U.S. customs agents in Chicago have seized 43,000 hoverboards they have deemed counterfeit. The hoverboards, discovered during an inspection at a warehouse, had been shipped from China.
Agents say the items' components, including the chargers, carried the Samsung brand name but turned out to be counterfeit. A Customs and Border Protection Chicago field operations director says the hoverboards also had fake UL markings, which would give buyers a false sense of safety.
He says some hoverboards arrived in the country by ship, while others were flown in.
Major airlines, rail agencies and college campuses around the country have since announced bans, mainly over the potential fire danger from the lithium-ion batteries that power the devices.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced last week it is investigating reports of fires related to hoverboards in 19 states.
