The warning followed a number of reports internationally of counterfeit batteries causing extensive damage to Nokia phones. It is understood that the inferior batteries, sold by street and Internet vendors, overheat to the point of melting, rendering the handsets inoperable.
Australian consumers need to be on the lookout for vendors offering counterfeit batteries to suit Nokia 3310, 3330 and 8250 handsets.
A Nokia spokesperson, Antony Wilson, said the non-original batteries have arrived at Nokia repair centres in such an advanced state of damage that investigators remain unable to determine the exact mechanism that causes them to overheat.
"They can't identify exactly what [the cause] is because when they get it back the batteries have actually melted, but they can identify that they are inferior in terms of materials that go into them," said Wilson.
So far Nokia Australia has not recorded any instances of the batteries damaging phones in the local market, with reports of the melted batteries currently confined to Africa, Europe and parts of Asia.
Presently, the company said it would be difficult to speculate as to whether a substantial grey market in the batteries exists.
"It's very difficult to put an estimate on that, because it is a grey market. By definition, it's difficult to define, track and quantify," said Wilson.
Nokia is currently undertaking an internal investigation to discover the manufacturer of the counterfeit batteries.
Nokia batteries, said Wilson, should be marked clearly to reflect Nokia branding and compliance with local safety standards.
