Someone basically pulled the ol’ “Oh, so you want a new Apple for Christmas” dad trick on an unsuspecting online shopper in Brisbane, Australia last week.

According to police, a 21-year-old woman was shocked to find that the two new Apple iPhones that she bought from a woman she met on an online classifieds site were actually just apples in boxes.

Apparently, the woman put an ad on Gumtree looking for two new iPhones. When a seller contacted her, the two women met at a local McDonald’s. The buyer paid around $1,500 AUD (a little over $1,300 U.S.) and received what appeared to be two iPhones in their original boxes.

But when she got home, she discovered that the Apples she had bought were actually just apples.

“Don’t stay away because most people are doing the right thing, but be smart about what you buy,” said constable Jess Hopkin. “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. It’s really just common sense.”

These kinds of scams happen all the time, and it’s not just on “shady” websites. Gumtree, the online classifieds site at the heart of this case, surely wouldn’t fall into that category. Not only is Gumtree owned by eBay, but it’s a biggest local classifieds site in both the U.K. and Australia. Gumtree services over 60 cities in 6 countries.

The point is, you gotta watch out for this stuff. Next time you meet someone at a McDonald’s and hand over $1,300 bucks for two small boxes – you might want to check inside the boxes before you walk away. Just a suggestion.

[Cult of Mac via Herald Sun]