FBI Warns About Counterfeit Batteries

"Scammers are leveraging the vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, as well as the public's continuing need for new batteries, to sell a wide variety of counterfeits or unauthorized replicas online," warns America's FBI. "Do not fall victim to online fraudsters or unauthorized dealers or manufacturers."Counterfeit batteries do not go through the same standardized testing as original equipment manufacturer batteries and can adversely impact the safety and health of the consumer.... Avoid aftermarket batteries when possible because they may be dangerous.... Consumers should avoid all third-party purchases of batteries, as they can appear to be legitimate OEM batteries but are likely counterfeit.... [B]atteries sold at deep discounts or at significantly lower-than-average prices are likely counterfeit. The FBI warns you should always avoid batteries that:are not properly packaged;have misprinted or misspelled labels;have labels that peel off; ordo not have official manufacturer batch numbers."The FBI's warning is not specific to laptops or smartphones," notes ZDNet, "which makes sense given that batteries are now found in everything from cars, scooters, e-bikes, e-cigarettes and trains to drones and more." Thanks to Slashdot reader joshuark for sharing the story.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.