Article ID: 000059193 Content Type: Warranty & RMA Last Reviewed: 12/19/2022

How to Protect Yourself from Unintentionally Handling Fraudulent Processors

Environment

OS Independent family

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Summary

Actions when purchasing a processor or exchanging it on behalf of your customer

Description

Actions to take when purchasing a processor or exchanging it on behalf of your customer, which will prevent you from unintentionally handling fraudulent processors

Resolution

Actions to take when purchasing a processor

  1. Use our Partner Directory to find an Intel Partner who sells boxed processors.

    Purchasing from an alternative source risks unwittingly purchasing remarked processors or engineering samples.

    If you are a business, consider joining the Intel® Partner Alliance, which is a free program designed to assist companies of all sizes with product support, information, and marketing tools that will allow you to leverage your relationship with Intel to build your business. The All That the Intel® Partner Alliance Offers You page outlines the Membership benefits and requirements at each tier.

Actions to take if the processor has been removed from the system for warranty exchange

  1. Identify the FPO and partial ATPO of the processor.
  2. Scan the processor’s 2D Matrix using the NeoReader app to reveal the full ATPO number.
  3. Cross-reference the last 5 digits of the full ATPO with the partial ATPO number on the processor. If it is genuine, the numbers should match.
  4. Check that the following letters/wording do not appear on the processor heatspreader:
    • Q
    • ES
    • Confidential
    If the above appear on the processor it is an engineering sample and the warranty is void.
  5. Check that there is no physical damage of the processor as this will void the warranty.
  6. Enter the FPO and ATPO of the processor into the warranty checker tool.
  7. Double-click the Check products box to find out if the processor is supported under warranty:
    Check products

Actions to take to identify if the processor is genuine if it is already installed in a system

  1. Download Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool.
  2. Check the Genuine Intel box. It should report Pass.

    A service call can be costly if you return a non-authentic processor that voids warranty. Remember to Check before you accept.

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