It does, that; but the point is to limit the current. By increasing the load (vs. connecting the battery-charge circuit with no resistance), it decreases the current, thus decreasing the total power.

The fake may also be wanting a voltage converter to increase the voltage above the 5V from the USB; with lower voltage, you won't blow things up as fast as the correct voltage with no resistor, and you'll actually be able to charge, whereas a 5V connection with a 5 Ohm resistance would give a full charge very slowly or not at all.

The proper thing to do, if you want to know what's up with a charger, is to measure the current-voltage characteristic and compare it to the limits proscribed in the PDFs here. But throwing a DMM on two units can provide a useful comparison.

Jchord, I assume you're measuring resistance with a DMM?