FBI Investigating Pokemon TCG Scam

A Pokemon TCG buying scam that’s caused sellers to lose tens of thousands of dollars is being actively investigated by the FBI. The crime tactic is just the latest in people looking to commit crimes around Pokemon TCG.

While Pokemon TCG has no connection to crime itself, that hasn’t stopped people from taking advantage of the high value of some cards. Individual sellers and card shops alike have been targeted, with some going so far as to use chainsaws to break in and steal Pokemon TCG cards. As individual Pokemon cards are small and can often be extremely valuable, they’ve unfortunately become a common target.

FBI Investigates Pokemon Card Thefts

It’s now been revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into numerous cases of scammers committing fraud to steal Pokemon cards. Between September 2025 and March 2026, reportedly at least seven stores in the New Jersey area were victims of these scams, with the supposed customers shopping for high-value cards. Upon trying to complete their purchase, the scammer would typically scan their phone on a touchless credit card reader, which would fail to process. After that, they’d ask to have the store enter a credit card number manually. The scammer would then provide a working – but stolen – credit card number and walk out the door with their ill-gotten gains. This has reportedly resulted in thousands of dollars worth of Pokemon cards being stolen.

Unfortunately, this method of stealing cards is a bit more complex than simply breaking into a store after-hours or committing armed robbery for Pokemon cards. Since the credit card transaction was processed successfully, store owners often didn’t know they’d been scammed until the transaction was rejected after the fact. This usually happens when the actual credit card owner or their credit card company realizes that a suspicious purchase has been made, resulting in it bouncing, or the credit card account being closed entirely. By then, the thief is long gone, as are their stolen cards.

The FBI has recommended that shops selling Pokemon TCG cards not utilize manual credit card entry for purchases in order to avoid scams like these. However, in some of the instances, a different method was used that could be even more problematic. Some of the thieves reportedly used an app on their phone that allowed them to store numerous credit card numbers, likely all stolen, and then cycle through them when using touch-to-pay until one successfully went through. Accordingly, shops have also been recommended to require proof of identification when any large purchases are made, regardless of the payment method used.

While the FBI may be successful in tracking down the person or people responsible for these scams, it seems unlikely that the shops will be able to recoup their lost property. It’s likely that once the cards were taken, they were quickly resold to unsuspecting third parties. Sadly, Pokemon TCG collectors buying cards from individuals can easily end up buying contraband without realizing it, as there are no unique identifiers on individual cards that can be used to easily track them.

Sources: News 12, NJ.com