NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News
UK retailer Argos has been hit by a group of organised scalpers who managed to purchase PS5 stock before it officially went on sale.
- READ MORE: Where do gaming’s urban legends come from?
Argos stores had been given additional PS5 stock to upload and release on their website for sale, but according to IGN the stock refresh was targeted with an exploit by scalpers.
The group claims to have been able to access unlisted URLs on the Argos website, allowing them to checkout before the items officially went on sale.
Members of the paid-for scalping group posted photos of their spoils on social media, complete with their receipts. One scalper claimed they had used this online shopping hack to buy seven consoles from four different shops. Smyths, John Lewis, Argos, and Studio were all impacted.
@ArgosHelpers explain this? How has these scalper managed to buy one already when argos hasn't released stock yet to the public? And why was he given the ps5? Explain!!! pic.twitter.com/eJlp54nTnm
— jam_maaan (@Flaw_Uk) January 25, 2021
Several media outlets have chosen not to name the scalping ring, as their goal was to gain more notoriety through media coverage, per Eurogamer. GAME were recently targeted, with a reported 2000 PS5 consoles procured, but subsequently released a statement confirming that the orders were merely “automatic pre-orders” and would still need to be verified.
An Argos spokesperson said in a statement: “It’s clear our customers are excited for the new PlayStation. We released a small amount of additional stock and have seen huge numbers of customers trying to place their orders with us and we have now sold out.”
A group of six Scottish MPs recently tabled a motion to prevent item scalping in legislation, similar to the laws on ticket scalping. The law would involve the sale of gaming consoles and PC components at prices that were ‘greatly above the Manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Price’.
The post PS5 stock bought by scalpers before units listed for sale appeared first on NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.
