Seized fake chargers pose ‘grave’ danger, says CBP

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of New York/Newark have intercepted $2.7m-worth of counterfeit and hazardous wall chargers.

The CBP says the shipment was seized after an inspection at the port on September 28 which uncovered 1,500 cartons filled with 150,000 cell phone wall chargers that “could cause grave damage to holiday shoppers, their families and their homes.” There are multiple reports of counterfeit chargers catching fire and causing injury – in some cases fatal – as well as damage to property.

For now, CBP isn’t giving much away about the chargers, which had counterfeit certification markings from Illinois-based UL on them, as “the case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is ongoing,” said a spokesman.

The chargers were sent from China, he added, but the brand whose products were copied is not being disclosed. The shipment inspection was prompted by “possible intellectual property rights violations,” according to the CBP.

Fake iPhone components

Meanwhile, CBP agents at the Port of San Diego seized nearly 5,000 counterfeit iPhones and iPhone backings - worth an estimated $220,000 - that violated Apple trademarks. Three pallets of boxes that had been shipped from Portugal were examined and were found to contain counterfeit backings and LCD screens for multiple iPhone models.