There seems to be a growing awareness of counterfeiting in the parts supply chain and the government seems to be pushing responsibility back onto suppliers and manufacturers (Clamping down on counterfeits)
I would like to know what steps and procedures people are using to identify and test if parts are genuine?
Best Answer
Elliott Sound Products has an excellent writeup on counterfeit devices, including a lot of photographs of counterfeit devices next to the real version of the same device.
The page lists a significant number of previously counterfeited components, categorizing the vulnerable items as "any component that is priced higher than another of similar shape and size". There are writeups for each of the following parts, mostly BJT power transistors:
The author notes that the actual price of the counterfeit components is often insignificant, and that "loss of confidence, time, 'collateral damage', etc. are far worse"