On February 27, I received a message from a customer in Europe via Skype.

He had purchased an IR MOSFET from another supplier. After receiving the parts, he noticed that they looked very different from the ones he had used before.

He sent two photos and asked if we could help review them.

I forwarded the images to our QC engineer for evaluation. The first step was to identify any visible differences and determine whether there were suspicious points that could be confirmed from the photos.

The customer pointed out two main concerns. The surface printing looked different, and the polarity indicator appeared unusual. He then shared another photo of the same part purchased from a franchised distributor for comparison.

Initially, I considered the possibility that the parts might be refurbished. I asked the customer to check the polarity indicator on the backside. However, he confirmed that it was located on the top side and appeared as a hole, rather than a small dot as seen on the original parts.

He also mentioned that the country of origin was marked as the Philippines, the same as the parts from the franchised distributor.

After reviewing all the information, I shared these details with our engineer.

Shortly after, the engineer gave his conclusion. In his view, the parts were more likely copies rather than refurbished originals.

His reasoning was based on several observations.

There was no sign of surface polishing, which is often seen in refurbished components.

The SOP-8 package is widely used and relatively easy to replicate, making it one of the most commonly imitated package types.

For the reported IRF7342, the differences in surface printing and the polarity indicator were clear when compared to the original parts from the franchised distributor.

We also reviewed the pricing. The customer had purchased the part at 0.16 USD, while the price from a major authorized distributor was around 0.228 USD. For a low-cost component like this, such a price gap is unusual.

Based on these factors, the parts were identified as likely copies.

This type of issue is not limited to one brand. Similar cases are often seen with components from TI, ON Semiconductor, and Maxim, especially in common packages like SOP-8.

We hope the semiconductor industry continues to grow and innovate. At the same time, it is important that customers receive exactly what they intend to purchase.

In component sourcing, consistency and authenticity remain critical.