Woman Scammed into Buying Fake iPad Made of Wood

Here's one lesson for gadget lovers: Never buy an iPad in a parking lot, no matter how good the deal might be.

According to a police report apprehended by the Web site The Smoking Gun, a 22-year-old South Carolina woman was scammed into purchasing a wooden iPad dressed up with a fake Apple decal sticker after she was approached by two men in a McDonald's parking lot.

The woman, named as Ashley Mcdowell, claimed she was picking up food at McDonald's when the men approached her and claimed they had bought iPads in bulk and were selling them for $300 each, considerably less than its $499 retail price.

Although Mcdowell told the peddlers she only had $180, they went for the deal and handed her a FedEx box that presumably contained the iPad inside.

Unfortunately, Mcdowell did not decide to actually open the box until she was already driving home. When she did, she discovered that instead of an iPad, it contained a piece of wood that was painted black with an Apple logo smacked on top. The fake device also came with a Best Buy price tag.

Mcdowell contacted the police to report the crime soon afterwards. The case is currently open and under investigation by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.