Фото JamesFerg650 / Reddit
A Reddit user had received backpacks instead of an NVIDIA RTX 5090 video card in an undamaged packaged box. The trail leads to the factory.
JamesFerg650 writes that bought a video card at the MicroCenter store in Santa Clara, USA. At home, he found several backpacks in the sealed box instead of the video card. The box looked good, so no suspicions were raised during the purchase.
The initial post caused a stir, but the next day, after the store opened, the unlucky video card owner continued the story. It turned out that MicroCenter was not involved in the fraud. The store saw the post and immediately replaced the video card. Employees of the retail chain reported that they had found 31 more such «video cards» (among the unsold ones). It seems that the backpacks were packed in boxes right at the factory.
«Luckily, I was the only customer (so far) who was sold one in the store. They traced it back to their supplier and gave them a hard time all last night and today because they found at least 31 (also so far) in their store. All Zotac 5090s. Managers and staff saw my message last night, started a search that continued this morning», — wrote JamesFerg650.
Another Reddit user said he saw someone opening an RTX 5090 in the same store. Another user shared a response he received from MicroCenter support:
«Our team is aware of these reports and is actively investigating the issue. We are currently still working internally with our team in Santa Clara to confirm the information they have. Unfortunately, we do not have any information to confirm if this is indeed true, however, we are working with the team in Santa Clara as quickly as possible to address this. While they are aware of these reports, our team in the store will do their best in their normal process to check these items before purchase. Our best recommendation in this regard is to — speak with the Santa Clara team in-store if you plan to visit the store to get any additional information they may have at that time», — MicroCenter via JawaOfficial.
Later, MicroCenter confirmed that the Reddit case was true. The store believes that the cards were compromised at the factory Zotac in China before they were shipped to the United States. The store chain has already taken care of all affected customers. Zotac’s U.S. office is surprised by the incident and has invited those involved to contact them for further investigation. VideoCardz prudently recommends recording the unpacking of expensive devices on video.