A Pokemon TCG fan was recently the victim of a pricey scam that has affected multiple individuals, costing them the equivalent of more than $30,000 USD. The Pokemon TCG scam has affected multiple buyers in Thailand and has scammed unsuspecting customers out of significant sums of money.
The trading card game based on the beloved monster-catching franchise has been more popular than ever in recent years. The Pokemon TCG has seen a major boom, bolstered by popular sets such as Prismatic Evolutions and Ascended Heroes, which produced some pricey and highly sought-after cards. The recent 30th anniversary festivities have similarly sparked excitement for the trading card game, which has seen the card game launch a multitude of products honoring Pokemon‘s history, including the upcoming 30th Celebration set. Now, however, one fan in Thailand was the unfortunate victim of an ongoing Pokemon scam.
Pokemon TCG Scam is Running Rampant in Thailand
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Image via The Pokemon Company -
Image via The Pokemon Company -
Image via The Pokemon Company
A recent report to the Bangkok Economic Crime Suppression Division reveals that an 11-year-old boy was scammed out of more than $30,000. The report suggests that the scam was related to the child’s dealing with a seller referred to as “Mr Mor,” who had been selling Pokemon cards through Facebook. The child had transferred a staggering sum of 1,000,000 baht, equivalent to just over $30,500, in order to purchase a card, only to never receive the card he had paid to acquire. Other buyers reported a similar story about the Pokemon TCG scammer, including multiple attempts at correspondence being met with no response and the Facebook account associated with the seller being closed.
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The 11-year-old was far from the only would-be customer to fall victim to the Pokemon TCG scam. The report from the Economic Crime Suppression Division cites at least 25 people who reported being scammed by the same account. Other buyers reported the seller initially delivering on the products ordered, building a sense of trust in customers who returned to buy more cards later. The issues began to arise when expensive Pokemon TCG cards began to take longer to deliver, with the seller citing customs and tax issues before failing to respond entirely. The fraudulent seller has yet to be officially identified by the Thai government.
Pokemon TCG scams have become increasingly commonplace with the game’s recent spike in popularity. New Pokemon TCG products have often been the victim of scalpers buying out sets quickly, then reselling boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes at significant markups. Some sets like the previously mentioned Ascended Heroes have been particularly targeted by bad actors, with multiple cards in the set, like the Special Illustration Rare versions of Mega Gengar ex and Pikachu ex, selling for more than $1,000.
Fans of the Pokemon TCG should have no shortage of exciting sets coming throughout the rest of 2026. The previously-mentioned 30th Celebration will bring reprints for some of the most iconic cards from throughout the history of the game, with each Pokemon card having a special 30th anniversary stamp. The Pokemon Company will launch its final full expansion of the year in November with the release of Delta Reign, featuring Mega Rayquaza as the spotlight Pokemon and adding more Mega Pokemon first introduced in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The 30th anniversary of Pokemon has already been an exciting time for the Pokemon TCG, with plenty more on the way.
Source: Malay Mail
