According to a report by China Central Radio and Television Station’s China Voice News, in recent years, fire and explosion accidents of inferior power banks have occurred frequently, seriously threatening the safety of consumers’ lives and property, and posing a major hidden danger to aviation safety. In order to regulate the market, the country not only clearly stipulates that power banks that have not obtained 3C certification are not allowed to be sold, but major airports have also strictly implemented "no-fly" measures against unstandardized power banks.
However, the reporter's investigation found that major e-commerce platforms are still filled with a large number of fake 3C certifications and even malicious "deck" power banks. Not only do the outer shells of these power banks have no flame retardant capabilities, but the "three-no battery cells" inside that are easily short-circuited and catch fire are even more dangerous. How did they put on the fake "3C certification" coat?
Reporters purchased a variety of fake 3C power banks sold online (photo by China Voice reporter Ren Mengyan)
Recently, Mr. Wu reported through the China Voice news hotline that he purchased a 3C certified power bank on an e-commerce platform, but discovered a problem after receiving the goods.
Mr. Wu said: "The introduction said it was 3C certified and could be used on planes and trains. When I bought it, I found that it only had a 3C mark, a manufacturer's name, and no address. I searched on the industrial and commercial system and couldn't find the manufacturer."
After Mr. Wu reported it to the platform, he quickly got a refund, but he didn’t know what to do with the power bank.
Mr. Wu said: "I keep it at home, which makes me very confused. I don't feel safe leaving Sanwu products at home. I carry them in my pocket every day, and I feel confused about throwing them away."
By checking platforms such as Black Cat Complaints, the reporter found that Mr. Wu’s experience was not an isolated case. A large number of consumers reported that the 3C codes provided by merchants could not be found on the National Certification and Accreditation Information Public Service Platform. Even the 3C certification numbers published on the product pages were "double" numbers. That is, they could just find a public 3C certification number and copy it to their own product pages, and the e-commerce platform did not conduct further review.
Consumer Mr. Li said: "I checked the 3C certification on the website and found that the 3C certification is a fake one and the product uses the product number of another company."
The reporter checked a number of online power bank products and found that the so-called 3C certification on many pages was fake. For example, the manufacturer of the [3C certified aircraft-safe] outdoor emergency 20,000 mAh large-capacity power bank sold on a certain platform mall was "Shunxing Yutong Technology Co., Ltd." with the 3C certification number uploaded on the page. The certification was canceled as early as May last year. After purchasing the power bank, the reporter found that the manufacturer printed on it was "Shangzhou Technology Co., Ltd." The reporter checked the national enterprise credit information publicity system and found that the company "Shangzhou Technology" did not exist at all.
The reporter purchased a number of so-called "3C power banks" from multiple e-commerce platforms, and many products had such problems. On a certain e-commerce platform, some products even omit the step of "uploading the 3C certification number" and directly claim to be 3C power banks, but in fact they are three-no products.
Mr. Qi, a consumer, said: "I asked if there was 3C, and the other party said yes. After I bought it, I saw that it didn't matter what I wanted. At that time, I asked the other party for the 3C number, and I wanted to check it. The other party said it was on the e-commerce platform, and the e-commerce platform said it was provided by the merchant, so we argued back and forth."
Consumer Mr. Wang spent 69 yuan to buy a "Konok" brand power bank on another e-commerce platform. He checked the 3C certification information and found that the product was produced on July 15, 2025, but the 3C certification of its manufacturer, Kexunteng Technology Co., Ltd., had been revoked as early as March 28, 2025. Although Mr. Wang received a refund after reporting it to the platform, the relevant products were still on sale as of press time.
Mr. Wang said: "Those on the cover are all marked with 3C and can be taken on airplanes. They are not easy to use and are still falsely marked. The mobile phone has not been fully charged and the power bank has run out of power. 3C is printed on the packaging and the product, but the manufacturer does not have 3C certification and has been revoked. The merchant has contacted them, but they have not dealt with them. The store continues to sell them. They are still selling them after they have been revoked. This is a fake 3C."
The power bank purchased by Mr. Wang (photo provided by CCTV and interviewed)
Reasons for revocation of relevant 3C certification (relevant screenshots)
Subsequently, the reporter went to the factory to check the production addresses marked on these power banks. Taking the Konok brand as an example, power banks are manufactured by two companies respectively. Among them, Kexunteng Technology Co., Ltd. has stopped production, and only sales staff are on duty; the 3C certification of another foundry, Zhengpengshi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., has also been suspended on February 1, 2026. When reporters came to the factory site in early March, they saw that the production of power banks was still continuing.
Zhengpengshi is still producing power banks with the 3C logo (Photo by Ren Mengyan, China Voice reporter)
At another factory visited by the reporter, Xifulai Technology Development Co., Ltd., the situation was equally worrying. This company's own 3C certification has long been suspended, but it manufactures another company's 3C power bank in the same factory. The reporter photographed a large number of power bank cases waiting to be assembled at the scene.
The reporter further investigated and found that behind the power banks illegally produced by these foundries was an extremely cheap counterfeiting industry chain. Related products are distributed through wholesale channels and eventually flow to the retail end. Not only are there a large number of Sanwu power banks for sale online, but you can even buy them with the 3C logo.
When searching for the keyword "power bank" on an e-commerce website, a large number of power bank products costing only more than ten yuan came into view. The platform required mandatory certification of the 3C number, but some suppliers just filled in a casual one; some product introductions even clearly stated that "power banks with an external standard of 20,000 mAh can actually be 2,400 mAh, 3,600 mAh batteries, etc." The seller, Mr. Ma, said that not only the marked charging capacity can be faked, but the 3C logo can also be printed at will.
Reporter: Is it okay if you sell it this way?
Mr. Ma: No problem. If 3C certification is required, it will not be passed at all. The 3C logo can be printed on the machine.
Reporter: But not actually?
Mr. Ma: You can type on the machine. The numbers are not one-to-one. They all apply to the same 3C certificate. You can just print 3C on it, if you want, you can just find a company to print it on when the time comes.
Mr. Ma emphasized that there is no cost to print the 3C logo on the power bank casing. Since the 3C numbers are public, it is even easier to apply.
Mr. Ma said: "Anyway, everyone else is doing this trick. Just print the manufacturer. The platform requires a 3C code. You can just give it any code. As long as it is valid, it will be valid."
Wholesaler Mr. Xu revealed the secrets of these three-no power banks - the battery cells are falsely labeled, the outer casing is made of cheap non-flame retardant materials, and a 3C logo is printed on it.
Mr. Xu: There is 3C, but the 15 yuan product is a false standard because the battery, shell materials, etc. are not up to standard, which means the product does not have 3C.
Reporter: Is there a 3C logo on the packaging?
Mr. Xu: Yes, they all follow 3C standard appearance. The actual battery cells are not up to standard, and the shell materials are not fireproof.
Mr. Xu also told reporters from China Voice that many sellers on e-commerce platforms come to them to make power banks. Power banks usually have a nominal capacity of 20,000 mAh, but the actual installed battery cells are only about 6,000 mAh. Wholesalers can customize them on demand, but it is difficult for consumers to verify.
Mr. Xu said: "I will produce a batch according to your requirements. Our universal ones are marked with 20,000 mAh, but we only make 6,000 mAh. Even those who are not professional anti-counterfeiters can't tell. Anyway, retail platforms dare to do this. We are in the wholesale business, so I think it doesn't matter."
Mr. Liu, the merchant, said that the power banks they produce have 3C certification, but if they want to make cheap products that do not meet the standards, they can also make them. The shell alone can save 3 yuan in cost.
Mr. Liu said: "The batteries are all A-grade polymer batteries. The difference is that the shell material is not 3C. If you want to put the 3C logo on it, that's okay, but I won't be responsible for any problems later."
These power banks, which are printed with realistic 3C logos and produced with regular manufacturer information, are difficult to spot instantly because they are covered with layers of "fake coat". However, they bring great hidden dangers to consumers' daily use and even civil aviation safety. How dangerous are they?
The reporter brought some fake 3C power banks obtained from the market to the safety center laboratory of the China Electronics Technology Standardization Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to test related products. During the disassembly process, the experimenters found that not only the information printed on the shells of these power banks was false, but the internal cells of the products also did not have the manufacturer's information printed as required, falling into the category of "Three No Cells."
Laboratory worker: Not even a sign. If there are three products with no battery cells, some of them may be fake.
Reporter: What should I write about the battery cell?
Laboratory staff: The model number, voltage, etc. must be written down, as well as the manufacturer code. This means nothing.
Three No Batteries (Photo by Li Da)
The "three-no batteries" of unknown origin are used internally. Once "thermal runaway" occurs due to overcharging or short circuit, the outer casing becomes the last line of defense to protect consumers. However, in the critical shell flame retardant test, these inferior power banks not only failed to slow down the combustion, but may even become "combustion aids."
Laboratory staff: The flame should be extinguished within 30 seconds to pass. According to the requirements, the outer shell cannot burn out. And there are drippings.
Reporter: This is going to burn out soon. The more it burns, the bigger it gets.
Laboratory staff: Basically there is no flame retardant effect.
The so-called "3C power bank" cannot pass the flame retardant test (Photo by Li Da)
Geng Zhenfeng, director of the Safety Center Laboratory of the China Electronics Technology Standardization Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that these "deck" power banks purchased online are essentially "three-no products" without any safety assessment. Products that can truly bear the 3C logo have an extremely stringent review process behind them.
Geng Zhenfeng said: "First of all, manufacturers need to send samples to a nationally designated 3C testing laboratory. After passing the test, the test report will be uploaded to the certification agency. The certification agency will then arrange a factory inspection. If the factory inspection is also qualified, the corresponding 3C certification certificate can be issued to the product. Applying or pretending to use someone else's 3C certification has actually not gone through the mandatory testing and certification required by the state. When consumers use such a product, its qualifications and safety risks are not guaranteed, which is equivalent to using a three-no product."
Why can these power banks, which boast large capacities, be priced as low as a dozen yuan? Geng Zhenfeng said that behind the low price is a very high safety cost.
Geng Zhenfeng said: "The price is so low because we use some incoming materials that have not undergone any testing or evaluation, and even use batteries from some self-disassembled waste electronic products. The shell materials do not have any requirements for flame retardancy, resulting in extremely low costs. There is no link to ensure the safety of the final product, so the safety risk is quite high."
Faced with the 3C logo that is difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake, how should consumers avoid the pitfalls? Geng Zhenfeng suggested: "The first thing is that consumers should not pursue the ultimate low price or be greedy for cheap. Before placing an order, consumers can ask customer service for the 3C certification information of this product, and then check on the CNCA website to confirm that the certification model information matches, and then place an official order."
The "Announcement of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration on the Pilot Reform of Compulsory Product Certification Marks for Power Banks and Other Products" clarifies that starting from this month, product models newly obtained CCC certification within the scope of the pilot products shall be marked with a CCC traceability QR code before they can be shipped, sold, imported or used in other business activities. The new traceability QR code is equivalent to putting an "ID card" on the power bank. After a one-year transition period, all new factory power banks must be sold with "shown code". Just scan the QR code to check the authenticity, and also remind consumers to look for formal channels, so that fake and inferior products have nowhere to hide.