February 2007

Beware of Electrical Counterfeiters

Bogus devices can be dangerous

Counterfeiting isn’t just for money or designer clothes anymore.

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), unscrupulous companies are stealing well-known brands and certification marks to produce cheap, dangerous knock-offs.

Fake electrical products can pose significant safety hazards. Fires and short circuits caused by these imitations can cause injury, death and substantial property loss in the home and workplace.

Some of the most common targets of counterfeiting are batteries (dry cell and lithium), smoke detectors, receptacles, ground fault circuit breakers, power strips, surge suppressors, circuit breakers and extension cords.

So how do you tell the fakes from the real ones? Follow these guidelines from ESFI:

• Look for UL, CSA or ETL-SEMKO certification marks.
• Beware of bargains. Products may be cheap because they are counterfeit or defective.
• Use legitimate vendors who purchase stock from distributors and manufacturers who are on the up-and-up. Fly-by-night or flea market vendors may not give refunds or offer warranties on products that don’t perform.
• Check the product’s labeling and instruction manuals. They should be free of grammatical errors and not conflict with information found elsewhere on the package.
• Look for the name and contact information of the manufacturer on the product  and in the documentation. If it’s missing, pass the item by.

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