Japanese Police Arrest Suspect for Selling Counterfeit Pokemon Cards Online

Yesterday police in Annaka City, Japan arrested a 21 year old suspect for selling fake Pokemon cards on an auction website.

According to the police, the suspect, Reo Otake, sold four counterfeit Pokemon cards to two customers in October 2022. The cards sold for 186,100 yen, which is equivalent to $1,250.

One of the customers learned the cards may be fake and alerted the police in November 2022. The police opened an investigation and asked Nintendo to appraise the cards; Nintendo confirmed the cards were counterfeit, thereby violating their trademarks.

In response to the police investigation, the suspect fully admitted to selling the counterfeit cards.

Yesterday the Annaka City Police seized 1,000 cards believed to be counterfeit from Otake’s home, including 400 Pokemon cards printed in English and Japanese. They plan to investigate where the cards came from.

This news comes in light of last month’s announcement that The Pokemon Company plans to work with auction websites to prosecute those who sell counterfeit cards. It’s unclear if that directive lead to this arrest.

News of the arrest was first reported by Reuters Japan.