FBI investigates scams at 7 shops in New Jersey where Pokémon cards were stolen
The FBI is getting involved as the theft of high-priced Pokémon cards continues at shops in New Jersey. The FBI says it's investigating seven cases in which thieves are committing wire fraud to obtain high-priced collectors' cards.
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Seven card shops in New Jersey, specializing in pricey Pokémon collector cards, have been robbed between September 2025 and March 2026.
Those thefts have now gained the attention of the FBI because of the way some of these crimes are being committed. Authorities say these thieves are using fake identities and stolen credit cards to make purchases, which is wire fraud, a federal crime and a felony.
Pokémon cards, from those that are $300 to $1,500, can easily rise in cost to upwards of $30,000 and more for rare selections, which means the card shops in New Jersey that were targeted for scams are taking big losses.
The FBI says some of the thefts are smash-and-grabs, which is what happened in June at a shop in Rochelle Park. Other thefts are more sophisticated.
“What they are doing is, they’re using fraudulent credit cards to accomplish that," said Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blanchfield.
But as the ownership at Liquid Games in Ocean Township found out, scammers aren’t simply pulling out a fake credit card and tapping. They're using their phone in a way that leaves shops vulnerable.
The FBI says a customer will attempt to pay with their phone, but when it doesn’t work, they’ll ask the store clerk behind the counter to manually type in the credit card number. The FBI says that manual input leaves stores vulnerable because they won't know right away that the card is stolen.
“So when the vendor actually does that, they don’t find out for a few weeks that the credit card was stolen or shut down," added Blanchfield.
That happened at Liquid Games. A man still being sought by police got away with $2,000 worth of merchandise. The FBI says other stores targeted include Peninsula Games in Long Branch and Cardboard Colosseum in South Amboy. A store in Howell is said to have lost 10,000 dollars in merchandise.
The FBI suggests stores disable the manual-entry function for credit card use. Always ask for photo ID and keep Pokémon cards in locked display cases.
Authorities are also investigating to see if these crimes are at all connected.
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