Woman Says of Fake iPad Ordeal: 'They ... Made Me Feel Like an Idiot'

Have you checked that recently purchased iPad to make sure it’s the real deal?

A West Des Moines woman says you should. The one Nancy Glynn bought for her husband three years ago wasn’t, KCCI-TV, the CBS affiliate in the Des Moines area, reported.

It sat in a box in a drawer for a couple of years because hubs bought one for himself before she had a chance to give it to him. When she decided to give the iPad, which she said cost her $500, to her grandsons.

When she opened the box, she knew almost immediately she had been had. There was no power cord. Further inspection showed she bought a plastic shell with none of the electronics that make the gadget work.

Glynn told the television station that representatives of the local SuperTarget store where she had purchased the device seemed supportive of offering her a refund and seemed to believe her – she had a receipt – but the request was denied at the corporate level because more than 90 days had passed since she purchased the device.

"... the prevailing theory begins with a scam artist buying an iPad, replacing it with something of similar size and weight and then repackaging the box so it looks ready for the sales floor once again." – CNN

“They pretty much made me feel like I was an idiot for keeping it so long unopened,” Glynn said. “I guess the joke’s on me. I have a $500 coaster.”

Glynn’s story has a familiar refrain. CNN said that similar stories have surfaced in a number of states over the past few years.

Retailers aren’t saying how the scam works.

“But the prevailing theory begins with a scam artist buying an iPad, replacing it with something of similar size and weight and then repackaging the box so it looks ready for the sales floor once again,” CNN reported. “Then the person returns the box for a refund. Other speculation has focused on unscrupulous store employees raiding storerooms to make similar swaps.”