Hot New Crime: iPad's Returned to Retailers Are Fake

It's not clear if Walmart was tricked into selling Ken Lemal a fake iPad, or if a customer swapped out the product for a forgery, but one thing is for sure: Lemal wants a refund.

According to local NBC affiliate KPLC, Walmart has refused to accept Lemal's fake gadget with no certainty it wasn't actually his:

Lemal's isn't the first case of its kind. About two months ago, another unlucky iPad purchaser was reportedly sold a fake iPad by his local Best Buy retailer.

In both cases, stores and customers alike may have been duped by an increasingly popular fraud called "brick in the box" returns, where someone purchases a real iPad device only to switch in a fake and return it for cash.

Since Walmart has refused to refund his purchase, Lemal has pledged to take the retailer to court.