How To Spot A Fake iPhone

Counterfeiters sell $700 billion worth of fake products every year, says Craig Crosby, founder and CEO of the Counterfeit Report, a site dedicated to stopping them,

See details with pictures below:

And when it comes to fake electronics, these things aren't be tested or regulated. They can be dangerous.

Over the summer, two people in China were electrocuted, from using reportedly fake smartphone chargers. 

The situation was so awful that last month, Apple launched a charger "take-back" program. If you bought a dirt-cheap replacement Apple charger and aren't certain it's authentic, bring it to an Apple store and Apple will replace it.

But Apple isn't alone. Counterfeiters are building all sorts of fake products. While not all of them will kill you, there's a reason that they're cheap. They aren't certified. Don't use the same materials and won't perform like the originals. 

That's a counterfeit UL Mark, the symbol for Underwriters Laboratories that tests and verifies the safety of electronics. The real UL symbol is in the corner.

On the bottom of a real Apple USB power adapters, you'll find the phrase, "Designed by Apple in California."

On fake Apple USB power adapters, the bottom might say "Designed in China in California" or have a typo that says "Abble." Also, "Designed" is incorrectly spelled "Designd."

 

A fake iPhone 4 will look identical. But compare it doesn't feel the same, and isn't as fast and responsive. The boxes look identical to the real boxes, but they tend to all have the same serial number. Real iPhones always have a unique serial number on the box. 

If you have already bought a fake iphone…

So what can you do if you think you bought a fake? Visit an authorized dealer or contact the manufacturer to try to compare it to a real one, says Crosby.

If it is a fake, report it to the manufacturer or use the reporting tool on the Counterfeit Report web site.

"The manufacturers are very good and very current on counterfeit products. If it was purchased with a credit card or Pay-Pal, notify them immediately that it is a disputed transaction -- the product is a counterfeit. Amazon is quite responsive on counterfeit products, eBay is not," Crosby says.