After Two Deaths, Apple Will Now Pay You to Get Rid of that Fake iPhone Charger

Buying these knock-offs means you keep your money, but could lose your life.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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If you haven't heard: that knock-off iPhone charger you bought online could kill you. That's right. You may have kept a few bucks, but you could lose your life. 

Well, it isn't likely, but it's possible. After two people in China may have died after being electrocuted when using their phones while a fake charger was plugged into them, Apple has started a charger trade-in program that will last until October 18. They'll hand over $10 toward a real charger in order to get rid of that fake charger that they had no hand in making. There seems to be a little urgency as well, since counterfieters are getting better at making the chargers look legit:

“Customer safety is a top priority at Apple," the company says. "That’s why all of our products — including USB power adapters for iPhone, iPad, and iPod — undergo rigorous testing for safety and reliability and are designed to meet government safety standards around the world."

“Due to the complexity of testing required to detect an unsafe or counterfeit adapter, Apple Retail and Apple Authorized Service Providers cannot advise you on the authenticity or safety of your adapter,” they continued.

Do yourself a favor and inspect your charger to make sure it's real. You never know, if it's not, it could be a real shocker. 

[via Venture Beat]

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