With hot-ticket items like Sony's PlayStation 5 in demand this holiday season, gangs are turning to outlandish Fast & Furious-style theft to secure them en route.
Alongside Sony's already incredibly popular PlayStation 5 consoles, police have also noted that mobile phones, cigarettes, new technology like Apple's recent M1-chip range of computers and cosmetics have all reportedly been stolen using a method known as "the rollover." From January-September, there have allegedly been as many as 27 "rollover" thefts, with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (Navcis) now sending out warning messages to haulage firms and delivery companies to add additional safety measures to counteract an increased spike in this specific kind of theft.
With "the rollover," criminals box in moving delivery trucks as they travel at high speeds. At least three criminal vehicles are involved in this process, with one car blocking the front of the trucks to ensure they can't accelerate away. Another vehicle then boxes the truck in on the side so they cannot switch lanes to escape. Finally, the third trails just behind as an individual attempts to secure the items by using a cutting tool or crowbar to break into the back of the moving truck. Once accessed, they pass the goods back into the car directly behind the truck via a modified sunroof.
Notably, there is concern that these high-speed raids could be the result of insiders tipping off criminals, revealing what trucks contain specific goods. The estimated total stolen from the 3,055 reports recorded by Navcis comes to $87.8 million (£66 million). Former security manager at the Road Haulage Association Chrys Rampley stressed how "Somebody must know when and where that vehicle is and it can't be just random that you are going to attack that. Somebody has done some tipping off."
Since releasing in November, PlayStation 5 has been challenging for gamers to get a hold of, with many turning to resellers after trying and failing to order stock through online retailers. Many are then faced with paying a high price to secure one either for themselves or for a friend or loved one come Christmas Day. Even some gamers who were under the impression they had a PlayStation 5 on the way to them were dismayed to open up their package and discover their Amazon order was instead comprised of a number of different items.