Pokémon Card Owner in Japan Swindled Out of Over $300,000 After Falling for One of the Oldest Fake Money Tricks in the Book

Police successful Japan person arrested 3 men successful a Pokémon card-buying scam. The alleged criminals arranged to bargain 3 uncommon Pokémon cards for 51 cardinal yen (approx. $320,000) from an individual. However, the insubstantial container they handed implicit to the unfortunate was conscionable filled with bundles of insubstantial designed to look similar existent stacks of cash. This clichéd strategy has drawn immoderate amusement connected Japanese societal media for being similar thing retired of an anime.

Toru Morino (38), Jun Takemura (54), and Eiji Koda (52) are suspected of moving unneurotic to swindle a antheral successful his 30s retired of 3 invaluable and uncommon Pokémon cards. Back successful June 2024, they seemingly arranged to conscionable up with the unfortunate astatine a edifice successful Tokyo to speech 51 cardinal yen successful currency for the Pokémon cards. The accused trio seemingly gained the victim’s spot by showing him what seemed to beryllium wads of wealth successful a insubstantial bag. However, aft leaving the hotel, the unfortunate discovered that lone the apical 10,000 yen (approx. $60) enactment of each bundle was genuine, and the remainder were simply pieces of banknote-sized paper. So alternatively of receiving the promised 51 cardinal yen, the unfortunate lone got 1 cardinal yen (approx. $6,295) for his trio of uncommon Pokémon cards.

According to Japanese quality reports, Morino has remained silent, portion Takemura and Koda denied immoderate engagement successful the incidental (FNN Prime Online).

On societal media, the lawsuit has drawn immoderate amused reactions implicit the method utilized by the fraudsters, with galore pointing retired however the fake bundles of currency look excessively overmuch similar a cliché from a TV play oregon movie to beryllium a real-life strategy. “There truly are guys that usage that trick,” 1 commenter mused. Over connected Yahoo Japan News, commenters were puzzled arsenic to wherefore the seller didn’t announcement the wealth was fake, with 1 idiosyncratic saying: “normally you’d number them wouldn’t you? Or astatine slightest 1 bundle.” Another mused: “it’s a transgression that plays connected psychology,” wondering if the seller didn’t cheque the wealth decently due to the fact that they assumed that the buyers would person prepared the close magnitude with the presumption that it would beryllium checked by the seller. “50 cardinal yen is capable to bargain a detached location successful Yokohama. Handing implicit that overmuch currency successful person… I thought that benignant of happening lone happened successful anime, wherever they simply popular unfastened a briefcase…”

“The scam is unspeakable but the authorities of the Pokémon paper scene, successful which conscionable 3 insubstantial cards tin bid 51 cardinal is beauteous terrifying too. I wonderment what cards they were?” mused 1 idiosyncratic connected X / Twitter. Police person yet to uncover which cards were involved.

Others pointed retired that erstwhile it comes to high-value Pokémon cards, exchanging wealth successful idiosyncratic is already "too precocious risk." "Nowadays, Pokémon cards are nary longer conscionable 'toys' but high-value assets," pointed retired different idiosyncratic connected X, adding that if owners don’t acceptable up suitably unafraid methods to merchantability their invaluable cards past specified scams volition support happening.

Indeed, the soaring marketplace worth of uncommon Pokémon cards has made them the absorption of crimes successful caller years. For example, past twelvemonth a Pokémon paper store successful Japan made the quality for getting robbed of $92,000 successful cards, allegedly by the proprietor of a rival TCG store. In February 2025, determination was a drawstring of Pokémon paper thefts crossed stores successful Melbourne, Australia (source: ABC News). In the U.S., determination has been a spate of Pokémon paper store robberies successful cities including Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle. And successful January this year, a Pokémon TCG store successful New York was robbed astatine gunpoint of $116,000 worthy of cards during a engaged event, with 50 radical held hostage.

Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.