Fraudulent Products Add To Amazon's Credibility Crisis

Consumers risk injury and death from fraudulent and mislabeled goods

November 7, 2019, Los Angeles, CA – Fraudulent products flooding Amazon's marketplace have escaped attention while Amazon's growing credibility and counterfeit crisis is exposed. Fraudulent items with wild capacity, certifications, performance, and quality claims are passed off as legitimate goods to unsuspecting consumers. With no manufacturer to assert brand-ownership or trademark rights, these dangerous and potentially deadly items are overlooked, skirt enforcement, and remain for sale.

Consumers would be shocked to learn that Amazon is a direct retailer of fraudulent items, including items banned by Amazon's own policy.

Shoppers looking for a good deal overlook the fact that there is no manufacturer to stand behind these products and no guarantee of safety or performance. A recent Wall Street Journal investigation found 4,152 items for sale on Amazon's website that have been declared unsafe by federal agencies, are deceptively labeled or are banned by federal regulators. The products include children's products, motorcycle helmets, toys, drugs, supplements, electrical devices, and accessories and endanger the health and safety of consumers.

For example, The Counterfeit Report, an award-winning consumer advocate and counterfeit watchdog, found over 60,000 fraudulent 18650 Li-ion ("Li-ion") batteries on Amazon and purchased dozens from Amazon as a direct seller. All 18650 batteries are prohibited by Amazon policy.

Legitimate Li-ion 18650 batteries are used in laptops, flashlights, cameras, battery packs, hoverboards, and e-cigarette devices. Eight-thousand 18650 batteries power a Tesla automobile. Fraudulent batteries are a dangerous and potentially deadly item for consumers, airlines, and shippers. Unscrupulous China salvagers re-label recycled unprotected batteries as "new" and sell them at low prices with wild capacity claims on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. Overheating and fires turn them into exploding bombs with serious or deadly consequences for users and those nearby.

All the 18650 batteries tested were only a fraction of the stated capacity, and none of the tested items contained the labeled or protective circuitry claimed. Electrical shorting and a fire occurred in one test. While a1l 18650 batteries are prohibited by Amazon policy, written notice to Amazon's legal department went unanswered and apparently ignored as the dangerous items remain. Amazon takes a transaction fee for each item sold.

Amazon's policy prohibits the sale of all 18650 Li-ion batteries.

"Examples of prohibited listings:"
"Cylindrical lithium ion cell battery types: 14500, 16340, 18650, 20700, 21700, and 26650"

All the Amazon batteries shown below are fraudulent. There is no legitimate 18650 battery with a capacity over 3800mAh in any brand.

If you don't use them, why should you care? Few users understand that the batteries rarely have the built-in protective circuitry or venting claimed, which would protect against overcharging, overheating, fires, explosions, or other deleterious events.

• If you fly; between March 1991 and October 2019, the FAA reported 252 air/airport incidents (fires and smoke) involving lithium batteries carried as cargo or baggage have been recorded. Three major aircraft accidents were reported where lithium battery cargo shipments were implicated, but not proven to be the source of the fire. Li-ion batteries are often illegally shipped or mailed in improper packaging or without required disclosure to the carrier.
• If you are nearby; the first reported death from a Li-ion battery was reported in May 2018 by the Pinellas County (Florida) Medical Examiner's office. A 38-year-old Florida man died when an e-cigarette device exploded causing a "projectile wound to the head" and burning 80% of his body. The home had extensive fire damage.
• If you share or give a battery-powered device; thousands of reported fire and explosion incidents resulting in emergency-room visits in the U.S. can be found, including acute injuries, meaning that the victim required hospitalization and may have suffered the loss of a body part. Batteries are often used close to the users face, or put in pockets.

Consumers using a fraudulent 18650 Li-ion battery should stop using it immediately. Do not mail, ship, disassemble, or throw the battery in the trash. Find a qualified recycler or drop-off. You may be responsible for an injury or death, and in violation of federal law. Notify the e-commerce website and the seller you received a fraudulent battery and demand a refund, or cancel the charge on your credit card or Pay-Pal account. You may have additional legal remedies.

Amazon claims, "Safety is a top priority at Amazon" -- to whom?