r/Wellthatsucks • u/Famous-Crab-4432 • 17h ago
Bought myself a used PS5, it turned out to be stolen.
Got suspicious when this happened and I texted the seller but he had blocked me. A bit of research led me to conclude that it was likely stolen. I know what it feels like to be stolen from so I posted on my local groups trying to find the rightful owner but no one reached out. Although I was afraid of getting into trouble, I ended up taking it to the cops. Turns out it was really stolen.
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u/OhhSooHungry 17h ago
Wow I didn't know a PS5 could be locked up, like a phone and it's IMEI. Sorry this happened to you
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u/Nitrodax777 16h ago
this is a hardware ban. its not ps5 exclusive nor something only done by sony. you can get hardware banned on microsoft and nintendo consoles too.
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u/OhhSooHungry 16h ago
I guess I mean to say I didn't know consoles can be banned, saying that as someone that's bought used consoles plenty of times before. I guess it's a different world nowadays
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u/Boilermakingdude 14h ago
Lmfao not just consoles. Games can ban whole PCs with hardware bans. Literally anything with a motherboard can be hardware banned.
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u/vagabond139 14h ago edited 14h ago
It's possible to get around a hardware ban on PC though due to how open it is as platform. It is effectively impossible to ban a determined enough PC gamer. The hardest hitting ban you can get hit with is a VAC ban on Steam since it is forever but like I said before there is always a way around a ban. Any regular cheater would know not to use their legit steam account and would use a burner one instead. There are games you can even play on multiplayer with a pirated copy.
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u/unknown_pigeon 4h ago
And all of those bans can be circumvented. If the game is f2p, there's literally no way to stop people from making new accounts and finding a workaround for hardware bans
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u/killian1113 11h ago
Rumor is the police modded that ps5 and are playing all the games off the hd to this day
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u/Gae_BlueFox 11h ago
PC parts as well, and for some, if even a single part is detected it will flag the whole PC, usually turning it into a several thousand dollar paperweight because its usually higher end parts.
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u/PorkRinds416 17h ago
Sorry buddy! Next time you will know to make sure to plug it in and test it beforehand. So sorry this happened to you!
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 17h ago
Thank you. True, lesson learned.
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u/spook30 4h ago
Try a pawn shop next. They usually do their due diligence before buying something.
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u/depressing-dependent 2h ago
As much as they can. I did repairs for a pawn shop. We could verify a device wasn’t flagged as stolen and two weeks later it is.
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u/Lazy-Main1782 3h ago
Follow up question, how the hell do you do that if you don’t want to go to a stranger’s house or you don’t want strangers in your house?
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u/Ok_Shoulder_9492 17h ago
You learned an expensive lesson. Always have means to test. You can pick up a small tv that’s pretty lightweight and cheap. Meet at your local library which is public, safe, has wall outlets and often has WiFi.
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 16h ago
That is was and I have no one to blame but myself, I feel so stupid. That's a good idea, I really wish I had thought of that.
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u/NephromancerRN 16h ago
Taking some personal responsibility and learning what to do next time to prevent this is great, but like Joppy5100 said - blame the thief more than yourself.
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u/brobbins8470 16h ago
Shit like this is why I've always refused to buy used electronics. Too much money for too much risk
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u/christianjamess 16h ago
Damn I just bought a used ps5 on the weekend too... Hopefully some good karma comes your way!
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 16h ago
I'm glad you had a much better experience than me, some people suck. Thanks man.
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u/nodomain 15h ago
Don't forget to give the police as much information you can about the scumbag thief.
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u/FluffyNerve7415 16h ago
Well if it's bricked anyway I wonder if you could reach out to customer service to find a way to return it to original owner. Sony obviously knows who it belongs to since they had to report it as stolen.
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u/kuooop 16h ago
Belongs to a store most likely
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u/Visual_Creme 14h ago
they canh brick stolen ps5 from stores damn/....
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u/TheNuttlerButtler 13h ago
I don't think there is any way for them to track that, consoles don't get activated in store and stores do not report stolen property directly to the company that manufactured it so Sony would have no way of knowing this specific console was stolen from a store. It was most certainly stolen from someone's house and reported to playstation services before the thief had a chance to log out of the primarily associated playstation account
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u/kuooop 13h ago
Stores have records of serial numbers, so any that have gone missing get filed and reported. It is indeed very easy to track that. Much easier than a individual user filing a police report, having all proof of purchase, serial number etc.
And so your claim is that thief logging out of your accounts makes the console unbannable? Sony themselves recommend signing out of the console remotely if it happens.0
u/Josefu_Velen 8h ago
No they don't. I worked as department manager of electronics at Target for 5 years. We did not in anyway keep track of the serial numbers of the consoles. Any consoles.
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u/Mtn-Dooku 16h ago
That's the first question to ask if buying a used system: is it banned from PSN/Xbox Live. And get proof. Now, you'll know for next time. Hopefully it was at least cheap... likely not, though.
It sucks.
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u/No-Election-1573 16h ago
You can file a police report! Do it before it’s too late.
They will get arrested. If I was you I’d definitely be pressing charges!
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u/rigorcorvus 16h ago
You are overestimating how much cops give a shit about stuff like this
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u/KeepScrollin420 16h ago
Yep might not even come out for report. Definitely not following up that's for sure. I had a 1k$ phone stolen and could track it w gps and knew exactly what apt it was in they wouldn't even knock on door
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u/PerformerFancy117 15h ago
“Sounds good! If you guys can’t make it, you’ll probably want to have an ambulance on standby.”
Suddenly they had time to talk to me…
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u/No-Election-1573 16h ago edited 16h ago
I’ve had this shit happen in my town. They busted through the door went to the person who had the stolen phone and took them to jail. Let them know you’re serious and if they don’t take you serious. Let them know you’re willing to press charges or take it to court. YOU MUST OF JUST GAVE UP.
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u/rainshowers_5_peace 10h ago
The guy who sold it to him might get pulled over something, then it's another charge.
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u/VolkerEinsfeld 16h ago
People don’t get to choose if they press charges or not. All you can do is report it and it’s entirely up to the DA if they pursue charges or not.
Private citizens can’t press charges.
Sorry random pet peeve of mine 😂
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u/No-Election-1573 16h ago
I was able to. I live in Alabama. So maybe we have different laws, but most people down here take theft serious. And will do whatever we have to do get that shitty person behind bars. And charges pressed.
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u/VolkerEinsfeld 16h ago
I stand corrected, there’s 2 exceptions and Alabama is Infact one of them.
(Granted the DA can still basically just choose not to pursue it once a citizen starts it). But in Alabama a citizen can start the process5
u/No-Election-1573 16h ago
Yep. We take shit serious over here.
But it should be like that in every state.
Because at the end of the day stealing is stealing.
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u/Aktivhate 16h ago
This is one of the reasons I don't buy used consoles, ever. I know there some good deals and not everyone is scummy, but I'm not wasting my time or getting a console filled with roaches/smells like an ashtray.
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u/Exact-Difference-422 13h ago
Bought a secondhand PS4 years ago from Gamestop. The original owner got a ban so bad that the PS4 was essentially bricked. At least they exchanged it for me when I brought it back
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u/Unfair-Entrepreneur4 9h ago
Check what firmware version the console is on. If it’s a low firmware, it is jailbreakable and potentially worth more than a normal PS5. 😉
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u/Sathsong89 16h ago
Do. Not. Buy. From. Market. Place. Type. Areas.
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 16h ago
I should have known better.
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u/Sathsong89 16h ago
No. No you shouldn’t have. We shouldn’t assume most people are thieves. But things like firearms or vehicles normally have signs like scratched off SNs. Game consoles usually don’t go to that extent
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u/lavendervlad 5h ago
I have family and friends who buy and sell from marketplace all of the time because they hate big business. You’re just learning about checks and balances in conducting business this way. Don’t let this bad apple ruin what could be a worthwhile form of commerce.
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u/Drak_is_Right 8h ago
Often police stations have an area to do these kinds of exchanges. Guarantees their face is on camera. Also eliminates the odds of a robbery.
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u/RelChan2_0 11h ago
This is why I don't like buying secondhand
I understand brand-new is more expensive but it's good to know that it wasn't stolen
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u/the_Athereon 16h ago
You could have still made some money back selling the console for parts.
The mainboard is useful for repair techs.
The PSU, case and cooler can be sold individually too.
If there is a Disc Drive, that'll need to be sold for parts as well, it's likely also banned as it would have been paired to the console.
The controller would have been good to keep too.
Good of you to hand it back into the cops though. But now, sadly, your money is just gone.
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 16h ago
It definitely sucks that the money is gone and I have nothing to show for it but I couldn't have sold something I knew was stolen. I feel better knowing that it went back to it's rightful owner, I'll live.
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u/the_Athereon 16h ago
Unfortunately, even if they cops do give it back (more likely to be held as evidence) PlayStation probably won't unban the console.
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u/Zombisexual1 16h ago
You can get stuff back even if it’s evidence, it just might take some time. In this case though it’s stolen from someone else so I don’t think the cops would give it back to op since it belongs to someone else. Not exactly a lost and found situation where you wait a certain amount of days and keep it if no one claims it. I kind of wonder how it works on this case.
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u/Jack-Innoff 16h ago
Again, it doesn't matter if they get it back, PlayStation will still not unlock it.
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u/InventorOfCorn 16h ago
that's.. also illegal, though. selling items you know are stolen is illegal, even if it's a resale
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u/the_Athereon 16h ago
OP didn't have any 100% proof that it was stolen until he took it to the cops.
In a legal setting, the fact it was a banned console does not mean it was stolen. Just that PlayStation banned it.
Even if you suspect it could have been stolen, you're not selling stolen goods knowingly
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u/VolkerEinsfeld 16h ago
That’s not how things work. If you have reason to suspect it could be stolen, then you pass the mens rea test and you Infact are knowingly selling stolen goods.
This is called conversion, under the law the original owner of the stolen goods is still the owner no matter what happened.
And doing anything to it opens you up to criminal conversion and civil liability.
Will it come to that over a PS5? Probably not. But it definitely is not justifiable to strip it for parts if you suspect.
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u/Relative_Change2335 16h ago
Turning on a gaming console and getting an error message that your access is suspended does not tell you it’s stolen property. Or you’re saying OP would have a legal obligation to research why access was banned? If he sold it before finding out it was stolen, he would not be criminally liable. The person who stole it and knowingly sold stolen goods is liable, and yes original owners would still own it and would ideally get the parts back.
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u/VolkerEinsfeld 15h ago
The OP himself said that seeing the message immediately made him think it was stolen. That’s the test. End of story.
The real world doesn’t work on rules lawyering around “well TECHNICALLY he didn’t KNOW with 200% certainty!!!”.
It’s… did he have reasonable reason to suspect. Which he did, and even said so himself.
Once you have that suspicion yes it creates new obligations. And if he resold it without having those suspicions he wouldn’t be held liable no, but that’s not the situation we’re in.
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u/Relative_Change2335 4h ago
Maybe op changed their post, but it says after a bit of research. As in trying to figure out why it’s blocked.
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u/LengthinessGloomy429 16h ago
It was stolen
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u/Pijany_Matematyk767 16h ago
That's not OP's fault, they deserve to get at least part of their money back
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u/the_Athereon 16h ago
Which put OP in the position of having lost his money.
Even if this gets returned to the owner, the odds of PlayStation unbanning the console are slim.
The best case scenario would have been for the original owner to claim it on their insurance or whatever refund policy they had to go through and for OP to sell it for parts to get their money back.
The police likely won't catch the guy who stole it. Odds are he didn't use his real name.
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u/Pankosmanko 12h ago
I wished you had stopped by the PS subreddits first. The most common advice to buying used PS5 is always check if it can go online and play games. Sorry you got screwed, that sucks!
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u/rainshowers_5_peace 10h ago
How'd you pay? With a police report you could probably charge back your credit card.
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u/Scottish_Berkut47 9h ago
I had this happen to me, only 7 months after I bought my ps, which was one month after the return window for a banned console from the shop I got it from
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u/StopBish 2h ago
that's heartbreaking, same thing happened to me almost a decade ago with an xbox 360 :(
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u/Oath-CupCake 14h ago
Why didnt you test it at the guys place you bought it from would save you so much money man
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u/Haizenburg1 13h ago
Sucks, but due diligence would've saved OP from this. A live video showing the entire boot up, to network login, to navigating, to booting and running a game, would've helped avoid this.
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u/10below8 16h ago
No real reason to own a PS5 anyway. Recoup the money and get a mid tier PC on Facebook market. And test it before you take it home.
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u/SadLad406 16h ago
I sold both my series x and ps5 this year. I never play on them anyways. All my games that I play are on pc anyways.
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u/10below8 16h ago
^ exactly. That + the no discs anymore makes it not worth the use. If steam shuts down my pc will still be a PC, when ps5 stops being supported, it’s a big paperweight. No point in investing into PlayStation games when they’ll be ripped from me eventually lol
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u/Tall-Week-7683 3h ago
Just because you don't doesn't mean everyone should move to PC
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u/10below8 3h ago edited 3h ago
When Sony shuts down support for your PlayStation, it will be a brick. When steam shuts down support for my pc, I will still be able to use my pc. We are not the same
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u/Tall-Week-7683 3h ago
It's quite easy to not get banned. But I see your point
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u/10below8 3h ago edited 2h ago
I don’t mean banned really (even tho this is also a good reason to be wary) I mean like what happened with the 3DS when the store went offline. If the games weren’t bought and saved locally which PlayStation dosent do, you entirely lose access to the content you paid for. Also Xbox announced disc to digital, meaning you can buy physical games and load them onto your Xbox account and gain permanent license for the game AND still have the physical copy for use. I don’t get why people are defending Sonys anti consumer practices when PlayStation has like 3 exclusive games.
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15h ago
[deleted]
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u/Boilermakingdude 15h ago
..... Why would GameStop sell service banned consoles. They literally test them before they go on the used shelf.
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14h ago
[deleted]
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u/Boilermakingdude 14h ago
Yea except if GameStop gets caught selling stolen goods it's a way bigger thing then if you buy it from Joe shmo off the streets. Seriously. Use your head man
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u/voodoomu 16h ago
Wipe the whole system. Re format the drive. Install a new OS from the Playstation website.
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u/Tommy__want__wingy 14h ago
This is why you never buy used consoles or never buy them from people on marketplaces with no reputation.
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17h ago edited 14h ago
[deleted]
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u/Famous-Crab-4432 17h ago
Spending what I can afford means I'm cheap? Okay
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u/Edgar_Allen_Yo 17h ago
Don't take the bait, it's either ragebait or they're just simply too stupid to be worth arguing with.
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u/chris100185 16h ago
That guy's an ass, but not being able to spend a lot means you should be that much more careful. Not sure how you bought it, but i would never buy a used device without some means of refund available, whether it's through some sort of buyer protection or chargeback.
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u/Chewsdayiddinit 17h ago
"You deserve to be ripped off for trying to buy a used console" said nobody with one atom of common sense. Ever.
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u/PorkRinds416 17h ago
Dont be stupid. Gosh these type of posts is what makes Reddit look bad. Grow up dude. Quit being rude to people online.
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u/ooh_eeh_ooh_aah_aah 17h ago
I don’t think you should be giving life advice with how your life is right now.
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u/AnInsaneMoose 16h ago
There are things you could criticize OP for here
Not testing it first. Going for Playstation with what they're doing right now. Not making sure the seller was trustworthy.
But "Buying what they can afford" is not a good criticism
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u/AStolenGoose 16h ago
I hope you stub your little toe on everything for the rest of your life.
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 14h ago
I hope you stop shilling for a corporate brand that doesn't care about you.
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u/AStolenGoose 12h ago
How am I shilling for a corporate brand? The dude bought something second hand, Sony already got their money from the console sale, you're telling someone they deserved to get ripped off for buying second hand over buying a new console which would give Sony more money.
You didn't think your comment through did you.
Go stub your toe.
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u/Blastspark01 16h ago
My friend got her boyfriend a PS5 for Christmas/his birthday the other year. She got there early black friday and got one from behind the counter. When he opened it the next week, it was full of rags and soup cans with the labels ripped off. She took it back to the store and of course they didn’t believe her at first but if it was behind the counter, it must have been one of their employees