SophosLabs: Only hours after the launch of Apple’s newest iPad we are beginning to see spammers trying to use the excitement over its release to ensnare innocent people into their scams.
The scammers are sending out emails with the subject “Where do we send your Free iPad 3, just Test & Keep! See details”. The email contains an image with the text “TEST & KEEP an iPad 3 FREE – Click here”.
If you didn’t notice this is a scam, you might be enticed to click. It is a really sexy piece of kit. Of course you probably already learned that there is no iPad 3. Apple has decided to simply call it the “new iPad”.
When you click here you are presented with a JavaScript alert stating “Congratulations! You are the |CITY NAME| winner for |DATE|. Please select a prize and enter your email on the next page to claim.”
Oddly, when you proceed to the next page you are offered a Best Buy gift card, grocery gift card or an iPad of unknown generation.
Perhaps the game Portal summed up these types of scams best… The cake is a lie. When you choose the iPad you are taken to another survey site promising any color of iPad 2 you wish.
It’s unclear where the free iPad 3 vanished to, but it is clear that you won’t be getting one for free. Follow your instincts and steer clear of offers that are too good to be true.
Some people argue that providing the information for the survey might be worth it, just in case there really is a free iPad at the end of the rainbow. After all, it’s only all of your personal details.
This is a dangerous and careless attitude. Forking over your identity to scammers out of the hope you will get something for nothing is not a fair trade. If you wish to gamble, perhaps trade a dollar for a lottery ticket instead.