data recovery software, he managed to recover most of his files.
He later broke open his SSD and discovered that there was a microSD card glued to the circuit board, and that was when he realised that he had been scammed.
Seeking Accountability
Bong wasn’t ready to let this matter slide. He contacted the seller, “Harboring Shore,” to address the issue. Unfortunately, his attempts to communicate with the seller were met with silence.
Undeterred, Bong escalated the matter to Lazada’s customer service. The agent assured him that they would attempt to reach the seller and resolve the issue within 24 to 48 hours.
He eventually received a full refund for his purchase.