Household appliances & high-tech

This type of product should only be purchased from specialist shops and authorised retailers. Buying an electronic item or a household appliance at a Sunday market or from a street vendor is risky and never a good idea.

An unusually low price is always a warning sign. A counterfeit item sold for just a few euros does not meet the mandatory safety standards, so please be vigilant.

Any genuine household appliance or electronic accessory must bear the CE logo, the manufacturer’s name, the input/output voltage, the model number and a conformity code. The absence of CE certification or unclear labelling are indications that the product does not comply with regulations, suggesting that it may be counterfeit and dangerous.

Any electronic device and/or household appliance that is unusually light for its size should be treated with suspicion. Counterfeit products weigh less than half as much as genuine ones, as they lack all the necessary internal components.

1. Quality and attention to detail are important; for example, a misaligned USB port, an unstable connector or plastic that cracks easily are all signs of a counterfeit product.
2. Another clue that helps to identify a counterfeit product is spelling mistakes.

On many genuine devices, a serial number can be found on the device itself.