Buyer Purchases PlayStation 5 From Scalper, Ends Up Victim Of Online Fraud

One poor person decided that their best bet for buying a PlayStation 5 was from one of the many, many scalpers out there, and it did not end well.

Short supply and sky-high demand are a lethal combination for a next-gen launch, and it caused chaos when the pre-orders for the console went live. Speaking in a recent interview, SIE CEO Jim Ryan expressed his pride for what the team achieved, but there's no doubt that he wouldn't want to repeat 2020.

"Of all the things that I've learned this year, one is that I wouldn't plan on doing another big console launch in the midst of a global pandemic, and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody else," said Ryan. "It's been difficult, it's been challenging from the production side, not being able to get anybody into the factories in Asia... Before we started production, we had to do all the manufacturing preparation by camera remotely. I mean, just imagine that for a precision device like the PlayStation 5."

It's been a headache for Sony, and it's been a headache for us, so when the opportunity presents itself to purchase a PS5 for a chunk more than the asking price... would you do it?

Of course you wouldn't! This person did, though. TheGreatJordan on Resetera shared their story, and admitted that it probably wasn't the smartest move. "I just paid £800 for one just there. I feel very stupid but I just couldn't be patient for some reason. Honestly these scalpers suck," they said. Other users agreed, and criticised TheGreatJordan for not living up to their name. "You can do what you want with your money OP, but the honest answer is that that was unwise and your subconscious is telling you that so you're trying to look for some reassurance to not feel that way and ignore that nagging feeling," replied one. That feeling of being cheated was bang on, and TheGreatJordan returned to the thread bearing bad news.

"The guy tricked me into using friends and family on PayPal and blocked me on everything this morning. He said he'd send tracking number today but I've been blocked and Paypal won't give me back my money!!!" they claimed. They said they didn't realise that this was a common tactic for scammers, and Resetera users instructed them to contact PayPal and their bank to explain what went wrong.

Though TheGreatJordan was able to contact their bank and assured them they'd receive the money in early December, the repercussions of the action may be much more far-reaching. As they used "Family & Friends" to send the money, TheGreatJordan essentially bought £800 from PayPal to send £800 to the scammer. Speaking to their bank, the bank enacted a chargeback, which took the money from PayPal. PayPal is out of pocket now, and TheGreatJordan's account may be permanently closed with their credit score in the gutter as the company chases after the £800.

Thankfully, it appears that they've learned their lesson. Now, even if you've gotten the most severe case of FOMO, don't turn to scalpers.

Topics: PlayStation 5, News