Those Cheap And Dodgy USB Chargers Can Actually Kill You
A 28-year-old mother of two in Sydney has died after being electrocuted by a faulty charger.
You might have seen them in clear flimsy packaging, or on the counter-top at dodgy corner shops and phone accessory stores. Fake and colourful USB chargers — a rip-off of the certified Apple ones — are ridiculously cheap by comparison, but often don’t work for long. And also, it turns out they can kill you.
Last year, a 23-year-old woman in China died after her iPhone 5 electrocuted her when she answered a phone call while the phone was charging; the tragedy led Apple to introduce a ‘USB Power Adapter Takeback Program’, where customers were able to purchase an official Apple charger for AU$14 if they turned in the counterfeit ones.And now a similar disaster has happened closer to home.
Sydney Morning Herald are reporting that a 28-year-old woman was found dead on April 23 in her East Gosford home, with her ears and chest showing signs of burns. With headphones still in her ears, and holding a laptop, she apparently died from an electrocution caused by the dodgy charger that was plugged in. Shortly after the death, a number of these fake chargers, along with travel adaptors and power boards which didn’t comply with Australia’s safety standards, were removed from an accessory stall in Campsie.
In an update this afternoon, Sydney Morning Herald reports that the 28-year-old mother of two bought the charger for $4.95; the mobile phone business that has been linked to the death is now facing charges of up to $87,500 and two years in prison.
Rod Stowe, NSW Fair Trading Commissioner told SMH, “This is the first time we’ve been aware of them in large numbers.” He added that this was the only incident Fair Trading was aware of and warned consumers (in case it wasn’t obvious enough) not to buy the rip-offs.
NSW Fair Trading recommend checking the electrical approval marks, for which they have created a guide here.
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Feature image via Gizmodo