DANGEROUS electrical goods were found for sale on Facebook Marketplace over a month after Meta was alerted of them, according to Electrical Safety First.
Facebook users are being warned over potentially deadly items being sold on the platform, following an investigation by the consumer charity.
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Such goods remained for sale on Facebook Marketplace more than seven weeks after parent company Meta was alerted to their existence, the charity said.
An e-scooter charger with an illegal UK plug lacking a fuse was one listing found to still be for sale on the Marketplace.
The charity flagged ten dangerous and substandard products to Meta in late February.
The items exposed shoppers to risk of electric shock and fire, the charity warned.
As of today, none of the items are available on the site.
“We work closely with external partners and respond to valid legal requests including from the Office for Product Safety & Standards, to prevent illegal activity on our platforms,” said a Meta spokesperson.
The finding formed part of a wider investigation into dangerous electrical goods for sale across five major online marketplaces: Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish.com, AliExpress and Facebook.
Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish.com, AliExpress all removed the listings after being alerted to their existence by Electrical Safety First.
Meta’s slow action has prompted the charity’s boss Lesley Rudd to call on the UK government to hit the gas pedal on its product safety review – which is more than a year overdue.
“This inaction from Meta is clear evidence that we cannot rely on the goodwill of online platforms to protect shoppers.
“The government must urgently publish its review – in not doing so, it is allowing consumers to be put at risk.
“Laws are urgently required to force online marketplaces to take reasonable steps to ensure products on their platforms are safe.”
A spokesperson for the government’s Department for Business and Trade said: “We are holding businesses to their legal obligations, including online marketplaces, to keep the public safe.
“Working with local Trading Standards, the Office for Product Safety and Standards is taking action to ensure that any products that pose a serious risk to consumers are identified and removed from sale.
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