The PS5 is in hot demand right now, apparently hot enough demand to warrant literal Fast and Furious-style heists of the console from moving high-speed vehicles. Dubbed “the rollover,” gangs will box in trucks filled with shipments of high-value items, in this case the PS5. They use ropes to climb over to the truck, cut into it, and then toss the items out to the other waiting members of the gang. All while the vehicles are still traveling at 50 MPH or more.
UK outlet The Times reported that the UK is seeing an alarming increase in “the rollover” to steal expensive electronics from shipments as the holiday season approaches. Through the year, this tactic was been used at least 27 different times in various heists. Drivers have been given alerts of the tactic, but it’s unclear how they can effectively handle the situation when it is occurring.
Transit is seen as the weakest link in the supply chain for high-value goods like the PS5, which is why these gangs take extreme risks to perform these high-speed heists. They usually target luxury goods and high-end tech that can be resold for a premium.
One security manager for a shipping company said that the gangs have to be working off of insider information to know when and where any given truck full of a specific item will be. “Somebody must know when and where that vehicle is and it can’t be just random that you are going to attack that,” they said. “Somebody has done some tipping off.”
While The Times article broadly covers items being stolen during these heists—PlayStations, TVs, cosmetics, mobile phones and cigarettes—it’s telling that the new console has been added to these gangs’ list of items worth literally risking their lives to steal.
This isn’t the only issue the UK has been seeing with the PS5 launch. Scalper groups have been scooping up consoles by the thousands for resale (though sources say those numbers might be exaggerated). Another issue saw Amazon UK orders for the PS5 being replaced with other random items in what appeared to be a massively organized theft of the console.
If you managed to get a PS5 without the help of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, congratulations! If not, stay safe, don’t overspend to some scalper for it, and be patient. Sony is aware of the high demand and trying to make more inventory available as quickly as possible.
[Via: Eurogamer]