Trading standards officers in the UK are reporting a possible influx of unsafe chargers for handheld game consoles and various other gadgets, with one brand possibly causing overheating or electrocution.

According to the report, one of the unsafe chargers concerned has a code marking DE62347066. Others don't have a code number, and are instead simply called Travel Charger.

Chris Holden, senior trading standards officer at Buckinghamshire County Council, told the BBC that their investigations also revealed another potential problem. Holden noted that some chargers may be carrying a potentially fake CE safety mark. Said Holden, "The UK appears to be flooded with them. It probably runs into hundreds of thousands or even millions."

These reportedly unsafe chargers usually go for around £5 or £6 (around US$ 10 to US$ 11) online or in shops, while properly-checked safe chargers cost £15 (around US$ 30). The BBC report states that these unsafe chargers have wires that become detached after being used for a while, increasing the risk of electric shocks. Furthermore, some of the chargers' pins don't fit properly into UK sockets, causing overheating.

It should be noted that concerns over unsafe chargers were raised 18 months ago when seven year-old Connor O'Keefe died in his hotel room in Thailand, possibly of electrocution due to a combination of factors, including unsafe chargers.

---

Related Articles:

• Game Boys don't kill, water and electricity do
• Nintendo sends condolences to O'Keefe
• PlayStation Portable burning incident attributed to Pelican charger