But how does one know that they have a product with a counterfeit chip in it?
Try the latest driver!
I suspect that returning it the store/sales point or manufacturer will have no impact.
Depends where you live. Here in the UK If you've bought with the credit card then according to the law it's your credit card company's problem to solve. You phone them up an say you've been conned and they have to give you a refund. You can also moan to the local Trading Standards people. If you’ve been buying from Amazon you can write to them and complain, using the phrase "passing off" and threatening lawyers somewhere. That's legal-ese basically saying Amazon are at least partly culpable in a criminal offence of passing off a con as a genuine part. If enough people wrote letters like that then Amazon would soon do something about it.
Most of the problems arise from people not caring enough about the $5 they wasted on a fake part. Caveat Emptor. If people are too lazy to defend their rights then they'll lose them.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
