A player shares his negative experience with Amazon on Reddit. Instead of new RAM, the PC enthusiast receives fake RAM that doesn’t fit his PC build. The community then gives him advice.
What happened? The user Leading-Growth-8361 reports on Reddit on December 21, 2025, that he bought a DDR5 RAM kit from Amazon for his new PC. However, he claims that upon opening his delivery, he discovered it was a fake.
According to the PC builder, he purchased the hardware directly through Amazon. Amazon itself was listed as the seller. The Redditor then attempted unsuccessfully to install the faulty RAM in his PC.
He reports that upon closer inspection of the supposed DDR5 kit, he found that it was actually a DDR4 kit with a DDR5 casing attached. This rendered the RAM useless for him as his PC requires DDR5 modules.
It is possible that the Steam Machine is also affected by the currently high RAM prices:
The community knows the scammer’s trick
What does the community say about it? The story is circulating on social media and people are sharing their comments:
- LockedUnlocked says on Reddit: “That’s the oldest trick in the book.”
- Roddy explains on X: “Fraud with returned goods is currently skyrocketing. Much RAM is not securely packaged, and it’s easy to return old RAM instead of new.”
- Sigamus, a Redditor, writes: “That’s why I film everything I open, but I probably would have missed that too.”
The hardware crisis saddens many users, and some are already expressing their dissatisfaction with the state of the market. Some are even going one step further and calling for a boycott of RAM.
How do I protect myself from fraud? Our tips should help you minimize the risk when buying RAM: Check the goods immediately upon receipt. As soon as you accept a package, inspect the goods and check their functionality if possible. Because if the goods are defective, you can quickly return them and get your money back.
Opt for official hardware shops like Alternate and Mindfactory, as these shops specialize in PC components and have an interest in ensuring you receive functioning hardware.
And very importantly: Do not accept opened packages. If the seal on your package has already been opened, the chance of fraud is high. Refuse acceptance in this case and then inform the seller or the store.
Be vigilant and be careful when buying RAM. The expensive hardware is often a target for fraud schemes and users are frequently shamelessly exploited. Caution is also advised when selling hardware, as a seller recently had an unfortunate experience: User exchanges RAM for a graphics card, thinks he’s lucky, until he sees the prices for memory.
