BBB Warns OF Online IPad Scams

Monday, April 5, 2010

Even before the iPad was publicly available, scammers were coming up with ways to take advantage of early adopters.
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers to stay away from offers to become a "tester" to get a free iPad.
Apple announced the iPad in January and U.S. customers were able to pre-order in March for the April release. Because Apple bumped the delivery date for late orders, rumors started circulating the company did not have enough iPads to meet pre-order demand.
"What's past is prologue and it was inevitable that scammers would take advantage of the excitement over the iPad to rip people off, just like they did with the iPod and the iPhone," said Alison Southwick, BBB spokesperson.
"Bogus offers most commonly claim you can become a tester or researcher and get an iPad for free. This is a deal that sounds, and definitely is, too good to be true."
Tech site GeekSugar recently warned about spam email requesting product testers for the iPad. The email points to a website Testitandkeepit.com which claims they are looking for people to test the iPad for a couple months, as compensation you get to keep the iPad. The biggest red flag with this offer is you have to provide your email address and password in order to "tell your friends."
Offers to become a tester on Facebook also appeared but with a different intent. As software company Sophos explains in an online video, the Facebook page "iPad Researchers Wanted-Get an iPad Early and Keep it" was designed to trick people into signing up for a cell phone subscription service that cost $10 a month. Sophos alerted Facebook to the page, which had attracted more than 3,500 fans, and it was taken down, but users should be on the lookout for similar offers.
Not all bogus offers come under the guise of becoming a tester, McAfee reported on their security blog that spam emails have landed in inboxes offering free iPads. The catch is you have to buy items first and provide your credit card number.
The BBB recommends shopping for an iPad through authorized retailers or directly with Apple. Eventually a secondary market for the iPad will appear online on sites like Craigslist; if you plan on buying an iPad secondhand, purchase it from someone local and never wire money as payment.

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