EVGA has been hit by a heist that’s worthy of the silver screen. In a scene ripped straight from Heat or your favorite version of Grand Theft Auto, robbers intercepted a truck carrying a shipment of EVGA RTX 30-series graphics cards and made off with them. The company hasn’t said how many cards were stolen, though it says they range anywhere from $330 to $1,959 in value.
EVGA product manager Jacob Freeman shared the news on the EVGA forums. Although Freeman didn’t share the exact models that were stolen, the list prices show that some RTX 3060 and RTX 3090 models were among those stolen. There’s no telling how much value the total stolen shipment represents, but with some cards selling for nearly $2,000 a piece, it’s probably high.
The heist took place on October 29 while a shipment of EVGA graphics cards was being transported from San Francisco to EVGA’sSouthern California distribution center. It’s not clear now if a single person carried out the heist or if it was a group.
Freeman took time to remind the forum that it’s illegal to buy or receive stolen property under California law, and said that EVGA won’t honor any warranties or upgrade claims on the stolen cards. This is an important note to keep in mind if you’re shopping on the secondhand market. If you can’t register your graphics card with EVGA, there’s a chance it came from the stolen shipment.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about GPU heists. In June, a thief in China managed to walk out of an internet café with $8,000 worth of stolen graphics cards. And in April, Hong Kong authorities intercepted a boat smuggling somewhere in the range of 300 GPUs out of China.
It’s no secret that GPUs have been hard to find over the past year. The GPU shortage has made it difficult for retailers to keep cards in stock, and with promising prospects on the secondhand market, scalpers have continued to capitalize on demand. An EVGA RTX 3090 sells for around $3,000 on eBay, so it’s no surprise that GPUs have become a high-value target.
EVGA has set up the [email protected] email address for people to share any information related to the heist. If you happen upon a stolen card while shopping, we recommend notifying EVGA and the platform you bought the card on.