“Consumers are being warned off buying bargain iPhone chargers online, after 99% failed a basic safety test,” Megan White reports for The Mirror. “Out of 400 counterfeit Apple chargers purchased from online suppliers around the world, 397 failed a basic safety test, according to safety campaigners.”
“Knock-off cables can be bought for as little as one pence on auction sites such as eBay, but Apple’s official leads retail at £19,” White reports. “Common problems with fakes included counterfeit plugs, non-sleeved plugs where the metal pins are exposed, live parts, two pin plugs attached and only basic insulation. They could also cause users electric shocks.”
“A second operation targeted local charity shops, antique dealers and second-hand shops and found 15% of 3,019 used electrical goods were non-compliant, rising to 27% in London,” White reports. “‘Only buy second-hand electrical goods that have been tested and only buy online electrical goods from trusted suppliers,’ said Leon Livermore, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Don’t risk it. The few bucks you save could cost your life and/or the lives of your loved ones. It’s not worth it. Go with Anker, which are Apple MFi-certifed, if Apple’s prices are too much.
We only used genuine Apple chargers and, for more ports and options, Apple MFi certified chargers such as those from Anker.
Anker is great! Fair prices and excellent quality.
I have more chargers than I know what to do with. I’d be quite happy to be able to buy an iPhone or other device and save a few quid by not getting one. Cables are different, the Apple ones aren’t massively resilient so I have ended up replacing them with Anker ones.
You can send your extra chargers to me. 😉
So…’cheap gets you electrocuted’
Point taken.
Buy a fake Apple charger for your favorite Muslim.
Die fascist pig.
I could have expected a comment like that from botvinnik but from you? peterblood71, you are better than this. You know nothing of Muslims except what you learn from Fox News. Learn about other cultures, religions and beliefs from the actual people who embody them and make friends rather than enemies.
I believe his response is based on what he has learned by observing the actions of Muslims who wholeheartedly embody their religious tenets. The most recent example was a “Syrian” refugee at Ohio State that ran people over with his car and then stabbed many more. He was upset that there weren’t quite enough Muslim prayer rooms at the school.
I am sure like a lot of families we have multiple devices(iPhones,iPads,watches etc) that need daily charging
I use multi port Anker chargers and have been very happy with them
Amazon should get their act together and ban sellers that knowingly sell fake Apple stuff.
(that includes unsafe stuff of any kind)
Already being done. https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-sues-alleged-counterfeit-sellers/
Way overdue on Amazon’s part, but great news nonetheless.
Thanks for the article.
Cost you your life? It’s FIVE VOLTS!
Fire. Dumbass. It can kill.
Try it. See what kind of sparks you can get from a USB port.
With a cord at $20 and then fraying at the head of the conector in three months, is it any wonder people are going to alternative other than official Apple Store brand charging cables. I understand a cable at $1 being buyer beware but can you blame anyone for looking for better alternative. This reminds me when the supposed antenna gate with the iPhone 4 and the rubber band solution was close to $30! Apple wants to rake it in as much.