A Devon surfer who bought a black and white photo of a laptop when he thought he was buying the real thing is now trying to re-sell the picture on eBay – to raise money for charity.
Gutted Paul Barrington, 38, fell victim to the scam after winning the auction for an Apple MacBook.
His winning bid was £300 for the top-of-the-range machine that can cost up to £1500 when bought new.
He had to quit his job in child care when he developed a lung condition.
Paul sold his surfboard to buy a laptop so he could launch a new career as a wedding DJ.
He found a MacBook on eBay, won it with a £300 bid and waited for his purchase to arrive in the post.
But when the package arrived, it was a small box with nothing in it except a black and white picture of the laptop he was expecting.
He complained to eBay and was given a refund along with a "profuse apology" after his ordeal went viral.
The scam was reported in Peru, Indonesia, the U.S, and by a Spanish-speaking Youtube blogger who put out a series of videos of himself talking about Paul's misfortune:
Paul has been amazed by the generosity of friends and strangers who heard about what happened.
"My neighbour lent me a laptop which I've now bought off him," he said.
"I've had so many offers of loans of a laptop, even from a customer of my hairdresser who I've never met."
Paul's friends launched a fundraising page to raise some money to help him get his business off the ground.
"It was a bit embarrassing," said Paul.
"I thought I'd better raise some more money for charity."
So he put the picture he was sent in the post back on eBay under the title, The Most Famous and Expensive Photocopied Apple Mac Ever.
He is planning to give the proceeds to the British Lung Foundation.
"Item can be a little stiff to close and sometimes a bit slow to start up," Paul's eBay description says.
"Some of the keys may appear slightly smudged and the screen is stuck on the same image."
Paul is hopeful that the attention will have discouraged whoever sent him the sheet of paper.
"He must be aware of the story so he'll probably lie low for a while," he added.
Visit www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Most-Famous-And-Expensive-Photocopied-Applemac-Ever-/271768526917 to bid for Paul's photocopy.
