Skip to main content

Think you’re buying a real Apple product on Amazon? Think again

Ordering an Apple product from Amazon? You may want to double check its authenticity. According to a new lawsuit from the iEmpire, a whopping 90 percent of the products sold by Amazon and purporting to be genuine Apple products are anything but. The lawsuit states, “Over the last nine months, Apple, as part of its ongoing brand protection efforts, has purchased well over 100 iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables sold as genuine by sellers on Amazon.com and delivered through Amazon’s ‘Fulfillment by Amazon’ program. Apple’s internal examination and testing for these products revealed almost 90 percent of these products are counterfeit.”

Yikes.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the new lawsuit is that the products in question weren’t being sold by a third-party Marketplace vendor, but rather by Amazon itself. That said, the lawsuit points out, “Amazon.com informed Apple that Mobile Star was its source for the majority of these counterfeit Apple products,” which is why Apple is suing Mobile Star LLC, and not Amazon.

It’s not just a matter of taking credit where credit isn’t due, though. Apple claims in its lawsuit, “Counterfeit power products, such as those supplied by Mobile Star, pose an immediate threat to consumer safety because, unlike genuine Apple products, they are not subjected to industry-standard consumer safety testing and are poorly constructed with inferior or missing components, flawed design, and inadequate electrical insulation. These counterfeits have the potential to overheat, catch fire, and deliver a deadly electric shock to consumers while in normal use.” And the last thing we need these days is more electronics catching on fire.

So just play it safe, friends, and when looking for an Apple product, go straight to the source. Because sometimes, saving those extra few dollars on Amazon just isn’t worth it.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Which Apple MacBook should you buy on Prime Day?
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air M1

Prime Day is the perfect time to look for a great MacBook deal. Apple’s laptops rarely get discounts, making their Prime Day deals the ideal way to score yourself some money off.

If you are in the market for one this year, though, you might be asking whether you should buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. The latter is $300 more than the former, but which is the best MacBook to buy if you're shopping the Prime Day Macbook deals?
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

Read more
Amazon says it blocked billions of counterfeit products in 2020
boston couple unwanted amazon deliveries package

Amazon is continuing to wage war against counterfeit products, with the problem so serious that the company spent $700 million on tackling the issue in 2020 alone.

Last year saw Amazon block a colossal 10 billion suspect listings before they were published on its sprawling e-commerce site. It also “seized and destroyed" more than two million items that it detected as fake before they had a chance to be shipped to customers.

Read more
Watch these Apple TV+ originals for free while you’re staying at home
Hailee Steinfeld in Dickinson

Apple TV+, Apple's streaming service, is making a selection of its original programs available for anyone to watch for free, to keep people entertained while they are stuck inside due to the global outbreak of coronavirus, officially called COVID-19.

Hailee Steinfeld in Dickinson Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read more