In particular, the platform holder has informed Trading Standards of a company called Mastercash, which has told UK consumers that it can provide gamers with PS3s before Christmas.

A Mastercash poster at London Bridge railway station proclaims ‘PlayStation 3 – Order Now For Christmas’, giving a £1.50-a-minute phone number for customers to call. A recorded voice on the other end of the line asks customers to leave their details, explaining that Mastercash will deliver either a Japanese or US console when one becomes available.

A Sony spokesperson told MCV: “SCEE has been made aware of this promotion, and we are investigating it further. We have forwarded the details on to Trading Standards, and urge all consumers to wait until the official European PS3 launch in March.”

The news will no doubt worry the importers that have inundated eBay with ads for grey PS3s, following the console’s launch in Japan and the US in the past week.
MCV has spoken to a number of resellers who have already received up to £1,200 for imported consoles.

See Also:
PS3 still up for grabs on eBay.co.uk
EBay bans PS3 imports
PS3 hits the US
Sony admits PS3 problems