A couple years ago, FTDI released a Windows driver that "bricked" the counterfeit FT232 chips (actually you could fairly easily get them working again). There was a lot of negativity about this so FTDI quickly released a new driver version that didn't brick the counterfeits. So the issue only ever affected Windows users and is no longer a problem even for Windows users. The whole adapter module is sold cheaper than you can buy the genuine FT232 chip by itself. $0.74 USD w/ free shipping is pretty darn cheap. I've been using mine for years so I certainly got my money's worth out of it!