Smaller in form than the current iPhone 3G, built with an aim to cash in on the prospects of a smaller iPhone – Macworld – anticipated next month, some ‘iPhone Nano’ dupes have been spotted in Thailand. To give them as close an official look as possible, the knockoffs have the Apple iPhone label at the back.

The rumors about the iPhone Nano started making rounds after the images of an XSKN case designed specifically for such a device, due to which the fakes got away with the basic design as well as the branding. The makers of the fake iPhone Nanos are trying to garner upcoming product info from Apple in whatever way possible – beginning with the cases right away, they would be set to jump on production well before the competitors.

According to an AppleInsider reader who came across the knockoffs in Thailand, buyers need to be watchful regarding the claims of the fakes, especially till the run-up to the Macworld Expo in January.

Most of these small-sized replicas are allegedly made by anonymous Southeast Asian firms – which have reproduced silicone case molds, the familiar Apple software and similar layouts, and even with the icons ripped directly from Apple’s interface.

Apart from the noticeable changes in color like splashes of gold or pink, these clones, when switched off, can easily pass off as originals for an iPhone nano for most buyers in general, as they cannot technically differentiate a fake from an original!