Potentially lethal ‘knock-off’ chargers found in major online marketplaces

Shoddy and dangerous counterfeit phone chargers capable of exploding, causing fires and delivering fatal electric shocks are being widely sold to British consumers on major online platforms, a damning investigation has revealed.

A fresh inquiry by Which? discovered that seven years after first exposing the threat of “knock-off” electricals, hazardous charging plugs remain readily available on prominent digital storefronts, including Amazon, eBay, AliExpress as well as newer budget-focused platforms, such as Amazon Haul.

The consumer watchdog purchased 15 USB phone chargers from seven major online marketplaces to put them through rigorous electrical stress and safety assessments. The results revealed that nine out of the 15 chargers failed electrical safety tests, presenting an immediate risk of an electric shock to users. Furthermore, eight of those failing devices carried severe fire and explosion risks.

In a disturbing trend, researchers found that manufacturers are deliberately using deceptive tactics to mask the poor build quality of these cheap devices. For example, the inside of a Dual Port 35W charger (£9.99) from Debenhams marketplace was weighted down with modelling clay, while the packaging, markings and documentation failed to provide the legally required information.

Similarly, Which? bought an ‘Apple’ USB-C 35W Power Adaptor charger for £11.99. The box was marked with the famous Apple logo, but testing from Which? researchers revealed that it was a cheap and dangerous fake. When Which? researchers opened the charger’s case they also found modelling clay inside. Engineers believe the clay was stuffed inside the casings strictly to simulate the hefty, robust weight associated with authentic, high-quality manufacturing.

The safety hazards extended across numerous mainstream outlets. A fast-charging plug sourced via B&Q Marketplace immediately burned out during insulation stress tests, featuring oversized pins capable of permanently damaging household wall sockets.

Extremely cheap unbranded plugs bought on eBay for under £3 also failed due to insufficient internal spacing between circuit components, heavily increasing the likelihood of catastrophic shorts.

While chargers purchased from Shein and Temu passed the physical laboratory stress tests, they joined every single one of the 15 tested items in failing UK legal requirements. None of the products possessed the correct packaging information, safety instructions, or mandatory details identifying the UK importer.

The revelations have intensified pressure on the government to crack down on digital platforms. Although the Product Regulation and Metrology Act was adopted last year, secondary legislation directly holding online marketplaces legally liable for third-party safety failures has stalled.

“Badly designed electricals like these can have life-altering – even fatal – consequences,” warned Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection Policy at Which?

“The government must urgently use the new powers it has under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to update product safety legislation and impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces for ensuring the safety of products sold through their third-party sellers, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.

“By making online marketplaces legally responsible for unsafe products, the government can set a world-leading standard for product safety in the digital age.”

Results summary: 

• Nine out of the 15 phone chargers were found to be electrically unsafe.

• All nine unsafe chargers had the potential to give users an electric shock and eight posed an explosion and fire risk, too.

• Two were filled with modelling clay and one with a metal weight to make the lightweight chargers feel more substantial.

• One ‘Apple’ charger was found to be counterfeit and dangerous.

• A ‘Samsung’ charger was delivered without packaging or instructions and Which? believes it to be counterfeit.

• All 15 chargers were missing required information on the product, the packaging or in the instructions. 

• None of the 15 chargers can be sold legally in the UK.

How to Spot and Avoid Dangerous Chargers

Protecting your home from hazardous counterfeits requires vigilance when shopping online. By following a few key safety protocols, you can easily filter out high-risk electrical devices:

• Stick to Verified Brands and Retailers: When Which? tested genuine, well-known tech brands, all of them passed strict electrical safety thresholds. Buy directly from established high-street names or official brand storefronts rather than unverified third-party sellers online.

• Inspect the Pricing: If a deal looks too good to be true, it is almost certainly a counterfeit. The dangerous fake “Apple” adapter exposed in the investigation was listed for a fraction of the cost of a genuine manufacturer component.

• Check for Regulatory Markings: Look for a clearly stamped CE or UKCA mark on the chassis of the plug. These symbols demonstrate that the hardware legally complies with British and European safety legislation.

• Locate the UK Importer: Legally, electronics manufactured outside the UK must display the postal address and contact details of the official UK importer on the packaging or the product. A total absence of importer data is a major red flag for a shady, non-compliant device.

Right of replies: 

• An AliExpress spokesperson said: AliExpress takes product safety very seriously, and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment. We have removed both identified products: one was taken down via proactive monitoring early this May, the other was removed immediately upon your report; and same takedown actions were already made for any that are identical to these products as well. We will inform affected UK consumers of the risks and support refund requests. We have put mechanisms in place to maintain proactive monitoring and prevent similar non-compliant items from being listed. We remain dedicated to working with regulators to ensure marketplace safety.

• An Amazon spokesperson said: Customer safety is a top priority at Amazon and we have partnered with Electrical Safety First to provide customers with easy-to-understand expert tips on charging devices safely. We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations, Amazon policies, and we monitor for product safety concerns. We’ve removed the highlighted items. We proactively monitor our store for safety alerts and product recalls and remove relevant products and email customers who purchased them. If we discover a product was undetected by our automated checks, we address the issue immediately and refine our controls. If customers have concerns about an item they’ve purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly so we can investigate and help resolve their issue.

• A B&Q spokesperson said: We take the safety of products sold by sellers at B&Q Marketplace very seriously and proactively check to ensure no products subject to an OPSS recall are offered for sale.

• A Debenhams spokesperson said: We take product safety and compliance extremely seriously. The product in question was listed by a third-party seller through our marketplace. As soon as we were made aware of the potential safety issue, we immediately removed this product from our website. We are contacting the small number of customers who purchased this product to inform them of the issue and to issue full refunds. While the product was sold by an independent third-party seller, we expect all marketplace partners to adhere to our listing policies and relevant safety standards, and we are working with them to understand how this occurred.

• An eBay spokesperson said: We can confirm that all of the items listed in this investigation had already been removed by eBay’s standard safety measures prior to Which? sharing them with us. We are also reviewing the accounts of the reported sellers for other similar items, before taking the appropriate action. Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay, and we take this issue very seriously. We work diligently to prevent and remove unsafe listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms, AI-supported monitoring by in-house specialists, and close partnerships with regulators. These measures helped to prevent 21 million potentially unsafe listings from appearing on eBay in 2025.

• A Shein spokesperson said: Shein takes product safety very seriously and is committed to offering safe and reliable products to customers. As soon as we were informed of the findings we immediately initiated our standard safety protocol and delisted this product while we investigated. While we note that while the device itself was found to be compliant with applicable safety standards, we require all sellers to ensure that products include the correct labelling, documentation and regulatory information required in the markets where they are sold. In this case, we are requiring the seller to review similar products and associated listings to ensure ongoing compliance across our platform. We are also continuing to screen for similar listings as part of our broader compliance processes.

• A Temu spokesperson said: The seller provided a certified CE-LVD report and a UK Plug Test Report as part of our pre-listing compliance check, which is consistent with the product passing Which?’s safety tests. On receipt of Which?’s notice, we removed the listing pending a review of packaging, product markings and documentation against UK requirements. The listing will not be reinstated until it is fully compliant. As a precaution, we are also removing identical and substantially similar listings pending the same review.

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