Counterfeit Ram on Lazada Lazmall!

This is a warning to those who seek Ram for their ThinkPads, be very careful, there are some very good counterfeit Ram in circulation, that will pass all tests, but still be Counterfeit.

I wrote an article about this, here :

https://jbj-tech-notes.blogspot.com/2026/02/counterfeit-ram-on-shopee.html?m=1

Since then I have run into it on Lazada, AliExpress other online platforms. 

DDR3 and DDR3L Ram is hard to find these days, so you have to go where its offered.

2 weeks ago I purchased from Lazada Lazmall, this is where Lazada guarantees that the product is genuine authentic or 2x times your money back, 100% Authentic Lenovo memory.

As it turns out, it is nearly impossible to find a flaw on these 2x 8GB DDR3L 1600Mhz 204 pin 1.35V, they pass all tests and even show SPD data with hyperlinks to Lenovo and SK Hynix, something that usual counterfeit Ram doesn't.

But, they do not show up in Lenovo's warranty database, that is concerning but not 100% proof of counterfeit, because this is Ram modules and I have experienced hardware before, that did not show in the database.

They don't have FRU or Lenovo PN number, again concerning but not 100% proof of counterfeit, because some Lenovo products and some "Made for Lenovo" products, does not have this.

Lenovo support can't find them in their database over own products or partner products, again not a 100% proof, because this actually happens every day, mislabeled products produced in outsourced factories. 

And yes Lenovo do outsource manufacturing, some SSD's are made in Mexico(don't buy those, there is Dram controller problem).

Lenovo china has examined the 50mpx photos I send them and come up with a conclusion that though these are near perfect Lenovo memory, they are not, they are in fact counterfeit.

They were, as I, impressed with the details and skills, that the counterfeiter put into manufacturing, and the money that must be behind this, even down to the smallest detail like packaging and the small manual for "Lenovo Memory".

See for yourself 

And the tests

I decided to keep them and see how long time they will last, but I have reported the seller and shop to Lazada, for selling counterfeit products on Lazmall. 

And as usual Lazada did nothing about it! 

The shop ElecHome Concept store continues knowingly to sell counterfeit Ram and Lazada now knowingly enables them! 

A warning to users of online markets!

IF YOU ARE A POTENTIAL BUYER:

There are a lot of counterfeit products circulating on Facebook and other online platforms, some offer phones with 6GB Ram and 128GB storage, some cheap laptops, some very cheap Ram.

Research before you buy and if anything seem just a little bit fishy then don't buy, there is no consumer protection in the Philippines and especially not from sellers on Facebook, the seller can promise you anything and there is nothing you can do if the seller doesn't keep the promise. 

For phones https://m.gsmarena.com is a really good place to find information, also try contacting the manufacturers as they can authenticate the product or advice you if counterfeit.

IF YOU ARE A SELLER :

If you are selling for someone else, then they are using you and you can get in real trouble because of it. Before you agree to be a seller for someone else, research the product and if anything stands out then ask questions, any legit company will answer your questions. Any scam company will be harsh to you, and then stay away from them. 

I recently saw a post in Facebook, and the reason for this warning, a deal with a Dell Laptop + Vivo Y55, and I immediately knew something were wrong because the Vivo Y55 did not look like the Y55 I had researched a few months ago. 

This one looked old style with borders in the top and bottom, seller promised 6GB Ram and 128GB storage which none of the old style phones have, at most they came with 3-4GB Ram and 64GB storage!

This is the real Vivo Y55

https://m.gsmarena.com/vivo_y55_5g-11324.php#:~:text=6.58%22%201080x2408%20pixels

https://m.gsmarena.com/vivo_y55-11744.php

Unfortunately there are a syndicate that uses people, they have flooded the online market with counterfeit Ram and other products and are using Filipino to do the selling.

This way only the shop or the Filipino is getting trouble if caught.

If you already sold some of the products, make sure you have all documents and labels from your supplier and know exactly who they are - In the eyes of the law the seller can't claim ignorance because the information is just a search away, but if you can help law enforcement you might get a deal.

I recently wrote an article about the counterfeit problem :

https://jbj-tech-notes.blogspot.com/2026/02/counterfeit-ram-on-shopee.html?m=1

And set up a blog for business to avoid doing business with :

https://badbizlist.blogspot.com/2026/03/businesses-to-avoid.html?m=1

Stay safe and be smart😁

DON'T use SSD's as backup drives!

This is not news, but still something that most people don't know, mostly because the manufacturers don't tell this.

SSD's are advertised as being the successor to normal Harddrives, and for daily use that might be true, but not as backup drives. 

They will loose data over time if just in a drawer and not connected to electricity.

If you take them out once in a while and use them, then you might be ok, but if left and forgotten, then there will most likely be data loss.

And that is exactly what nobody wants. 

Summer Gadget buying advice!

Summer is close and many people will be buying gadgets, here is a few tips regarding  Smartphones:

1. If you buy with big screen then make sure the capacity of the battery is equal or more than 4000mAh, preferably 5000 mAh and up.

2. Save yourself the headache of broken screen and purchase a flipcover together with the phone - even if the phone has Gorilla glass it can crack.

3. Do some research on the model, especially battery and CPU - www.gsmarena.com is a good place to start. Also search Google for known problems with the model.

4. Be extremely careful if you think of buying from Facebook market or other pages on Facebook, there are alot of fake phones.

5. Make sure the model support fast charging, especially here in the Philippines(since brownout is freely suplied by Power Companies).

6. If chinese phone then make sure it doesn't have alot of ads or useless pre-installed Aps, like some Xiaomi and Vivo phones has. Going with the international or EU version could be a good choice.

6. Make sure the phone is supported with updates for the next couple of years.

7. Make sure the phone is at least protected by IP see explanation here https://www.audioreputation.com/ipx-ratings-explained/

Happy hunting😊

Do NOT trust Xiaomitime.com!

In the start of 2025 Xiaomitime reported that Redmi Note 12 4G Tapas would get HyperOS 3.0, and even their "HyperOS Downloader App" claimed this. 

And by that they allowed and enabled Xiaomi to sell more of the Redmi Note 12 4G Tapas they had in stock, devices that were promised by Xiaomitime to get HyperOS 3.0.

Xiaomi Philippines has confirmed to me that Redmi Note 12 4G Tapas will not recieve HyperOS 3.0, but will recieve security updates until 2027.

Xiaomitime lied! 

The HyperOS Downloader App, which in fact is not Xiaomitime's App as they claim, but made by a third party company and the real name is Memeos 3.0 Enhancer on Play store, now report that Redmi Note 12 4G Tapas will not get HyperOS 3.0.

Users of this App should be very careful in what they do and not use it to modify their phone in any way, the App is not stable and might send the phone into boot loop. 

On my own phone when I uninstalled the App it left something behind, that immediately after the uninstall, started to cause problems with my Apps including Play store, I had to re-install a couple of Apps and Clear cache on Play store.

The phones own security App could not open, and I had to install Avast which found something left behind by the Memeos App, and removed it.

Directly after my phone were working correctly again and the phones own security App could open.

This is virus and malware behaviour, when an App is uninstalled it should not leave something behind that causes problems, and I am not talking about log files.

Do NOT trust this company or that app! 

Ram use of Linux Mint!

There is a misconception among new users and some old ones, that Cinnamon uses a lot more Ram than other Desktop Environments(DE) in Linux Mint versions.

Cinnamon uses approximately 650 - 900Mb(Megabyte) on idle.

Cinnamon uses 100 - 200Mb more than MATE idle.

Cinnamon uses 150 - 300Mb more than XFCE when idle.

It is not a lot, but if you are trying to use Linux Mint on very old hardware that uses 2Gb Ram and no longer can be upgraded, then I can see why you might want to squeeze the last drop out of it. 

Any more Ram use is caused by apps you use. 

In this case Linux Lite or Lubuntu might be a better alternative, Linux Mint can run on 2Gb Ram, with limited functionality on the apps side, not the DE itself. 

4Gb Ram is better, even more is better.

SSD instead of Harddisk is better. But that is the same in most Linux and Windows Versions.

Some very small and lightweight Linux distros run entirely in Ram, so only access to Storage drive is download/upload or running apps which also use minimal Storage use. 

Someone could possibly build a new distro based on Linux Mint, with less hardware requirements, but that is another story. 

Don't buy 2nd hand Chromebooks, it is not worth it!

The following is not news, it has been covered in several magazines and online platforms, so why would I repeat it? 

Because in the Philippines there is a booming market selling these Chromebooks. 

Most are advertised as being laptops, they are not laptops! Its gimmick the seller is imposing on unsuspecting buyers. 

For the most Chromebooks work just fine if you only want to browse the internet or do some mild office work, but they are not workhorses like a laptop! Also most of the functions are online. 

On a real laptop you can work offline if you want to.

Chromebooks are not ment to be upgraded, they are basically Netbooks with a bigger screen, CPU and battery, but where on Netbooks you mostly could upgrade the ram(limited though) and the storage, this is for the most not possible on Chromebooks because ram and storage is soldered(on some you can upgrade the storage), you can add a memory card though, but it is ultra-slow and should only be used for personal files. 

Chromebooks are also not supported for very long time, if you have reached the end of software updates, you can't just install a newer version of Chrome OS, like you would be able to do on a laptop.

It will take research and some tinkering that could end you up with an expensive paperweight. 

If you are Technical minded, some, but not all, Chromebooks can be updated to newer version of Chrome OS or ChromeOS flex or Linux, if you remove a screw inside and flash the firmware, but it is not a guarantee that it will work and not something a normal consumer should do because of the riscs involved - Remember Paperweight!

Chromebooks have like many newer laptops built-in battery, which only last for a couple of years, finding a replacement might turn out to be a nightmare because spareparts were not part of the "plan" when these came out. There are some after-market batteries, but quality is not really the same as the original.

Failing parts on Chromebooks is usually, battery screen and keyboard, on most Chromebooks the keyboard is located under the motherboard, meaning that in order to change the keyboard you first have to remove the motherboard, and there are so many things that can go wrong, so this should for the most, be left to professionals to do, which increases the cost of upgrades and repairs.

All in all, just get an upgradable laptop instead, but make sure it doesn't have soldered ram or soldered storage! And make sure it can run Linux or ChromeOS Flex, I will not recommend Windows for privacy reasons. 

For most, Core i5 - i7 should do, stay away from Core i3 it will be too slow for real work. And make sure to get a laptop with an SSD and a battery that lasts more than 2 hours, unless there is an outlet anywhere you travel. 

Also, stay away from dealers that only give 1-3 months warranty, that mean they only stand by by the product they sell for those 1-3 months and anything that happens after that period, is on you.

If you are Technical minded like me, its ok because you can do all the repairs yourself, but if you are not, then it can end up costing almost half of what you paid for the laptop in the first place. 

I mostly buy my laptops from private people and do all the repairs myself, then use the laptop for about 8-10 years with a few upgrades in between, until the laptop can't work anymore(electronics don't last forever) or the cost of parts is higher than to buy another second hand laptop.

And I, doesn't mean you have to, always buy Lenovo Thinkpads of T, X, W and L(budget) series, and always do research before buying.

There used to be companies making Barebone laptops that you could buy from new, and just upgrade yourself, but that is not seen very often anymore.

If you want to run Linux, there are manufacturers that deliver laptops with it pre-installed, like Tuxedo, System76 even some Lenovo laptops, just search for it. 

But you can for most just install it yourself on your own laptop, just do your research first, but that is another story.

Good luck 😉😁

List of shops to avoid doing business with!

This will piss of a lot of businesses, but since neither Shopee or Lazada is willing to deal with this and knowingly facilitate these shops to continue doing BS, its up to us to warn other people😉 The war begins😁

I have build pcs for many years and done custom builds other people couldn't do, besides that I also worked for Packard Bell Europe, in their Technical Support in The Netherlands.

And in my own country Denmark in IT support Call Center for Major Businesses supplying companies with whole IT solutions : IBM, HP, Compaq, Lexmark, Sharp, Mermaid, Packard Bell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Acer, Canon, MAC.

Also as Technican for a Charity organization that supplied Computers, tables and printers for schools in the Philippines. I build the computers from scratch.

My background is a lot more than this, but this is keeping it short.

Because of personal circumstances, I live in the Philippines and want to put my skills to good use by helping people for free🙂

And by that come the lists of shops to avoid doing business with, because of poor service level or just bad products with short Warranty, selling refurbished as New, or even knowingly selling Counterfeit products.

I have documented some shops here

https://jbj-tech-notes.blogspot.com/2026/02/counterfeit-ram-on-shopee.html?m=1

Let me know what you got and I will update the list😉

I will start (Knowingly, mean that they have been informed by me, but continue selling):

Walram on Shopee and Lazada knowingly sell counterfeit Ram(I informed them, and they blocked me and continue selling). https://ph.shp.ee/mxFCh5V

Computer_UP. ph knowingly sell counterfeit Ram. https://ph.shp.ee/pY1zhhs

Pisen Authourized PH knowingly sell counterfeit Redmi Note Batteries https://ph.shp.ee/e52APsD

QST Computer Accessories PH knowingly sell counterfeit Kingston HyperX Ram https://ph.shp.ee/L3MKEhr

Guyoung Computer accessories knowingly sell defective LCDs, they claim to test them but don't do it. https://ph.shp.ee/FqY1GxP

y2fd4qt4g9 sell counterfeit defective batteries https://ph.shp.ee/wPNQzNk

HAYOX 176 Sell counterfeit defective batteries https://ph.shp.ee/wMjWuKn

And the list will continue

Counterfeit Ram on Shopee!

Shopee claim to deal with shops who sell counterfeit products, well they don't they just lie about it and make you think that they are dealing with it, many times they just ignore it, I have reported many shops who to this day still sell counterfeit products!  

But maybe they will finally act after this article, because anyone who allow counterfeit products on their website is just as guilty as the one selling it, according to the law.

For Shopee its all about having a high number of shops on their platform, and they apparently don't care if the shops are legit or not, as long as the shop do their transactions through Shopee.

So be sure if you buy something from Shopee that you buy it in their Mall, so you at least have 30 days to return it. 

This shop on Shopee treathened me, because I discovered that they sell counterfeit Crucial DDR3L Ram modules and informed them about it. 

https://ph.shp.ee/7X6bpLH

These modules are extremely very well made and someone put a lot of effort into making this look like the real deal, only one problem : 

They forgot to look how the original show up in any diagnostic app, and I tried SPECCY, AIADA64 HWiNFO, Passmark RAMMon and CPU-Z, all reported that this were Crucial Ram with Micron Ram chips, but it  failed in one crucial(no pun intended) way, they forgot to add CT in front of the partnumber. 

Crucial always have CT in the start of the part number, and Micron always have MT in front of the part number. 

Here are photos of the Ram modules and the tests :

When you try to find out if the Ram you just bought is Genuine or not, you might have to put some effort into it, because Crucial doesn't have a web page where you can check the part number or serial number, and you have to find a way to contact their support, provide them with photos of the Ram modules and proof of purchase.

crucservice@micron.com

In my case Crucial support could not actually be sure that the Ram modules I bought, were not Genuine, well they could see that the labels didn't fit the part number of the modules, but couldn't rule out a factory mistake in China. And asked me to ask the seller, which as stated above, resulted in a treat. 

One of the strange parts in this story is the information that is read from the EC chip on the Ram modules, which suggest that these modules are produced in Crucials factory in China, but discarded because of the lacking CT in the part number or some other reason, and should have been destroyed. How they got on Shopee we can only speculate. 

I am saying this because it is not very likely other factories have the ability to write to Crucials EC chip, and why even make that effort if counterfeit! 

Also, the Ram modules actually test good in all the diagnostic tests I have run which include Lenovo Diagnostic and. Memtest86+ v7.00, they passed with flying colors. 

UPDATE :

I ended up returning them because Crucial finally informed me that they couldn't find these modules in their own or Micron's databases. And I had a screen flicker which seem to were caused by these Ram modules. 

With Genuine Ram you at least have a warranty and can expect the Ram to last several years.

Counterfeit ram can cause severe damage to your PC or Laptop, so even if it test OK, just return it. 

It has come to my attention that Walram on Shopee also are selling the very same counterfeit Ram, and resulted in me getting blocked by them when I informed them about it. 

Doesn't inspire very much confidence in the way they do business, and a word of warning regarding this particular shop, they promise Warranty which they don't actually intend to uphold, and their after sales support is a joke.

Link to the counterfeit Ram in Walram shop on Shopee :

https://ph.shp.ee/8g1Vg1B

UPDATE :

I have today 07 February 2026 informed Shopee support about the problem with the Ram, that it is Counterfeit and that it has potential to damage internal parts in the laptops it is used in. 

And that if they don't act upon this warning, then they can become liable. Because they have been warned and any further counterfeit Ram sold through Shopee would be considered that they knowingly facilitate sale of dangerous counterfeit Ram. 

I have asked them to issue a warning to sellers, to stop selling any Crucial Ram that doesn't have CT in the part number read from the EC controller. And any Micron Ram that doesn't have MT in the part number read from the EC controller. 

I have told Shopee that these Ram modules caused a power interuption in my laptop and LCD flicker, which could have been permanent, had I not replaced the Ram with original working modules. 

So if sale continue and my warning is ignored, then Shopee can be sued. 

I have also informed Shopee that I have informed the 2 shops, and they now knowingly sell counterfeit Ram. 

Free to change your ROM - Free to repair already happening!

As I wrote in the headline Free to repair is already happening in several countries. 

I would like to advocate for Free to change your ROM to whatever you want and be able to relock your bootloader, so the device will work with banking and other financial Apps that refuse to work with unlocked bootloader. 

After all its your phone, and like on computers you should be able to install whatever OS you want, right, and you have a right to be secure! 

Unfortunately manufacturers only allow their own ROM to be installed, and only support it with updates for a couple of years, while there are custom ROM's that would work perfectly well and securely on your phone, but the manufacturers will not support this because they want you to buy a new phone every 3-4 years - adding to the worlds e-Waste problem.

I am deeply against adding to the worlds e-Waste problem, and truely believe in renewing old hardware with alternative software, in this case a custom ROM.

If we can push manufacturers and Governments to "Free to change your ROM" and still be able to lock the Bootloader, then You can blow new life into your old phones and reuse them.

Those who want to buy new models can do that, and the rest of us will still be happy with our old. one!

So please link to this article and post it anywhere you can think of, so we can get the ball rolling 😉

I hope it will catch on, I know Google and many other manufacturers will be against this because it will hurt their bottom line, but we should have a right to do this!

After all its OUR phone!