PHONE chargers sold by B&Q, Debenhams, Amazon and eBay have been revealed to pose “lethal” risks to users.
The products can cause electric shocks, fires and even risk exploding.
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A fake “Apple” charger was filled with modelling clay to give the product a more genuine feel Credit: Which?
Chargers sold on AliExpress that have the potential to explode, cause a fire or electrocute users Credit: Which?
A number of chargers sold on UK marketplaces have been revealed to be counterfeit items that pose dangerous risks to users.
A study by consumer group Which? has revealed that numerous fake products sold on Amazon, Debenhams and eBay can cause explosions or electric shocks and don’t include the information on the products or packaging required to be legally sold in the UK.
The new investigation comes seven years after Which? first reported on the dangers of dodgy chargers sold on online marketplaces.
The group is now calling on the UK government for better protection regarding the sale of these fake chargers.
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A petition with more than 150,000 signatures has been sent to the Department of Business and Trade minister asking for the government to regulate online marketplaces and fine them for breaches.
In the investigation, Which? bought 15 USB phone chargers across seven online marketplaces and tested the products to see if they were safe to use.
It found that nine of the chargers posed a serious risk of an electric shock.
Of these chargers, eight also posed risk of fire and explosion for users.
The faulty products included an £11.99 adaptor with an Apple logo, revealed to be a fake, that was filled with modelling clay to give the product a weightier, genuine feel.
A similar situation occurred with a Debenhams Dual Port 35W charger for £9.99, with the product filled with modelling clay to appear real.
The product was missing key information on the packaging, product markings and documentation, which is required for the product to be legally sold in the UK.
Two unbranded chargers bought on eBay posed risks of fire, electrocution and explosion.
Sold for £2.10 and £2.80, the products also had missing information on the packaging, product markings and instructions, meaning they don’t meet the legal UK requirements for sale.
The same occurred with an Amazon Haul unbranded USB-C charger for £6.99, also missing key packaging, markings and documentation, which failed safety tests and was found to be a shock or fire risk for users.
Sold on B&Q Marketplace, a 2-1 Super Fast Charger costing £10.99 failed the safety tests, with the potential to explode, cause a fire or give users electric shocks.
Two chargers on AliExpress sold for £1.30 and £5.69 also posed a danger to users, as parts of the electrical circuitry were too close together, meaning the items are at risk of exploding, causing a fire or giving an electric shock.
Further chargers bought on eBay, Amazon, Temu and Shein did pass the safety tests conducted by Which?, however missing details on the packaging and product means none of the items can be sold legally in the UK.
Which? head of consumer protection policy, Sue Davies, said: “Badly designed electricals like these can have life-altering – even fatal – consequences.
“Online marketplaces have known about the danger of knock- off chargers for the better part of a decade, but consumers continue to be placed at risk.
“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.”
Advice for customers purchasing chargers is to stick to recognised brands and be cautious of any big-brand adaptors being sold at very cheap prices.
Consumers should also look out for a CE or UKCA mark on the product, meaning it can be legally sold in the UK, and check if the name of the importer is on the packaging or product.
If these are missing, it’s likely the charger is a fake.
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 the 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 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.”
