Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Macworld UK. Visit Macworld UK’s blog page for the latest Mac news from across the Atlantic.

A new scam is targeting Facebook users keen to try out Apple’s soon-to-arrive iPad.

Graham Cluley’s Sophos blog, which highlights internet security concerns, explains the latest scam currently do the rounds.

“Scammers have created pages on Facebook claiming that you can be the lucky recipient of an Apple iPad if you simply register to be a beta-tester. Not only will they supply you with an iPad for free, but they’ll also let you keep the iPad at the end of the beta-test. What could go wrong with that?” Cluley writes.

The offer is simply to gain your mobile phone details, as Cluley explains.

“The bad guys create a Facebook page, with a suitably alluring offer (in this case ‘iPad Researchers Wanted—Want to beta test Apple’s latest product?’). This encourages you to ‘Become a fan’ of the page (which, in itself, helps advertise it to your other friends on Facebook).”

After some form filling and responding to a very non-Apple survey users are requested to give further information such as date of birth and phone number.

“And that’s where the scam happens,” Cluley writes. “The hackers who created this page are trying to sign you up for a premium rate cellphone service, that will charge you something like $10 a week until you unsubscribe.”

Graham Cluley notified Facebook’s security team of the scam but warns, for the gullible, plenty more are turning up on Facebook and Twitter.

Apple unveiled the iPad in January. The Wi-Fi version of the tablet is set to ship this month, with a 3G-enabled version to follow in April.