Underwriters Laboratories is a not-for-profit organization that tests and certifies products as meeting certain safety standards. UL is worldwide, and tests not only electrical products, but roofing shingles, fire products such as fire doors and fire hoses, bulletproof glass, life jackets, and any other product that may involve fire, electrical shock, mechanical or radiation hazards.

Counterfeiters not only target manufacturer brands, but also UL marks, which certify a product has met certain safety standards.

When you counterfeit a product and it carries a UL mark, then you’re impacting on the safety of the end-user,”says John Dregenberg, UL manager of consumer affairs. “Counterfeiting an extension cord that could burst into flame in the middle of the night …