Paid $1200 for two iPhones, received two apples. Literally.

The woman, who has not been named, had posted an ad on website Gumtree asking to buy two Apple smartphones.

She was soon contacted by another woman who said she had 'two Apples' for sale.

They met at a McDonald's restaurant where the woman handed over the money for what she thought were two new smartphone boxes. The buyer did not check inside the boxes and on arriving home found they contained real apples.

Senior Constable Jess Hopkin of the Crime Prevention Unit in Upper Mt Gravatt, near Brisbane, warned people to be careful when buying things online, according to 'Herald Sun'.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It's really just common sense," said Hopkin.

Gumtree spokeswoman Niki Hennessy said the company took the safety and security of its users seriously.

"We are continually improving processes and user education to make Gumtree the safest possible platform for buying and selling," she said.