Free iPad 3? It doesn’t exist! Beware of scams

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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@gcluley

It is widely anticipated that Apple will announce a new version of its iPad tablet computer in San Francisco on March 7th.

An invitation sent to journalists, inviting them to an event organised by Apple, has fueled speculation even further as it appears to show a close-up of someone using an iPad.

Teaser for iPad 3 launch event

Could it be the new iPad with a much lusted for improved display and souped-up processor? Only time will tell..

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Of course, one group that isn’t bothering to wait are the spammers and scammers who frequently tempt the unwary into clicking on their links, or completing their revenue-generating surveys, by offering the latest Apple gear.. for free.

And even though the iPad 3 doesn’t exist yet (and who can forget the iPhone 5 scams that all looked a bit silly once Apple actually announced the iPhone 4S instead?) we are seeing plenty of examples of Facebook pages and tweets that appear to be attempting to trick users into thinking they can get one for free.

Can you really get a free iPad 3 via Facebook or Twitter?

As Apple hasn’t even announced the existence of an iPad 3, these posts and pages (some of which have existed for months) are clearly up to no good. It would be great to see social networks like Facebook and Twitter do more to clean up such clearly dubious activity, to better protect their userbase.

Chances are that we will see Apple announce an iPad 3 very soon. But don’t be duped into believing there’s an easy way to get one for free.


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

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