Apple says its investigation found that 90 percent of Apple-branded goods sold on Amazon are counterfeit. This is in line with my findings a few years ago when I purchased a dozen chargers from Amazon and eBay, all of which were listed as "genuine," and found them all to be poor quality, unsafe fakes.
So how do you protect yourself from fake Apple accessories?
See also: Every day carry pocket tools and gadgets
When it comes to cables and dongles, Apple has a support page with information on what markings to look for and the differences in quality between a genuine product and a fake product.
This is useful, but when buying online it doesn't help because you don't get to see the product until it's been delivered, and getting a fake product means having to claim refunds and send products back to the seller, which is a hassle.
When it comes to chargers, it's even harder to spot a fake, and Apple doesn't offer any guidance on the matter. The London Fire Brigade has a fun online quiz where you can test your skill at spotting fake Apple chargers (these are UK chargers so they look very different from the US style), but as you'll see if you take the test, it's not easy.
So, it's a jungle out there, one where scammers and ne'er-do-wells are happy to make a quick buck from selling you a charger that could burn your house down. Not cool.
So what can you do?
Here's my advice on staying safe:
See also: