- It’s a weird thief who’s ready to put a gun to someone’s head over Pokémon cards.
Gotta catch ‘em all! The famous catchphrase really underscores what the Pokémon franchise is all about.
But recently, some unscrupulous would-be Pokémon trainers have been acquiring their creatures in decidedly criminal ways.
Much like Team Rocket in the original cartoon, groups of thieves are specifically targeting Pokémon cards. In the past few months, several high-profile thefts have rocked the card-collecting scene across the country.
Put together, the crooks have stolen well above $200,000 worth of Pokémon cards and collectibles. The methods they’ve used have ranged from manipulating credit card readers to armed smash-and-grabs in broad daylight.
Let’s take a look at three of the most egregious Pokémon card thefts, and the reasons why criminals are going after children’s card games.
Hacking the Card Terminal
The first case happened in late October 2025 at a CardVault branch in Soho, New York City. This particular collectible cards store has some star power behind it, as former NFL superstar Tom Brady holds a majority share in the company.
Brady purchased half of CardVault in February 2025. The Soho store opened its doors in early October, only 12 days before the theft.
On the day, an unidentified man walked into the CardVault store and picked up several boxes of Pokémon and baseball cards. He then marched to the counter and used a credit card to pay for the items.
However, the credit card wasn’t valid, and the card reader declined the transaction. Somehow, before the cashier could notice, the man reportedly started entering manual prompts into the payment terminal to bypass the “CARD DECLINED” notices.
By the end of it, it seemed like he had paid for the cards fair and square. By the time the staff realized what had happened, the man was long gone — taking roughly $9,700 worth of Pokémon cards with him.
Nighttime Break-in
Our second story comes from Burbank, California. On the night of December 2, three burglars broke into the LA Sports Cards store.
Surveillance footage showed that the masked trio used a crowbar to pry open the store’s front door. They then sawed through the metal security gate with surprising ease.
Once inside the store, they began stuffing boxes of Pokémon into large plastic bags. According to the store owner Kiet Nguyen, the men obviously knew what to grab and from where, suggesting that they had scouted out the store beforehand.
However, they weren’t completely clear on what they were grabbing. Nguyen said that the men also took a few boxes of sports cards as well.
“The vast majority, they were targeting Pokémon cards. They inadvertently took some lock boxes from the back that also had sports cards, Nguyen told Dexerto.
Not that they’ll probably complain. Among the sports cards was one signed by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, which is worth a hefty sum.
The whole robbery, from breaking the front door to when the burglars disappeared from security footage, took only a few minutes. In this case, the burglars made away with more than $100,000 in merchandise.
Bold Robbery
The third and most outrageously brazen crime took place at a Poke Court store in New York City. On January 14, a group of three masked men in black hoodies suddenly burst into the store, where several dozen customers were enjoying an arts and crafts night.
One of the men reportedly pulled out a handgun and began threatening the crowd to keep them under control, while another kept watch at the door. The third man started smashing displays and pulling apart shelves, filling several backpacks with Pokémon cards and collectibles.
Within three minutes, it was all over. As the men ran away, the Poke Court staff locked the doors and called 911.
Fortunately, despite the burglars waving a gun around, nobody was hurt in the robbery. Still, like in the California burglary, the criminals stole more than $100,000 in Pokémon goods.
Attractive to Thieves
You might think it’s weird that criminals are targeting what are, in essence, kids’ toys. However, there are many reasons why Pokémon cards make for an attractive target for thieves.
First, stolen Pokémon cards are extremely easy to flip. They don’t have any serial numbers or other identifying markings, so it’s impossible to prove where the cards came from.
Additionally, most people buying Pokémon cards don’t even consider that the products could be stolen.
“Pokémon cards are so easy to sell these days and a sealed product, everybody has it, so it wouldn’t raise any suspicion if someone were to sell something like these products. They’re available everywhere,” explained Nguyen.
Second, Pokémon cards are easy to sell. The criminals don’t need a fence, and can simply list the cards for sale on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or some other online platform.
Third, there’s a massive resale market for Pokémon cards. Card collecting blew up during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some collectors considering the cards a solid investment instead of gaming tokens.
Consequently, Pokémon cards can be ridiculously expensive. Good cards can sell for several hundred dollars, and then there are some ultra-rare cards, such as vintage first-edition ones, that can carry price tags up to a million dollars.
Finally, although the involved sums of money can seem huge, they’re not that big. As such, police often prioritize solving other cases over Pokémon card theft, making the burglaries comparatively safe to pull off.
So, if you happen to be a Pokémon collector, you might want to scrutinize your third-party card purchases a bit more carefully. Otherwise, you might end up purchasing black market Pokémon.
This isn’t the first time Pokémon cards have been involved in crime. In 2023, a bunch of cards helped catch the infamous Aberdeen Bomber.