Tim Tyrrell from Minneapolis–Saint Paul learned the hard way that knockoff chargers are dangerous. He bought one off e-Bay and ended up with an electrical burn which later developed into a horrible infection, and hospitalization.
Because of the counterfeit iPhone charger, Tyrrell has spent more than a week in the hospital. Recalling the incident, he tells Fox 9, “It was just a pretty fast, quick jolt. Basically, the charger turned black and, it's where the USB cord connects to the outlet, had a little mini-explosion. It kind of bruised the fingers inside where I plugged it in.”
What started out as a quarter-sized wound ended up as a huge infection that spread across his entire palm. Because of his diabetes, the healing process is slow and complicates things a great deal for the doctors trying to save his hand.
His advice to people who choose cheap counterfeits is “Just be careful. I mean, obviously, I've been in here for a week and probably have to go in for my fourth operation tomorrow,” he added.
Apple last year opened a program offering original iPhone chargers at a discount in exchange for knockoffs, in an effort to rid the market of the fakes.