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UL Warns of Hazardous Counterfeit Extension Cords

May 10, 2005 - Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is notifying inspection authorities, retailers, and consumers that certain 9, 12 and 15-foot extension cords bear counterfeit UL Listing Marks on the cord and/or packaging, do not meet UL safety requirements and pose a risk of fire and electric shock.

Name of Product: 9, 12 or 15-foot extension cord.

Units: Unknown quantity.

Manufacturer: The manufacturer of these products has not been identified.

Hazard: These products employ undersized electrical wires, posing a risk of fire and electric shock. In addition, the cord, plug and receptacle have not been evaluated by UL.

Identification: The cord is white or off-white in color with a plug on one end and a three-plug receptacle on the opposite end. The cord may have a counterfeit UL holographic label attached near the plug that has the description "E-174825," "CORD SET," "BV-5508" and "13A 125 V" and "1625 W" or "1825 W."

The packaging is marked "HOME ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS," with the words "Made in China" and a counterfeit UL Listing Mark. The packaging may also have the trademark "POWER" on the label.

What you should do: UL recommends that users stop using the extension cords immediately and return them to the place of purchase.

Images of the counterfeit extension cords
Additional Packaging

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for more than 110 years. UL tests more than 19,000 types of products annually, and more then 19 billion UL Marks appear on products each year. Worldwide, UL's family of companies and its network of service providers include 58 laboratories, and testing and certification facilities.

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