It is a global problem. There is good news thought. The FrankenFlash Project was created about 20 months ago to try and address the issue.

A number of different groups have joined together to fight the issue and promote consumer awareness.

The main site is SOSFakeFlash.

There are also four other sites, each with a different subject matter, from counterfeit brand names, current prices for nand flash chips to how to fix fake flash devices.

One site is agressive, in reporting suspected sellers on eBay, fightflashfraud.

SOSFakeFlash publishes on confirmed fake flash sellers.

The sad thing is that most consumers have no idea on the real costs of nand flash based technology – it is frightening. It leads to so much data being lost.

The best advice is that people should only buy locally from a reputable seller and of course test the device for it’s real capacity prior to storing any data. Consumers also need to be aware that many brand names are being counterfeited now too. Most brand names have validation sites and all buyers should check the serial numbers at these sites to be sure, better to only buy from authorized dealers.

It is not worth trying to save a few dollars and have a nightmare.

There is absolutely no way to recover data. If the device has been reprogrammed to report 16GB and the flash storage chip is only 2GB, anything copied beyond 2GB is gone. Why? Exactly were are the files supposed to go? There is no place to put them. The usb controller chips have been digitally altered. The only thing that is copied to the fake is information about the file, not the file itself. So there is nothing you can recover, it is not there.

Be safe, research and do not expect super bargains on the internet , the true profit margin for this technology for genuine capacity is small.