“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.