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Counterfeit electronic components: 2024 data and how to screen the risk
Counterfeit electronic components are parts misrepresented as genuine — remarked, recycled, or fake. In 2024, ERAI recorded 1,055 suspect counterfeit and nonconforming parts, up 25% and the most since 2015, per ERAI’s 2024 Annual Report. The risk concentrates on obsolete and hard-to-source lines — the same lines a BOM already struggles to source.
Last updated 2026-07-21
Source: ERAI, 2024 Annual Report
What the 2024 numbers show
ERAI, which operates one of the largest third-party databases of suspect counterfeit and nonconforming electronic parts, recorded 1,055 reports in 2024 — a 25% increase over 2023 and the highest total since 2015. Excluding a single U.S. Government batch report of 248 fan assemblies, reporting still rose roughly 3%, continuing a steady year-over-year climb since 2022.
Which parts get counterfeited
Analog ICs, microprocessor ICs, memory ICs, and programmable logic ICs made up the largest segment of 2024 reports, with analog ICs the most reported type. And the target base keeps widening: ERAI notes 21% of the brands flagged in 2024 appeared for the first time, and 29.4% of reported parts belonged to manufacturers never previously recorded.
Why obsolete lines carry the most risk
Counterfeit supply follows scarcity. Obsolete parts were the most-counterfeited status at 42.75% of 2024 reports, while active parts (readily available, long lead time, and unknown lead time combined) accounted for 27.2%. When a part goes end-of-life or onto long lead time, buyers are pushed off authorized channels into the open market — which is exactly where counterfeit risk concentrates.
How counterfeit risk reaches a quote
Like obsolescence, counterfeit exposure rarely announces itself. A risky line looks ordinary on a customer BOM until the only stock is on the open market, at a broker, or from an unfamiliar manufacturer. Accept it and you carry test, inspection, and field-failure risk; decline it and the quote may not close. The decision is made line by line, and it is far cheaper to make it before the quote goes out.
Screening risk at decision time
The durable answer is to score counterfeit exposure on every line at the moment you quote: flag lifecycle/EOL status, prefer authorized or franchised sources, and treat open-market sourcing on obsolete lines as a risk to be priced — with an approved alternate or an inspection cost — not a silent assumption. This is what a BOM decision layer automates: surfacing a high-risk line before it reaches a customer quote or a production floor, rather than after an incoming inspection fails.
Questions, answered.
How many counterfeit electronic parts were reported in 2024?
ERAI recorded 1,055 suspect counterfeit and nonconforming electronic parts in 2024, a 25% increase over 2023 and the highest number reported since 2015. Even excluding a single U.S. Government batch report of 248 fan assemblies, reporting still rose about 3% year over year, continuing a steady climb since 2022.
Which electronic components are counterfeited most?
In ERAI's 2024 data, analog ICs, microprocessor ICs, memory ICs, and programmable logic ICs made up the largest segment of suspect counterfeit and nonconforming parts, with analog ICs the most reported type. By availability status, obsolete parts were the most often counterfeited at 42.75%, while active parts (readily available, long lead time, and unknown lead time combined) accounted for 27.2%.
Why are obsolete and hard-to-source parts the biggest counterfeit risk?
Counterfeit supply follows scarcity. When a part is obsolete or on long lead time, buyers are pushed off authorized channels into the open market, where provenance is weaker — so that is exactly where counterfeiters concentrate. ERAI also found 85.2% of 2024 reports were first-time occurrences and 29.4% of reported parts came from manufacturers never previously recorded, meaning the target list keeps widening.
How do you screen counterfeit risk on a BOM at quote time?
Treat counterfeit exposure as a per-line risk scored the moment you quote: flag lifecycle/EOL status, prefer authorized or franchised sources, and treat open-market or broker sourcing on obsolete lines as a risk to be priced (test/inspection cost, or an approved alternate) rather than a silent assumption. The goal is to catch a high-risk line before it reaches a customer quote or a production floor, not after an incoming inspection fails.
Source: ERAI, 2024 Annual Report (suspect counterfeit & nonconforming parts reported).