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Apple will swap fanbois' killer phoney phone chargers for legit adapters

Electrocution triggers scramble to seize knockoff gear

Dodgy knockoff power adapters for iPhones, iPads and iPods can be swapped for an official charger in a new trade-in deal from Apple.

The Cupertino giant is keen to get dangerous third-party power gear out of fanbois' hands after a woman in China was electrocuted when she tried to take a call on her iPhone while it was charging.

If anyone suspects their USB chargers are faulty, they can get a new genuine Apple one for the discounted price of $10 or local currency equivalent (about £6.50).

"Recent reports have suggested that some counterfeit and third-party adapters may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues," Apple said on its website.

"While not all third-party adapters have an issue, we are announcing a USB Power Adapter Takeback Program to enable customers to acquire properly designed adapters."

To get the trade-in, users have to bring their charger to an Apple store or an "authorised service provider" plus their iThing to validate the serial number. The company is keeping the offer open until 18 October.

Apple had already set up a support page on its website to help people figure out if their chargers are genuine after 23-year-old Ma Ailun was killed last month after touching her iPhone.

The company said at the time that it was "deeply sorry" about the incident and that it was investigating. A few days later, another report emerged suggesting that a 30-year-old Beijing man was in a coma following electrocution under similar circumstances. ®

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