Corporations typically register domain names, even if they don't intend to use them, but in this case, the prankster was able to register a believable-looking domain, hewlett-packard.org.uk, that HP hadn't managed to snatch up.

The site could have been used for something much worse than a harmless prank, according to the Social-Engineering.org website, which "If this were actually a malicious scammer how many people would have clicked?" Social-Engineering.org wrote on its blog. "How many would have inserted credit card info?"

This isn't the first phoney TouchPad site to pop up. Yesterday HP warned about another fake TouchPad site, called Hptouchpadsale.com. HP spokeswoman Bryna Corcoran said in a Twitter message.

Last week, HP announced it was killing off its iPad competitor due to poor sales. But when it slashed retail prices to $99 it transformed the TouchPad from a flop to a hot item. The TouchPad initially sold for $499.

Most U.S. retailers sold out of the devices quickly when the sale began Saturday, but people are still trying to find them online.