People who posted listings on San Francisco-based Craigslist received very official-looking emails today from CEO Jim Buckmaster offering one heck of a deal: a free iPad!

It’s one of those thanks-for-being-a-great-customer letters.

Problem is, it’s fake.

“It’s a scam!” said Craigslist founder Craig Newmark via e-mail.

The phony prize letter appears authentic and tells recipients that all they need to do is enter their zip codes to collect a free iPad, “valued at $800.” But responding to the letter brings users to a website that phishes for personal information.

Newmark did not know how many people received the e-mail, but said, “a number of people are asking, but it's kind of normal everywhere.”

In other words, these things happen in cyberspace – except instead of money from Nigeria, it’s now a free iPad. Con artists have to keep up with the times.