Hard disk fraud: More retailers affected, first returns
By now, more than 100 readers have told us about Seagate hard disks with long runtimes that were sold as new. More and more dealers are being added.
(Image: Seagate)
Many people have probably come into contact with the hard disk tool smartmontools for the first time in recent days. It is used, for example, to determine whether a newly purchased Seagate hard disk is perhaps not as new as the retailer had promised.
Although the affected drives indicate a runtime of zero hours (or the number of hours since installation) via a standard SMART query (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology), the extended diagnostic values (FARM, Field Accessible Reliability Metrics) indicate the real runtime. According to letters from our readers, these are between 15,000 and 50,000 hours for affected hard disks, with an average of over 25,000 hours.
The FARM values can be determined with the smartmontools under Linux, Windows and also macOS with the command smartctl -l farm /dev/sd[X]; Seagate's tool collection Seatools can also read out the FARM values. We also recommend checking the information on the warranty period via the serial number on the Seagate homepage.
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More than 100 people affected
In the meantime, we have received further emails from affected readers – not only from Germany, but also from neighboring countries. The list of affected retailers has been extended to include BAB Distribution, ctn-systeme and some Amazon and eBay retailers, Digitec-Galaxus from Switzerland, DiTech from Austria and the Luxembourg branch of Alternate are also mentioned. Even large system houses such as Bechtle and Wortmann are said to be affected. One reader reported a NAS equipped with eight used hard disks. We even received a report from the USA: A reader there purchased his hard disk from the American online marketplace Newegg.
We assume that neither Seagate nor the dealers have any interest in selling used drives to customers. The disks are probably being smuggled into distribution somewhere – we are happy to receive information about the procedure via our anonymous mailbox.
Some dealers have already started to take back the drives. Some of them want to replace the drives, others only want to refund the costs. We recommend checking the serial number of the drive on the Seagate homepage before unpacking the hard disk from the anti-static packaging at – and also when buying a new drive from other dealers. The date of manufacture (DOM) can also be read from the cover. If the date tracks back several years ago, this should be a warning to be cautious.
Statement from the manufacturer
Seagate has now issued an official statement:
"Seagate has not sold or distributed these mislabeled hard drives to dealers. We recommend that retailers purchase hard drives only from certified Seagate distribution partners to ensure that they purchase and sell only new or Seagate factory recertified drives. Seagate refurbished, factory-certified drives resold under the Seagate Drive Circularity Program can be identified by the green-bordered white hard drive label and the designation 'Factory Recertified'.
To report a suspected mislabeled Seagate drive, you can contact the Seagate Ethics Helpline."
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