New reports indicate that stealing PlayStation 5s continues to be a problem in the United Kingdom, with gangs now heading these operations that see them steal the next-gen console straight from delivery trucks in a move identical to heist movies.
The launch of the PlayStation 5 has been chaotic across the world due to stock shortages that have witnessed a plethora of disappointed fans waiting for another opportunity to secure a console, but things have been particularly precarious in the region.
The PlayStation launch in the United Kingdom started with the same issues everyone else experienced, with new system preorders lacking and scalpers using bots to purchase the items faster than an average customer buying the console online.
Things started spiraling down once the deliveries rolled out, with several consumers reporting getting totally different products than a PlayStation 5. Following this incident, it was broadcasted on national TV that an Amazon delivery driver runs off with the PlayStation 5 console of a customer and that a UK-based scalper group had successfully obtained more than 3000 PlayStation 5 units during the initial preorders with the sole intent of reselling them for outrageous prices. Just recently, a trade-in retailer, also from the United Kingdom, came under fire for selling the PlayStation 5 by double its suggested retail price.
Now, a new report from UK’s The Time has revealed that PlayStation 5 theft continues to be a problem, and the robbers are getting more innovative, too. The report explains a modus called “rollover” being utilized by gangs to acquire a PlayStation 5 illegally, which involves the use of cars to trap delivery trucks as they are moving and then having one of the thieves scale their own car before breaking into the moving delivery truck, stealing everything inside.
Supposedly, this modus has already been existing for a couple of months, with 27 cases reported since September. However, the report mentioned that crimes have risen in the past few weeks because of pre-holiday deliveries. Things have allegedly gotten worse that authorities warned delivery companies of the modus and how to prevent it.
This era’s next-gen consoles have been released into an environment that looks to continuously churn out problems for those who badly want to secure them, and PlayStation 5 thefts from moving trucks are only somewhat shocking provided how frustrating the experience has already been for fans. Most of these problems could be resolved by restocking Sony’s new consoles, but those don’t appear to be coming anytime soon, at least in huge numbers.
