iPad Spam and Scams To Rise In Light Of Hot Release
Posted by John Vinson
Apple’s next big release, the iPad, is scheduled to come out April 3rd. Already, the Better Business Bureau(BBB) has announced that scammers and spammers are using the release to take advantage of anxious fans. The BBB advises consumers to simply stay away from offers where anyone is offering a free iPad.
The free iPad offers mostly lure victims in with a “test or research program”. The iPad is a hot item, with reports that pre-orders taken late have to wait until a second shipment. This has led to desperate consumers looking for other options to get their iPad early. Enter the test/research scams.
Alison Southwick, BBB spokesperson warns of the scam, “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.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.”
One of the first spam e-mails to circulate requested testers for the iPad, which led victims to Testitandkeepit.com. Upon entering the site users were told iPads would be sent out for testing, and they would be able to keep them as compensation. All you have to do is give up your email address and password, so your friends can know about it.
The iPad scams aren’t just surfacing through emails, but social networks are having problems as well. A Facebook page, ‘iPad Researchers Wanted—Get an iPad Early and Keep It’ popped up which tried to get users to sign up for a cell phone service charging $10/month. Facebook was alerted of the scam, and the page went down. Not before receiving 3,500 fans though. Proof that there were plenty of desperate consumers out there.
Along with the first two scams, the tried and true “buy items and receive free iPad” method is circulating through email as well. The scam has purchasers buy items in order to receive a free iPad as a gift. The only method to pay for the items is a credit card; you can imagine where things go from there.
The BBB recommends that consumers purchase their iPads through Apple directly, or an authorized retailer. If shoppers are too anxious, then a safer option would be to make a purchase through a secondary market; sites like Craigslist or eBay. Secondary retailers aren’t without problems, but they’re certainly safer than suspicious emails and ‘too good to be true’ Facebook pages.
The BBB has provided a guide available where online shoppers can get tips on how to shop safe: http://www.bbb.org/us/consumer-tips-technology/
About the Author: John is a staff writer for webpronews
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