Paging the Fast & Furious screenwriters.
Last November, PC Gamer reported that a shipment of GPUs (graphics processing units) was stolen from a truck on its way from San Francisco to southern California. The graphics cards were being shipped by EVGA, which produces the well-known Nvidia brand of GPUs, with the stolen goods ranging in price from US$330 to US$1,960 per unit.
At the time, EVGA warned people about purchasing any of the stolen cards if they appeared on the black market, as the company had their serial numbers recorded and any warranty activation could alert the police.
It turns out that the GPUs were destined for a much longer journey post-heist, as the industry site VideoCardz reported this week that some of the cards ended up here in Vietnam, where customers of an unnamed local retailer have reported issues when trying to activate the warranty offered with their new GPU.
PC Gamer adds that the retailer in question is known for creating cryptocurrency mining rigs, which are in high demand globally, contributing to a computer chip shortage that has been exacerbated by global production and supply chain disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
So if you're in the market for a high-end Nvidia GPU, be aware of what you might be buying.
[Top image via BR Atsit]
