Counterfeit Electrical Products Dangerous to Consumers|ABC 7 News

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Counterfeit Electrical Products Dangerous to Consumers

posted 4:44 pm Mon January 28, 2008 - Washington

tags: electric • product • fake • counterfeit

There are counterfeit extension cords and power strips hitting the retail market, but it's not easy to spot a fake, unless you know what you are looking for. As one consumer advocate put it, "If they make it, they fake it." The fakes may work, but they may also be putting you in danger.

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ABC 7 News - Counterfeit Electrical Products Dangerous to Consumers

Gennadiy Novitskiy bought an extension cord from a discount store in the Rockville area. A translator spoke for Novitskiy. "He was absolutely sure that every product he could buy from an American store would be a high-quality product."

Novitskiy quickly learned it was anything but. The first time he used it, it burst into flames and was left with burn marks on his wall and carpet. He could have been left with much worse. "He needs to let many people know what happened, so people would not suffer," said Novitskiy translator.

He filed a complaint with the county and the county realized the problem was bigger than originally thought. Ranging from fake extension cords to fake fans, coffee pots and lamps, all have the potential to catch fire in an instant. "It's not just electrical cords and it's very very concerning for us," said Montgomery County Fire Department Chief Tom Carr.

Even more concerning, it's hard to spot a fake. Counterfeiters know a safe product has a UL label, meaning it's been officials deemed as safe, so they fate it. They label the package with a sticker that says UL. A safe product will have the UL marking embossed on the package. Unlike a fake, it will also have a holographic label on the cord itself.

In Takoma Park, Elias Mejia admits he has both safe and potentially unsafe products on his shelves. He says Montgomery County code enforcers stopped by his store at the beginning of January and since then, he tried to pull all the counterfeit products he could. ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Caroline Lyders found cords with counterfeit UL labels ready to be sold. Many stores are selling fake products that may save money, but could come at a steep cost.

For more information about UL listed products, click here.

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