Apple has updated their Support website to warn consumers against the purchase and use of counterfeit and some third-party adapters, due to safety risks.
Apple, (Via MacRumors):
Beware of counterfeit parts
Some counterfeit and third party power adapters and batteries may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues.
To ensure you receive a genuine Apple battery during a battery replacement, we recommend visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If you need a replacement adapter to charge your Apple device, we recommend getting an Apple power adapter.
The move comes on the heels of a lawsuit Apple filed against an Amazon seller for selling counterfeit Apple power adapters and Lightning cables.
Apple says Mobile Star was using its trademark illegally, and the chargers had not passed safety tests, and posed a risk to consumers.
Over the last nine months, Apple, as part of its ongoing brand protection efforts, has purchased well over 100 iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables sold as genuine by sellers on Amazon.com and delivered through Amazon’s “Fulfillment by Amazon” program. Apple’s internal examination and testing for these products revealed almost 90% of these products are counterfeit.
U.S. certification company UL has found that 99% of the fake Apple chargers sold online fail basic electrical safety tests.
Amazon has said it will begin cracking down on fake goods sold through its website during 2017, by setting up a registry to prevent the sale of fakes. The company is working with brands to register with them, even if they don’t plan to directly sell goods on the site. The online firm will require any merchants who wish to sell products from a registered company to obtain permission from the brand before they are allowed to sell their products.
While Amazon reportedly has been experimenting with Nike and other companies to build the list, the giant online merchant will look to sign up thousands of brands next year.
An Amazon spokesperson told MacTrast at the time of Apple’s filing:
“Amazon has zero tolerance for the sale of counterfeits on our site. We work closely with manufacturers and brands, and pursue wrongdoers aggressively.”
There is a lesson to be learned here, and it’s a lesson that is as old as time. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. When buying “genuine” iPhone, iPad, and Mac chargers and accessories, if the price is way below retail, take a closer look.
