Beware the Bots

by | Dec 1, 2020


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PlayStation just launched its newest console, but most gamers were left empty-handed.

Like most anticipated items, the recent drop of the PlayStation 5 was overcome by bots, an automated trick people use to access websites and buy up stock faster than the average human can. 

So while you are putting in your shipping address and your credit card number, the bots are buying out the store. It happened with the US launch and according to Business Insider, the UK launch went the same way. 

Now people are seeing PlayStations pop up on sites such as EBay with a price tag hundreds of dollars higher than they were selling for. Many PlayStation fans are calling foul and saying major retailers should do more to protect sites against bots. 

Experts say it’s not a bad idea. Retailers who don’t have protection risk losing customers. Because these people will have to buy accessories and extra games, they might shop elsewhere. 

The same thing happens with sneaker launches and even the recent panic-buying of Lysol wipes and hand sanitizers due to Covid.

Brian Banmiller

About Brian

CBS News Radio national business journalist Brian Banmiller has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his “Banmiller on Business” reports are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.

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