Counterfeit electronic components can take on a variety shapes and forms. For the most part, counterfeit components are understood to be:

1. Deliberately altered or misrepresented electronic components (e.g. quality, manufacturer, part number, date code, lot code)
2. Substitutes or unauthorized copies of an electronic component
3. Used parts that are recycled or salvaged and sold as new electronic components
4. Nonfunctional, defective parts sold as new electronic components

As you can see, ͞counterfeiting͟ is not a black and white term. Some counterfeit components may include those that simply did not meet the manufacturer’s highest quality standards. These parts may have been production line rejects, recycled parts, or parts sold into the market through unauthorized production runs. Verifying the identities of some components may be next to impossible—especially if the components are older or are no longer in active production. Testing can root out some of these common problems and give you a better idea of whether a part is likely to be original or not.