It’s no secret that scalpers, as nifty and industrious as they can be, are incredibly frustrating people. Their unquenchable thirst for easy profit puts up walls for the rest of us. So when a scalper dives into something with demand as feverishly high as the PlayStation 5, it’s no surprise when they get skewered relentlessly online. Take this flog for example – after various retailers began finally restocking the currently ultra-rare next-gen console, this PS5 scalper – using software designed for hogging pre-orders – managed to nab no less than 2,000 units.
The scalper, a well of selfishness who goes by the apt name of ‘CarnageBot’, used Twitter to boast about his eye-watering bounty. “It just gets easier every time,” he captioned as he showed off his pre-order from UK gaming retailer GAME. Rightfully, plenty of users were quick to express their frustration at the PS5 scalper, even going so far as to reach out to GAME and request that they cancel the pre-order.
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This isn’t the first or last time a scalper has used an automated system to flood online pre-orders, but it’s certainly one of the most egregious in awhile. The PS5 – and the Xbox Series X – has been incredibly hard to come by, with gamers having to wait months since release to even have a crack at pre-ordering one.
GAME has responded to the situation through a company spokesperson, who has expectedly defended the online ordering system, implying that all orders are subject to checks.
“At the present time these orders are still pre-orders and as such, no payments have yet been taken from customers… payments will commence once our order checks have been completed.”
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Carnage bots doing better than ever from @GAMEdigital‘s PS5 stop drop this morning. Really sad. I want a PS5 badly but refuse to fund scalpers so will just have to wait it seems. pic.twitter.com/BsvMOwSyQZ
— Rachel Dacre (@Stingrach_) January 19, 2021
Despite the assurance, however, there has been no official word of GAME actually cancelling Carnage’s pre-orders.
Notably, gamers are getting increasingly desperate to get their hands on a PS5, with some even going so far as to stage Fast & Furious style road heists to lift the machines from trucks.
Still trying to get your hands on a PS5? Learn more about what to expect from our in-depth PlayStation 5 review.
