With the ongoing chaos surrounding PS5 and Xbox Series S/X stock, scammers have seen this as the perfect opportunity to jump in and rob passionate gamers of their money, leaving them with nothing in return.
Let's take a look at how you can identify console scammers and thus keep away from them.
What Is a Console Scammer?
A console scammer is someone that either falsely advertises a console, or downright lies about it. Ever seen offers on marketplaces like eBay and Amazon that sound too good to be true? Then you're likely looking at a scam.
Console scammers will try as hard as they can to make you part with your money, then will probably cease all contact—leaving you without your promised console and hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
They can appear friendly and seemingly communicative, without giving you any actual information (besides price, of course) and often demand that you use nonrefundable payment methods, such as PayPal Friends and Family.
Sony unfortunately admitted that PS5 demand will outstrip console supply throughout 2021; as long as there are console shortages, console scammers will look to prey on innocent gamers who just want to enjoy the current generation of gaming.
Is Console Scamming the Same as Console Scalping?
No. It's worse.
Console scalpers, whilst being morally dubious, should actually give you your new PS5 or Xbox Series S/X, albeit at a highly inflated price.
Console scammers, on the other hand, might sell you a current-gen console at the manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) or thereabouts. The only thing is, that new console will probably never arrive.
Although console scammers are worse than console scalpers, you should stay well away from both.
How to Spot a Console Scammer
There are a few things you can look out for whilst you're browsing to make sure you're not falling prey to a console scammer.
Remember: these people are purely interested in taking as much money from you as they can, then disappearing. You can't reason or bargain with them.
If at any point before making a transaction, you feel uncomfortable, then stop and save your money for when consoles become readily available through conventional, well-known retailers.
1. Ask Them to Send Unique Pictures of the Alleged Console
Console scammers specialize in misleading their unlucky victims. One of your best methods of identifying whether someone is genuinely selling you their console or setting you up to scammed is to identify that they actually have one in the first place.
Ask for unique pictures of the seller's console, perhaps with their username, or giving a thumbs-up beside it. If the scammer doesn't have a console, then they'll find it hard to create these images and might be reluctant to do so (unfortunately, there's Photoshop).
2. Never Buy a Console Using PayPal Friends and Family or Similar Payment Methods
Often, a scammer will ask you to pay them using a non-refundable payment channel, such as PayPal Friends and Family.
If you're using a payment method like this, then you're not covered by any buyer protection or the right to receive a refund if your product never arrives or isn't as they described it. This ensures that, once scammed, you'll find it incredibly tricky to ask for a refund, if at all.
If you're looking to buy your console second-hand on a marketplace, make sure that you're using a payment option that is refundable in case anything goes wrong.
3. Reread Any and All Product Descriptions
Console scammers might try to bypass the previous point by tweaking their description so you can't ask for a refund.
For example, they might state that only the box of an Xbox Series X is for sale or that photos of PS5s are available to buy on eBay, which eBay has been dealing with.
They're hoping, as you're scrolling, trying to find the best deal, that you misread the product description and make a purchase out of excitement, thinking you've found a great deal, only realizing what you've done when it's too late.
4. Look at the Seller's Account and User Reviews
Does the seller have a new account? What's the feedback score? How genuine do the reviews look?
Many people have taken to scalping or scamming on sites like eBay, Amazon, and Sears Marketplace, so it's worth your time to check up on any potential seller. Look at the reviews—past victims or good samaritans can let you know if the seller is a scammer—and be sure to communicate with the seller if you have any doubts.
New sellers with no feedback scores aren't necessarily a bad thing—the seller genuinely could be new—but it's best to err on the side of caution when searching for a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
5. Stay Away From Social Media Sales and Unknown Websites
If you're keeping up on PS5 or Xbox Series X stock pages on sites like Twitter, there may be users in the comments claiming they've got a new console for sale. Better yet, at around RRP or free (wow!).
Don't take the bait. Again, yes, there could be genuine sellers, but the chances of you getting scammed are a lot higher when going through something as informal as Twitter or Facebook DMs.
Console scammers have allegedly been hacking verified Twitter users' accounts in order to appear more credible when they introduce themselves. Though this can sound obvious in hindsight, they have scammed thousands of people through Twitter, including reports of well-meaning parents trying to buy a new console as a Christmas present for their children.
The same goes for unknown websites–if you've never heard of the website, don't buy a new console on it.
Your Best Weapon Against Console Scammers Is Patience
Console scammers hope you won't wait till there are ample stocks of PS5s and Xbox Series Xs to go around. They want you to give in, trying to secure a console as quickly as you can, at the expense of security.
You already know the answer with buying the new consoles: wait till they're in stock from well-known retailers.
Though you may not see yourself with a new console for a while, there are plenty of things you can do to keep yourself occupied in the meantime, all whilst you deny console scammers your precious time and money.