Fake iPhones preloaded with Android software are being sold to unsuspecting Queenslanders, with one seller listed as being at the Gold Coast.
At least eight people had paid more than $900 for the iPhone 7 Plus phones, which arrived in legitimate packaging but contained software used in rival smartphones, police said.
Between December 3 and January 13, police received complaints from shoppers who answered adverts on Facebook Market Place and Gumtree for iPhone 7 Plus phones.
The seller was listed as being located on the Gold Coast in one of the adverts.
At least one of the adverts claims to have a brand new gold-coloured iPhone 7 Plus, with the seller claiming it was an "unwanted gift".
Investigators are making inquiries into similar offences and are appealing for anyone with information or who may have fallen victim to the adverts to contact police.