Fake iPads Made of Clay Sold in Canada

Customers expecting to buy iPads received a huge shock when they got home and opened their packages; inside was nothing but a clay mold.

CTV, a Canadian news agency, broke the news when one customer called its consumers’ rights program. The man described the store’s harsh treatment and refusal to believe his story; wanting to alert others about the fraud, he contacted “Steele on Your Side.”

The clay iPads have been found at Best Buy, Future Shop, Walmart and London Drug locations across British Columbia. The stores are now officially investigating, though local police have not been called in to assist. Future Shop spokesman Elliott Chun told reporters: “Customers don’t expect to receive this kind of product from Future Shop, so it’s a very serious matter and something we are addressing right away.”

Chun added, “It really saddens Future Shop that people stoop to be this opportunistic and make money in this kind of organized way.” Since his initial incident with Future Shop, the whistle-blowing customer has received full compensation and a new iPad, compliments of the store.

This is not the first time buyers have been fooled; when Apple first released the iPad, consumers were flooded with knock-offs. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, “counterfeiters are increasingly focusing on mobile technology…tablets are obvious targets.”