The death of a 23-year-old Chinese woman, Ma Ailun, who allegedly suffered a massive electrical shock while answering a phone call on a her iPhone 4, is now believed to be linked to a "FAKE" third-party USB charger.

According to phone experts, the electrocution of the iPhone owner could have been caused by a counterfeit charger with her iPhone 4, instead of the one made by Apple. The investigators suggested that the usb power adapter may have had fewer safety electronics and experienced a failure.

China is known for developing third-party USB chargers to any mobile devices which are being sold at a very low price compared to the authentic adapters. These chargers are readily available in every corners in its key cities. Though the chargers are cheap, the end-user's safety is being compromised due to its substandard quality.

In a test series conducted by Ken Shirriff, he found wide gaps in both the quality and safety of those devices. In March 2013, consumers and retailers have been warned by safety science company UL about counterfeit Apple USB power adapters making the rounds in the electronics market.