Buying used or refurbished technology can be a great way to save money, but it can also be a great way to put a great big cache of porn in the hands of your kid. That’s what happened to one man who bought his daughter a Kindle Fire from a pawn shop for Christmas. Worse: it might be child porn. Now police are investigating.

The local TV station that reported this story says that the father “immediately called Fox 59 and police.” We really hope that they have the order backwards, since the police will generally be more helpful in investigating cases like this. (Not always, though.)

“If you get something that’s old or used, please check yourself before you give it to a child,” the dad helpfully advised the public. That’s true. You also should check when giving a gift to an adult, because it’s really no fun to open a gift and then immediately have it become evidence in a police investigation before you even get to play a game of “Angry Birds.”

As Consumerist has reported on many occasions, buying what you think is a brand-new, shrinkwrapped item isn’t necessarily any protection from a porn-filled Nintendo DS or tuna cans in place of Beats headphones.

Local man finds possible child porn in tablet bought at pawn shop [Fox 59]

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