BBB Warns of Bogus Offers for Free iPad

Online, April 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - BBB serving Eastern North Carolina warns consumers who may be eager to get their hands on the newest technology to stay away from offers to become a "tester" to get a free iPad.

Just days after its release, the promise of a free iPad has become the latest trick to gain access to your personal and bank account information. Bogus offers claim you can become a 'tester' or 'researcher' and get an iPad for free, but BBB warns you not to fall for this scam.

"It was inevitable that scammers would take advantage of the excitement over the iPad to rip people off, just as they did with the iPod and the iPhone," said Beverly Baskin, President & CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina. "The offer of a free iPad is a deal that sounds, and definitely is, too good to be true."

Tech Web site GeekSugar.com recently warned about spam e-mails requesting product testers for the iPad. The e-mail directs recipients to the Web site Testitandkeepit.com which claims that they are looking for people to test the iPad for a couple months, and as compensation, you get to keep the iPad. The red flag with this offer is that you have to provide your e-mail address and password in order to "tell your friends."

Offers to become a tester on Facebook also cropped up, 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 already racked up 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 e-mails have landed in inboxes offering free iPads-the catch is that you have to buy items first and provide your credit card number.

If you're planning to buy an iPad, BBB recommends shopping through an authorized retailer or directly with Apple. Eventually a secondary market for the iPad will spring up online on sites like Craigslist or eBay. If you plan on buying an iPad from the secondary market, be sure to purchase it from someone local and never wire money as payment.

For more advice on how to be a smart online shopper, visit http://easternnc.bbb.org/consumer-tips-technology/.