An attempted PlayStation 5 sale went south last week, when the two sellers were reportedly robbed at gunpoint of their four new-gen consoles.
As reported by Durham Radio News, Durham police are on the lookout for a thief who's alleged to have stolen four PS5 consoles just outside of Pickering Town Centre last Thursday evening.
Police say the victims had gone to meet a potential buyer for the four PS5 consoles, having agreed to meet via social media. It's believed that the suspect pulled a handgun at some point during the transaction, threatening the sellers before getting into a car and driving away with the consoles and leaving the victims with nothing.
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“Police are reminding residents to take precautions when selling items on any online platform,” authorities stated in a press release. “It’s best to meet during the day in a public place away from your residence, and bring along someone with you. Don’t accept partial payment or anything other than cash and don’t hand over the item until you have the cash from the buyer.”
This is hardly the first time a seller has been lured into a trap online. Weeks after the PS5 launched, there were multiple reports of console scalpers being robbed by fake buyers. Some were even attacked in the process.
The two victims in this story were lucky... relatively speaking. Clearly, with a gun involved, things could have had a much more tragic end. So please, please remember that if you absolutely insist on buying or selling anything from a stranger online, you do it the smart way.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation 5, Sony