Illegal and potentially dangerous scam “energy saving” plugs are being sold online, an investigation has found.
The devices have been recalled several times, but Which? discovered they were still widely available.
The consumer champion tested a number of the products and found no evidence of their eco capabilities.
The plugs claim to save customers money on their electricity bills by stabilising voltage and balancing electric current to optimise the performance of household appliances.
However, Which? tested eight of the devices bought from AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop and found they failed basic safety standards, meaning they are illegal and potentially dangerous.
The platforms have since removed all the listings Which? reported to them, but many identical-looking devices were still available weeks later.
One buyer who reviewed a device bought on Amazon said it was “nothing but a scam” and that the company “should be ashamed of themselves for marketing this item and be more responsible for what they sell”.
Shein sold and shipped a device named as a “Magic Electricity-Saving Box”.
Which? said most of the items its researchers investigated contained too much lead.
Lead levels are tightly regulated because of the potential effects it can have on people’s health.
Most of the items also had unmarked non-standard capacitors, indicating they were not manufactured in the UK and therefore potentially unsafe.
What did the websites say?
Amazon said safety was a “top priority” and that all products sold on its site need to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
eBay said consumer safety was a “top priority” and it takes an “active approach” to keeping its site safe, including carrying out regular audits of the products available.
“If we find an unsafe product, we remove it immediately,” a spokeswoman said.
Shein said it takes product safety “very seriously” and it is committed to offering “safe and reliable products to its customers”.
AliExpress said it also takes product safety “very seriously”, and has strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment.
Temu said it takes a “multi-pronged approach to product monitoring” and requires traders to meet the safety standards of the markets they are selling to.
TikTok said the safety of its customers was of of the utmost priority and that it has strict measures in place to ensure safety standards.
All of the sites removed the flagged products.