Counterfeit Onn, Fire TV, and Xiaomi streaming devices are slipping past Walmart and Amazon and are becoming harder to spot.
Knockoff devices from Alibaba and AliExpress are nothing new, but the latest wave is different. The packaging, hardware, and on-screen interface are close enough to real Android TV/Google TV devices that buyers are getting fooled at major retailers.
The Fake Onn 4K Boxes Hitting Walmart
The counterfeit Onn 4K Plus box is nearly a perfect match. The barcode differs, the “US Compatible Only” label is missing, and the Tubi logo is outdated, but the front art is identical. The hardware tell is a small blue LED on the front that doesn’t exist on the real unit.
A Reddit user reported buying theirs from Walmart, though it’s unclear whether it came from a physical store or a third-party seller on Walmart’s site.
A YouTuber reviewing an Onn 4K Plus also caught that his unit was a counterfeit.
Onn boxes ship without a factory seal, so a scammer can buy a real device, swap the fake into the genuine box, and return it. The store puts it back on the shelf and the next customer goes home with a counterfeit.
The 3rd-Gen Xiaomi TV Box S Is the Hardest to Spot
The fake Xiaomi TV Box S is showing up in orders shipped directly from Amazon. Even the fine print on the bottom is almost identical. The only visible difference is the curve at the top of the “3” in “3rd.”
Older fakes gave themselves away by running Android TV instead of Google TV. This one runs Google TV too. A YouTube video also found that in his counterfeit box he was missing the Xiaomi TV+ app and the MI Home tab, which most buyers would never notice.
And when it comes to Fire TV devices, there is also no shortage of counterfeit Firesticks floating around…
How to Check if Your Device Is Real
The fastest test is Google Play Protect. Open the Play Store, tap your profile, and go to Settings > About > Play Protect certification. A real device says “Device certified.” Almost every counterfeit says “Device is not certified.”
Final Thoughts from Troy
The blue LED on a fake Onn and the curved “3” on a fake Xiaomi prove counterfeiters aren’t aiming at the bargain bin anymore. They’re aiming at Walmart and Amazon, and the open-box return policy is doing half the work for them.
Run the Play Protect check the minute you plug a new box in, and return it the same day if it fails. Until retailers take returns seriously, treat every new streaming device as guilty until Play Protect proves it innocent.
For more details, refer to the original report from AFTVnews and this Reddit thread.
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