Counterfeit Fitbits

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freitasm

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#190835 14-Jan-2016 09:42

It seems US Customs has intercepted 350 fake Fitbits coming into that country from Hong Kong.

Similarly to counterfeit SD cards (which have fake logos, less capacity than stated, etc) found on Trade Me, I wonder if these Fitbit devices have already landed in New Zealand as well (seeing how many people buy things from overseas drop shipping services)...

US Customs intercepts fake Fitbit devices.

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#1470573 14-Jan-2016 09:53

I wonder how fake they are?

Do they actually work/report in to the fitbit app or are they just utter junk?

Geektastic

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#1470605 14-Jan-2016 10:29

Counterfit Bits?

MikeB4

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#1470618 14-Jan-2016 10:48

This is one reason I shop locally for gadgets.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

MikeB4

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#1470619 14-Jan-2016 10:48

Geektastic: Counterfit Bits?

could catch on

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

firefuze

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#1470620 14-Jan-2016 10:52

How do they (customs) identify these as counterfeit? Im surprised these sort of things (counterfeiting) even get looked at through customs.

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#1470626 14-Jan-2016 10:59

I'm guessing there will be quite a few of these for sale on Facebook buy/sell groups.
They are pretty easy to find on Aliexpress for next to nothing.

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#1470636 14-Jan-2016 11:03

I purchased this from Banggood for $15NZD before Christmas.

Arrived recently and so far is working well.

The fitbits etc are massively overpriced for what they are, but you do get the good external stuff, like the social networking etc.
Kinda like GoPro cameras I guess. Technically others are closely capable, but they have the really good user interfaces/user support manuals etc that make it a joy to use.

tchart

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#1470734 14-Jan-2016 12:32

Given the number of brand new Fitbits for sale on my local Facebook Buy/Sell page either people are already selling these fake ones in NZ or stores are not protecting their inventory (ie 5 finger discount).

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#1470752 14-Jan-2016 12:50

tchart: Given the number of brand new Fitbits for sale on my local Facebook Buy/Sell page either people are already selling these fake ones in NZ or stores are not protecting their inventory (ie 5 finger discount).

Honestly people who buy any form of Electronic goods on Facebook are asking for trouble. So many dodgy things on there (like this guys "bought" iPhone - being a recent example). I noticed in the Porirua mall the other day one outlet is selling a service for lock screen bypasses and they claim to be able to unlock both iOS and Android. I honestly can't think of a legitimate reason for that since both iOS and Android have alternative "forgotten pin" options which legitimate people should be able to use.

Anyway, back on topic. Considering the fitbits are just using STM32F4 microcontrollers my guess is it has been reverse engineered, firmware off the original dumped and flashed onto the fake using cheaper components. I remember having an older fitbit which had a STM32 built in of which I was able to load ChibiOS on and successfully read sensor data.

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MikeB4

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#1470757 14-Jan-2016 12:54

michaelmurfy:
tchart: Given the number of brand new Fitbits for sale on my local Facebook Buy/Sell page either people are already selling these fake ones in NZ or stores are not protecting their inventory (ie 5 finger discount).

Honestly people who buy any form of Electronic goods on Facebook are asking for trouble. So many dodgy things on there (like this guys "bought" iPhone - being a recent example). I noticed in the Porirua mall the other day one outlet is selling a service for lock screen bypasses and they claim to be able to unlock both iOS and Android. I honestly can't think of a legitimate reason for that since both iOS and Android have alternative "forgotten pin" options which legitimate people should be able to use.

Anyway, back on topic. Considering the fitbits are just using STM32F4 microcontrollers my guess is it has been reverse engineered, firmware off the original dumped and flashed onto the fake using cheaper components. I remember having an older fitbit which had a STM32 built in of which I was able to load ChibiOS on and successfully read sensor data.

You went the Porirua Mall? that was brave :P

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

wasabi2k

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#1470823 14-Jan-2016 13:37

firefuze: How do they (customs) identify these as counterfeit? Im surprised these sort of things (counterfeiting) even get looked at through customs.

From those customs TV shows they appear to do a lot of this stuff.

They were stopping and opening toys they suspected to be counterfeit transformers etc if I remember correctly.

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#1471721 15-Jan-2016 10:46

wasabi2k:
firefuze: How do they (customs) identify these as counterfeit? Im surprised these sort of things (counterfeiting) even get looked at through customs.

From those customs TV shows they appear to do a lot of this stuff.

They were stopping and opening toys they suspected to be counterfeit transformers etc if I remember correctly.

It's one of several functions of Customs, yep. You probably hear more about the drug intercepts, but counterfeit goods are just as commonly intercepted.

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