FBI Warns Card Shops About Pokemon Card Fraud, Thefts

The FBI has issued a warning to trading card shops about a fraud scheme involving stolen credit cards used to purchase high-value Pokémon cards, according to Dexerto. Seven stores in New Jersey were targeted between September 2025 and March 2026, with some losing tens of thousands of dollars in stock, as reported by the FBI’s Newark field office.

The scam often begins with a customer attempting a contactless phone payment. If it fails, they ask the cashier to manually enter a card number, which turns out to be stolen or compromised. According to NJ.com, a criminal network is also using a phone app that cycles through multiple stolen card numbers until one is approved, an app now under FBI investigation. Stores may not discover the fraud for weeks, giving thieves time to resell the cards.

Beyond digital fraud, federal agents have noted an increase in physical thefts, smash-and-grab burglaries, and coordinated distractions. The Big Pack Hobby Shop in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, lost between $40,000 and $50,000 in Pokémon cards in a smash-and-grab in June. Vendors have also been targeted outside card shows, including a father and son who lost $150,000 in Pokémon cards and $12,000 in cash in a Woodbridge hotel parking lot.

The Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gersich stated that the boom in the trading card industry during COVID has put it on their radar, with thieves targeting shops from New York City to Los Angeles. The FBI is advising shops to disable manual card entry or require photo ID for it, keep display cases locked, and install cameras and panic buttons. No arrests have been reported so far for the credit card fraud scheme.