TROY, Mich. – Police are issuing a warning to anyone trying to sell one of the hottest holiday gifts on the resale market.
Troy police said they’re investigating multiple cases of people being scammed while reselling the PlayStation 5 gaming system.
“I listed this item on Facebook Marketplace and this guy reached out to me. He was just saying, ‘Hey I’m interested, can we meet up?’ I said ‘Sure. I’d prefer to meet in a public space,’” said one victim.
The man said that on Nov. 18, he met the buyer, who was driving a Dodge Charger. He said as he was counting the money, the buyer got into their vehicle and drove away.
“While I was counting, the bills, I found out that half of them were singles. He basically got away with it and paid me less than half of what he was supposed to,” he said.
Troy Police are noticing more scams involving the PlayStation 5.
“Troy is not unique. This is happening unfortunately not just in Troy but around the country,” said John Julian with Troy Police Department. “Another one happened, actually as brazen as it sounds, in the circle driveway of our parking lot, right in front of our main doors. It’s actually labeled as a Craigslist safe zone.”
The second incident also happened on Nov. 18. The suspect was driving a Dodge Charger. They asked to look at the PlayStation 5 and drove off without paying.
Police believe the two incidents are connected because they both happened on the same day and the suspect was driving the same type of car. Police believe they could be targeting more people online as Christmas approaches.
Police advise that if you’re going to meet and sell items, go with a friend and have your cellphone ready in case something goes wrong.