If you wanted a PlayStation 5 for Christmas, you may be a bit disappointed this holiday season. In fact, it might be nearly impossible to get your hands on one — unless you belong to a British truck-robbing gang, that is.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, cybercrime increased by 300%. That fact isn’t entirely surprising, since most of us are spending more time online or staring at a screen while staying home. But if you thought a Nintendo Switch was hard to find back when Animal Crossing came out early on during the pandemic, that’s nothing compared to the heartbreak you might experience when you realize that you won’t have a PS5 wrapped up for you under the tree this year.
All across the country, people are being scammed with fake stock and taken advantage of by scalpers who are looking to make a profit on hard-to-get PS5s. Despite the fact that 95% of the world’s cargo moves by ship, it seems that most stores and online retailers can’t keep up with the high demand for these gaming systems. Shortages have led to a number of extreme stories involving PS5 consoles, including Amazon driver theft.
But now, delivery trucks are at the center of another PS5-related event that feels like something out of the Fast and Furious franchise. Although large truck fatalities increased by 9% between 2016 and 2017, the dangers associated with large trucks haven’t stopped gangs from the UK in their efforts to steal console shipments right off the trucks.
Reports detail that gangs in Great Britain have been using the so-called “rollover” maneuver to literally commit highway robbery. This difficult and dangerous move requires several cars working in tandem to box in a delivery truck, preventing it from switching lanes and keeping it at a steady speed. At the back, one thief will climb out of their moving car and into the trailer of the truck. Once they locate the goods they want to steal, they’ll throw them back into the moving car and jump back into their vehicle — all without having any interaction with the truck driver.
The rollover isn’t a new invention, but it’s certainly increased in popularity of late. Officials in the UK report that rollover thefts have occurred at least 27 times since the beginning of the year. And as holiday pressures and pandemic fatigue continue, those numbers may continue to increase.
Of course, staging such an elaborate heist isn’t the way to go if you’re desperate for a gaming system. If you’re like most people, you’ll simply have to watch restock notices like a hawk or resign yourself to waiting until they become more readily available. And if you did manage to snag one for the holidays, just hope that a thief won’t get their hands on it first.
