PlayStation 2 Web site operator arrested

Canadian police arrest a man on fraud charges after customers say he sold them PlayStation 2 units for up to $599 that they never received.

Greg Sandoval Former Staff writer

Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.

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Greg Sandoval

Jan. 2, 2002 4:43 p.m. PT

Canadian police arrested a man on fraud charges after customers said he sold them PlayStation 2 units for up to $599 that they never received.

Twenty-year-old Scott Byers, who operates PS2storeusa.com and PS2storecanada.com, is due to appear in court Monday for a bail hearing, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Cpl. Mario Turcotte. Byers was arrested Friday on two counts of fraud at his home in Moncton, New Brunswick, Turcotte said.

The RCMP scheduled a news conference for Monday.

Over the past several weeks, customers of the two Web sites paid $394 to $599 for a Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, among the hottest and hardest-to-find toys this holiday season.

When their expected delivery dates came and went, some customers in Canada and the United States complained to their local chapters of the Better Business Bureau. Last week, the main chapters of the BBB from both countries issued warnings about the Web sites.