STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — The booming market for Pokémon cards is creating new opportunities for collectors, but Martin County deputies say it is also drawing scammers who are selling counterfeits through online marketplaces.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two separate cases involving fake Pokémon cards after victims reported losing a combined $1,200 in deals arranged through Facebook Marketplace.
In the first case, deputies said a collector met a seller at a local gas station in Hobe Sound to trade nine Pokémon cards and cash. Investigators said the seller rushed through the transaction and left before the cards could be inspected. Once home, the victim realized the cards were counterfeit, and the seller blocked him online.
Ten days later, deputies said another collector reported a similar experience in Stuart. That victim traded collectible Pokémon card boxes and sent money through Zelle in exchange for two cards that were later determined to be fake.
Patrick Sutherland, who organizes Peetry’s Card Show from the Treasure Coast to South Florida, said the trading card market has surged in value.
“The market for even specifically just Pokémon or trading cards in general, it is the most lucrative market there is,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland said the rising value often comes down to nostalgia and scarcity.
“Once they’re out of their print run, they are never recycled back in,” he said.
He said authentic cards often have specific textures, coloring and holographic features that can be difficult to counterfeit.
“If you rub your finger across it you can feel texture,” Sutherland said.
He also pointed to details on a Pokémon card box, similar to the ones involved in one of the scams, that can help collectors identify counterfeit products.
“These are intentionally made not to be symmetrical. If you can see this end is higher than this one,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland urged buyers to slow down and inspect items before completing a deal, warning that rushed transactions can be costly.
“Because the last thing we ever want, ever, ever, ever is for our kids. Our future collectors to ever incur any of these problems,” he said.
Sutherland said the safest place to buy, sell, or trade collectibles is at a card show, where experienced collectors and vendors can help spot counterfeits. Meanwhile, Martin County deputies said they are still working to identify the suspects in both fraud cases.