Pokémon Trading Card Game scammers have hit a new all-time low, as Japanese card game reseller Runto reports it received re-sealed boxes of card packs. One hundred supposedly brand-new Pokémon Center Fukuoka Special Boxes were shipped to the reseller, but they had all been opened and then rewrapped, with their exclusive Pikachu promo cards missing.
While these boxes look pristine at first glance, careful inspection reveals that the shrink wrap used for repackaging is stiffer than the stock wrap used by official manufacturers. According to a trading card collector, this commercially available shrink wrap makes a crisp sound when crumpled, making it one of the few ways to distinguish if a box has been tampered with.
Pokémon TCG fans are understandably upset by this news, which has inevitably increased skepticism surrounding card resellers. Many are calling for The Pokémon Company to take action. One popular solution presented is to produce official shrink wrap marked with an official logo – a method that Konami employs for its Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards. While this does not eliminate the issues of plagiarism and theft, it does make it harder for scammers and thieves to take advantage of the situation surrounding these valuable cards.
Related article: Pokémon cards are so valuable criminals are using them to launder dirty money, Japanese media reports
