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Counterfeit parts avoidance training · self-paced

Spot the counterfeit before it reaches stock. Hold it, test it, report it on time.

Taught by Will Trikha, third-party registrar auditor.

Learn the six types of counterfeit and their tells, the SAE standards and DFARS clauses behind your program, and what to do in the first 15 minutes with a suspect lot. Finish with a 90-day prevention roadmap, with Coach Q beside you.

Quality managers, supplier quality engineers, receiving inspectors and buyers at aerospace and defense companies that buy electronic parts, fasteners or other hardware.

Start free. Lesson 1, with Coach Q, no card.

A broker lot went to stock on a signed C of C. Audit the receiving record, then answer the auditor who asks how you knew the parts were genuine.

See everything you get ↓ Lessons for life · coach included, no renewal fee
  • About 10.5 hours
  • Self-paced
  • 50-question final exam
  • Verifiable certificate
academy.qmslearning.com
Lesson 1 of Counterfeit Parts Avoidance, a real screen from the course

The broker lot passed visual and the C of C checks out. Can we release it?

COACH Q · IN YOUR POCKET

That's your call and your procedure's, not mine. A C of C from the seller is the seller's paperwork. On its own it doesn't show the parts are genuine.

Real screen from this courseLesson 1 is free

Sound familiar?

Counterfeits don't look fake. They look like a good deal with clean paperwork.

The auditor asked how we knew it was genuine.

Your inspector wrote “C of C reviewed, OK” and signed. A certificate from the same source that sold you the parts is paperwork, not proof. You'll learn what evidence answers that question: a reference sample, the manufacturer's lot records and a named release.

The broker has 5,000 in stock at half the price.

FAA AC 21-29D lists a price significantly lower than other distributors as a suspect-parts indicator, and unlimited supply is another. Indicators aren't proof. You'll learn to put the risk review, lot verification and test plan next to the quote, so the real savings show.

Production needs those parts at 6 AM Monday.

A suspect lot doesn't get released to make a schedule. It gets quarantined in the first 15 minutes: locked away, on hold in the ERP, the right people told, and the evidence preserved before anyone starts testing.

Our customer wants our whole program by Friday.

A DFARS 252.246-7007 and 252.246-7008 flow-down request lands: prevention plan, training records, GIDEP evidence, sourcing controls. The course builds each piece before that email arrives.

What it does for you

Be the one who spots the bad lot before anyone else does.

The call that protects the program

Catching a suspect lot at the dock keeps it out of flight hardware and out of a customer's report. That's the kind of save people remember.

Ready when the customer asks

When the DFARS flow-down request lands, you're the one with the plan, the records and the containment checklist ready.

Proof on your record

102 scenarios, a 50-question final exam and a certificate anyone can verify, for your training record.

No course can promise you a raise or a title. What you'll have is the skill, the work to show for it and a certificate anyone can verify. That's what those conversations run on.

Why it matters

Counterfeits are a documented risk, and a duty on your PO.

1,800

In its May 2012 report, the Senate Armed Services Committee identified approximately 1,800 cases of suspect counterfeit parts in the defense supply chain, with more than 1 million suspect parts involved.

Source: U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, May 21, 2012

The Committee pointed to the industry's reliance on unvetted independent distributors. In one case, suspect parts changed hands five times before a subcontractor bought them. The vast majority appear to have gone unreported to DoD or criminal authorities. A suspect lot nobody reports can't warn the next shop.

Section 818 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012 is the law behind DoD's counterfeit electronic parts rules. When the clauses are on your PO, DFARS 252.246-7007 and 252.246-7008 set your detection system and your sources, and FAR 52.246-26 starts a 60-day reporting clock. An AS9100D registrar audits 8.1.4 too.

What you'll learn

From the quote to the cage to the GIDEP report.

The course follows a lot the way it moves: quote, PO, dock, lab, cage, report, then the program that stops the next one. The cases run on records from Corbelle Aerosystems, a fictional AS9100D-certified supplier.

01Modules 1 and 2

Name the type, the standard and the clause

A counterfeit is a part somebody misrepresented, and you hold it as suspect on credible evidence that gives reasonable doubt. You don't wait to prove intent. Then you sort out which SAE standard covers what you buy, which clause on your PO sets which duty, and which FAA reports are required and which are voluntary.

  • Remarked, recycled, cloned, forged documents, overproduced, tampered: the tell for each
  • AS6174 for materiel, AS5553 for electronic parts, AS6081 and AS6496 for distributors
  • FAR 52.246-26 reports, DFARS 252.246-7007 builds the system, 252.246-7008 sets sources

02Module 3

Pick the test that answers the question

Visual inspection finds reasons to doubt a lot. It never clears one. You work the ladder cheapest and non-destructive first: microscope and solvent test, dimensions, weight, hardness and XRF, then X-ray and electrical test, decapsulation last. Paperwork gets three passes: complete, consistent, and confirmed by the source.

  • Testing at datasheet temperature extremes to catch a commercial die marked industrial
  • What X-ray and XRF can't see, and why die markings need decapsulation
  • A lab report you can rely on: ISO/IEC 17025, AS6171 in scope, every planned test run

03Module 4

Buy from the right channel, with proof on file

Authorized and independent aren't safe and unsafe. They're two channels with different proof to collect. You learn the three source groups in DFARS 252.246-7008, how to qualify and monitor suppliers on evidence, and how to set the receiving level by channel, part status, criticality and supplier history.

  • A sourcing ladder: manufacturer, authorized, AS6081 independent, then broker by exception
  • Why a distributor's AS6081 certificate audits its system but never clears your lot
  • Flow-down: 252.246-7007 covers commercial-product subcontracts, 52.246-26 doesn't

04Module 5

Contain a suspect lot and report it on time

Containment has four parts: locked away, on hold in the ERP, the right people told in writing, and the evidence sealed under chain of custody. Miss one and the others fail. Then you screen GIDEP and ERAI, investigate past the inspector to the control that failed, and notify everyone from one dated fact sheet.

  • The first 15 minutes in order: cage, ERP hold, tell the buyer, seal the samples
  • FAR 52.246-26's 60 days run from reason to suspect, never from the lab report
  • Suspect lots don't go back to the seller unless found authentic: 252.246-7007(c)(6)

05Module 6

Write a prevention plan your dock actually follows

DFARS 252.246-7007 lists 12 criteria and AS9100D 8.1.4 asks for processes to prevent counterfeit parts. Neither hands you a layout. You build a risk matrix that sets the receiving level, write the plan the way you work, train the people who decide, and run it through internal audit and management review.

  • A probability by consequence matrix where the cell sets the inspection level on every lot
  • The course's eight-part plan outline, from scope and roles to corrective action
  • Your 90-day roadmap in four phases, every line with an owner, a date and evidence

06Module 7 · AI

Use AI on the paperwork, never on the part

AI is good with paperwork, and in a counterfeit program that cuts both ways. You learn which tool drafts a notice from your fact sheet, which one cross-checks receiving exports, and why none of them can authenticate a part. Suspect calls, tests, dispositions and reports stay with Quality, and a named person signs.

  • Lab: find eight planted errors in an AI incident summary, then six checks that catch them
  • Drawings, export-controlled data and GIDEP material outside its terms stay out of AI tools
  • A prompt pack and a one-page AI work plan: tool, prompt, check and who decides

Who built it

Built from the audit table and the receiving dock.

Will Trikha

Founder and CEO, QMS Learning · Third-party registrar auditor

Will Trikha is a third-party registrar auditor with more than 20 years in aerospace and quality. He built this course from SAE AS6174, AS5553, AS6081 and AS6496, the DFARS and FAR counterfeit clauses, and the receiving dock: what an auditor asks, which records to pull, and what evidence holds up when someone asks how you knew.

He's also COO of PTX Defense, an AS9100D-certified aerospace manufacturer, so he lives with these requirements from the supplier side too: the clauses a customer flows down, the suppliers that get approved and the lots that cross the dock. He founded QMS Leader, a consulting firm that implements quality management systems for manufacturers.

What an auditor will ask you to show

  1. The screening line on a broker lot“C of C reviewed, OK” is a paper read, not a screening step. A screening step compares the part to something independent: a reference sample under magnification and the manufacturer's own lot records, both on the record.
  2. What the lab report actually saysA lab reports whether counterfeit indicators were found. No test confirms a part authentic. Check that every test in your plan was run, the dates agree, and the lab's ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation lists AS6171 in scope.
  3. Where the suspect lot is right nowLocked in quarantine and on hold in the ERP, both. A lot that's caged but shows available to MRP isn't contained. Neither is one on hold in the system but sitting on an open shelf.
  4. The date the clock startedFAR 52.246-26 counts 60 days from becoming aware or having reason to suspect, not from the lab report or the supplier's reply. Write that awareness date on the record the day the lot is held.

Check us before you pay

  • Take lesson 1 free. The real first lesson with Coach Q. No card.
  • Look Will up. His LinkedIn profile lists the work behind the course.
  • Check a certificate. Every certificate can be confirmed at academy.qmslearning.com/verify.
  • Keep your exit. 3 days after you buy to ask for a refund.

The usual way, and this course

Reading the standard won't clear a lot.

Knowing AS6174 is the start. This course trains the calls you make when a lot is on your dock and the paperwork looks fine.

The usual way
This course
How you practice
Photos of fakes and a summary of the standards
Audit receiving records, lab reports, quotes and plans, then make the call
A suspect lot
A flowchart in a binder
Hold, notify and preserve evidence in the first 15 minutes, in the right order
What you keep
Notes on the standards
Your plan outline, containment checklist, GIDEP summary and 90-day roadmap
How it fits you
The same pace and the same examples for everyone
A study plan sized to your week, and a coach that works on your own job
When you're stuck
Email the instructor and wait for a reply
Ask Coach Q on any screen, any hour
After you finish
Access often ends after a year
Lessons for life, kept up to date, and a coach that stays with you

Not like training used to be

Short, hands-on, built around you. And the coach stays.

Training used to mean days in a classroom or hours of video. Here are real screens from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance: short sessions where you make the call, a plan that fits your week, and an expert in your pocket.

Coach Q · your expert on call

A broker lot passed visual and the C of C checks out. Can we release it to the floor?
COACH Q

That's your call and your procedure's, not mine. A C of C from the source that sold you the parts is paperwork from the same source. On its own it doesn't show the parts are genuine.

Check what your plan requires for this commodity and this application, and whether that testing is done and recorded. If anything makes the lot suspect, it stays in quarantine and goes through your suspect part process.

Want me to prepare the checklist of evidence your plan needs before a lot like this can be dispositioned?

Coaching, not decisions. You make the call. Comes with your course, no renewal fee.

Study plan: a real screen from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

Study plan · Your personal trainer

Tell it your goal date. It builds sessions around your week and shows each day whether you're on plan, so the course actually gets finished.

Focus timer: a real screen from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

Focus timer · 25 minutes, no tab-hopping

One click starts a focused session, and it follows you from lesson to lesson. Short sessions are how busy people finish.

Course Hub: a real screen from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

Course Hub · Program documents drafted with you

Pick a template, give Coach Q your facts, get a working draft you edit and keep: suspect counterfeit part investigation form, quarantine and disposition procedure, high-risk receiving criteria, GIDEP reporting template.

Apply at work: a real screen from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

Apply at work · Proof your boss can see

Log what you tried, what happened and how you know. Record your manager's sign-off with their name and date, and export the log for your performance review.

Today view: a real screen from Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

Today view · One look and you know what's next

Your goal, days left, lessons done, your streak and today's session.

Built around you

Give the study plan your goal date and it sizes each session to your week. Coach Q works on the facts you bring from your own job, so the examples are yours, not a textbook's.

Hands-on, not hours of video

Lessons are built around calls you make: read the record, sort the evidence, catch the mistake. Checks and labs score you on the spot, and your first win comes in the first few minutes of lesson 1.

Stays with you. Stays current.

Coach Q doesn't leave when you finish. It comes with your course, no subscription and no renewal fee, so it's there for the next broker lot, and the one after that. When the rules behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and we move the coach to newer AI models as we test them.

What you walk out with

You don't just learn the standards. You prepare the program.

A counterfeit prevention plan outline

One page, one section per plan element the course maps from AS6174: scope, responsibilities, risk assessment, sourcing, inspection and test, reporting, training and corrective action.

A sourcing hierarchy and channel memo

A purchasing manual paragraph naming each channel tier and the evidence it needs, plus the memo that justifies an independent distributor buy.

A suspect counterfeit part report

The opening of the notification for a lot held in quarantine: part number, lot size, supplier and the physical evidence that made it suspect.

A 15-minute containment checklist

Ten actions a QC tech can run, each with a check point: physical segregation, signage, electronic hold, internal notice and evidence preservation.

A GIDEP summary and customer notice

The narrative section of a GIDEP report for a confirmed recycled microcircuit case, and the opening of the letter to your defense customer.

Your 90-day prevention roadmap

Four phases with named owners and a deliverable for each, sized to what your shop buys and who it sells to.

Inside the course

The course, step by step.

About 10.5 hours, self-paced, in short sessions that fit your week.

The Counterfeit Threat

Understanding counterfeit parts in aerospace and defense. 5 lessons.

Standards & Regulations

SAE AS6174, AS6081, AS6496, DFARS, and FAA. 5 lessons.

Detection Methods

Visual, physical, electrical, and advanced testing. 5 lessons.

Supplier Management

Approved sources, evaluation, and supply chain controls. 5 lessons.

Reporting & Response

GIDEP, ERAI, quarantine, and incident management. 5 lessons.

Building Your Prevention Program

Implementing a comprehensive counterfeit mitigation strategy. 6 lessons.

Put AI to Work Against Counterfeits

Which AI tool does which job in a counterfeit prevention program, what it can never decide, a prompt pack, a lab where an AI incident summary has planted errors to catch, and an AI work plan for your program. 3 lessons.

The itemized list

Everything you get.

Each priced line shows what a comparable item costs from another provider, with the source, so you can check it yourself. The included lines are what get the course finished. Checked October 12, 2026.

Counterfeit Parts Avoidance · itemAdding up: $1,150
01

The Counterfeit Parts Avoidance course

$900

The counterfeit threat, SAE AS6174, AS5553, AS6081 and AS6496, DFARS and FAA requirements, detection from visual to advanced testing, supplier controls, GIDEP reporting and quarantine, and building your prevention program. 102 scenarios with explained answers.

COMPARABLE · Axeon, AS5553 & AS6174 Counterfeit Parts Training, 1 day, live online, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, 0.8 CEU (axeon.net, Oct 2026): $900

02

34 AI checkpoints that build your program

Included

One per lesson. In each one you prepare a working piece of a counterfeit prevention program with Coach Q, then adapt it to your shop. The final project turns them into your 90-day prevention roadmap.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

03

Course Hub with AI-drafted program documents

Included

A suspect counterfeit part investigation form, a quarantine and disposition procedure, high-risk receiving criteria and a GIDEP reporting template. Coach Q drafts each from your facts, you edit, save and download. The disposition of a suspect part always stays with a named person.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

04

Coach Q, your expert in your pocket

$250

Bring it the lot you're unsure about, any hour. It's set up for counterfeit prevention, works on your facts and marks what's missing, then points you to the standard, the evidence and the next step. The disposition stays with your people. No subscription or renewal fee.

COMPARABLE · MoreSteam, E-Learning Support, 1 hour of coaching: $250

05

Put AI to work against counterfeits

Included

Which AI tool does which job in a prevention program, what it can never decide, a prompt pack, a lab where an AI incident summary has planted errors to catch, and an AI work plan for your program.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

06

Study plan, your personal trainer

Included

Built around your goal date and your week. It shows each day whether you're on plan and what today's session is.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

07

Focus timer

Included

25-minute focused sessions that carry from lesson to lesson.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

08

Apply at work log

Included

What you changed at work, with your manager's sign-off recorded, exportable for your review.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

09

Final exam and a certificate anyone can verify

Included

50 questions, 80 percent to pass. Your certificate shows your name, the course, the date and what was tested, and anyone can confirm it online.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

10

Lessons for life

Included

Come back whenever the job needs it. Your access doesn't expire. We keep the lessons current for the edition this course teaches.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

Priced elsewhere, piece by piece$1,150
Your price$195

One person, one time. $955 less than buying the comparable pieces.

People
1
Enroll for $195 →

5 or more people get 10% off every seat. Secure checkout by Stripe. 3-day refund.

Compare before you choose

Three ways to learn this. Here's the honest comparison.

Including the rows where a live class wins.

What you pay
$195, once
$900 at Axeon
Free or a monthly plan
Time away from the floor
No full days. Short lessons at your pace
A full day, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM
None
Live instructor
No. Lessons by a registrar auditor, plus Coach Q
Yes
No
Continuing education units
No
0.8 CEU
No
Practice with explained answers
102 scenarios, an AI checkpoint in every lesson
Case studies and group discussion
Only if you write them
Graded final exam
50 questions, 80 percent to pass
Not listed on the class page
No
Help after the course
Coach Q, no renewal fee
Varies
It explains. It won't grade you or vouch for you
How long the lessons stay open
For life
The class day
Not a course

ChatGPT will explain AS6174. It will not grade you, it will not vouch for you, and no AI can tell you a part is genuine.

Prices are published list prices, checked October 12, 2026: Axeon, AS5553 & AS6174 Counterfeit Parts Training.

Try before you buy

Try it before you pay. Change your mind after.

Before you pay

Lesson 1 is free.

The real first lesson, with the exercises and Coach Q. Your first win comes in the first few minutes. Judge it yourself.

Try lesson 1 free ↑

After you buy

3 days to change your mind.

Email will@qmslearning.com within 3 days of purchase for a refund. A refund ends access to the course. Refund policy

Company pays

Send it to your manager.

We wrote the email for you. Job training is generally a deductible business expense for the company, so check with your accountant. Need a quote or a PO? Email will@qmslearning.com.

Send this to my manager →

Questions

Straight answers.

Is this a certification?

No. You earn a certificate of completion for your training record by finishing every lesson and passing the 50-question final exam at 80%. It isn't an AS6081 or AS9100 certification or a lead auditor qualification, and it doesn't certify your counterfeit prevention program. Your registrar and your customers audit the program.

Will Coach Q tell me if a part is genuine?

No. Coach Q, your private AI coach, comes with your course. No subscription or renewal fee. It's set up for counterfeit prevention, works on the facts you give it and marks what's missing, like the record that isn't there or the test that wasn't run. No tool authenticates a part. Suspect, test and disposition calls stay with named people in your organization.

Is it only about electronic parts?

No. Electronics get deep coverage, including electrical testing and the DFARS clauses written for electronic parts, and the course also covers fasteners and other hardware, with physical and material testing.

Does it follow the latest revisions of the SAE standards?

The lessons teach how AS6174, AS5553, AS6081 and AS6496 work and fit together, without tying you to a revision letter. Check your own licensed copy of the current revision for exact wording before you update your plan.

Why not just ask ChatGPT?

ChatGPT will explain the standard. It will not grade you, and it will not vouch for you. And AI reads paperwork, not parts: a clean C of C from the seller is still the seller's claim. This course trains you to know what evidence a lot needs and who signs for it.

Can my company pay?

Yes. Use a company card at checkout. Job training is generally a deductible business expense for the company, so check with your accountant. Need a quote or a PO first? Email will@qmslearning.com.

What if it isn't for me?

Try lesson 1 free before you pay. After you buy, email will@qmslearning.com within 3 days of purchase for a refund. A refund ends access to the course.

Training a team?

Pick how many people before you check out and pay once by card. Five or more people get 10% off every seat, applied at checkout. After checkout you add each person's name and email, and each of them gets their own login, private AI coach, study plan and certificate. More than 50 people, or need an invoice instead? Email will@qmslearning.com for a quote.

How long do I keep access?

The lessons are yours for life, and Coach Q comes with your course and stays with you after you finish. There's no subscription or renewal fee.

Does the course keep up when the rules change?

Yes, for the edition it teaches. When the rules or guidance behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and you get the update at no extra charge. When a new edition replaces the standard, we point you to the transition training. Your conversations with Coach Q aren't used to train AI models.

Everything, one more time

Catch it at the dock. Not in the field.

  • The Counterfeit Parts Avoidance course$900
  • 34 AI checkpoints that build your programIncluded
  • Course Hub with AI-drafted program documentsIncluded
  • Coach Q, your expert in your pocket$250
  • Put AI to work against counterfeitsIncluded
  • Study plan, your personal trainerIncluded
  • Focus timerIncluded
  • Apply at work logIncluded
  • Final exam and a certificate anyone can verifyIncluded
  • Lessons for lifeIncluded

Priced elsewhere, piece by piece: $1,150

$195

Per person, one time. Lessons for life. Coach Q included, no renewal fee.

About 10.5 hours. That's 21 half-hour lunch breaks.

People
1
Enroll for $195 →

5 or more people get 10% off every seat. Secure checkout by Stripe. 3-day refund.

Not ready to buy? Try lesson 1 free.

A broker lot went to stock on a signed C of C. Audit the receiving record, then answer the auditor who asks how you knew the parts were genuine.