99% Of Fake Apple Chargers Fail ‘Basic Safety Tests’: Report

Lost your iPhone charger? When it’s time to buy a new charger for your Apple device, you better make sure that what you are getting is the real deal. Why? A new report from BBC says that the vast majority of counterfeit chargers for Apple products are not safe to use.

The UK’s Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) purchased 400 fake chargers from suppliers across the globe and discovered that 397 of them, or 99.25 percent, fail to meet what it considers a “basic safety test.”

The 397 failed “an electrical strength test in which high voltages are applied to the units to see how much voltage will flow between the input and output. If the current is above the threshold the unit is determined to have insufficient isolation with potential for electric shock”.

In other words, if you use one to charge the battery on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, MacBook or other Apple product you risk damaging the device – or worse.

“Only buy second-hand electrical goods that have been tested and only buy online electrical goods from trusted suppliers”, says CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore. “It might cost a few pounds more but counterfeit and second-hand goods are an unknown entity that could cost you your home or even your life, or the life of a loved-one”.

The CTSI included a list of ways to spot a fake charger:

1. Plug pins – Plug the charger into a socket, but don’t switch it on or connect to a device. If the charger does not fit easily, the pins may be the wrong size. There should be at least 9.5mm (0.3in) between the edge of the pins and the edge of the charge

2. Markings – Look for a manufacturers’ brand name or logo, model and batch number. Check for the “CE” safety mark, but be aware it can be easily forged

3. Warnings and instructions – User instructions should include conditions and limitations of use, how to operate the charger safely, basic electric safety guidance and details of safe disposal