PS5: a sale that turns into an ambush
Since its release last November, Sony's latest-generation console, the Playstation 5 or PS5, has, despite itself (or rather despite Sony), been at the heart of a number of scams. Just minutes after its release in official shops, the PS5 was already out of stock. On Saturday 12 December, a private sale on Facebook Marketplace turned into an ambush.
It all started with an advert on the Facebook Marketplace
The events took place in Pas-de-Calais on the evening of 12 December, but the contact was made on Facebook's sales and purchasing platform, Facebook Marketplace. A woman had spotted a Playstation 5 advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Given that this is a product that has been difficult to obtain since its release, the woman was quick to show her interest to the seller. They immediately arranged a meeting to finalise the transaction.
An unexpected encounter
When the young woman went to the meeting, she was far from expecting what was in store for her. Having arrived a little early, our buyer stayed in her car until her sales assistant arrived. That's when a man in a balaclava violently knocked on her window. The man demanded the sum owed to her, with nothing in return. The victim, totally frightened, started his car and tried to escape. Unexpectedly, the swindler pulled out a gun and fired three shots into the air before fleeing.
The swindler tried to re-offend
A few days after this turbulent encounter and after withdrawing his advert, the scammer tried once again to con someone, using the same modus operandi: by putting an advert online for the sale of a fictitious PS5. A new buyer, warned in time by other users of the platform, quickly retracted his offer.
In the meantime, the first victim has contacted the relevant authorities to lodge a complaint against her attacker. To date, the police are looking for the swindler, but he has still not been found.
Conduct transactions between private individuals in complete security with Obvy
Unfortunately, the rarity of the Sony Playstation 5 is giving rise to a number of scams, and we've written an article on the subject. Scammers are rife on all fronts. Be vigilant when making transactions between private individuals.
For a 100% secure transaction between private individuals or professionals, go through Obvy. You'll benefit from a wide range of services to help you avoid any type of fraud. Our teams are also entirely at your disposal in the event of a dispute.
And if you want to own the Playstation 5, you can try and win it in our competition, where we're giving away a PS5 Digital Edition just for entering on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.