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NEWS & CULTURE

How the Internet Uncovered a Massive Pokémon Fraud

fern | November 6, 2026



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Pokémon cards are big business these days. Some are SO rare they seem too good to be true. Are they? This is the internet’s biggest Pokémon detective story.

Special thanks to Scott Mastromatteo, Levu12, Emory @ Pokumon.com, Brad Chacos, Cliff Braun, and the EFA.

Check out David Howard’s article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a65054664/pokemon-card-authentication-scam/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Sources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MsMgNLbERyPZ_KL-INaw5rzqtvqh4uPh/edit

Music list:
Artlist:
Shahead Mostafafar – Where Am I
Grisly Brill – Venom
Ian Post – Into the Groove – Stripped Version
Tomer Baruch – The Park Incident
Cruella – Roll the Dice – Instrumental version
Xavi Morató – Minimal Truth
Ian Post – Breaking Point
Evgeny Bardyuzha – Runner
Where’s LuLu_ – Let’s Party
FLAMEBOY – Send It – Instrumental version
SOURWAH – Lone Ranger – Creative Cut – Alternative
Kashido – Be Quiet!
Jozeque – Marvelous
KeMi – The Unknown – Alternative version
Jakub Pietras – Entering Nebula
Roy Young – Just Enough for a Heartbeat – Instrumental version
The Magnetic Buzz – Join the Ride
Out of Flux – NOIRSHADOWS
lumine wave – Feeling on Top
BalloonPlanet – Side by Side – Instrumental version
Nolan Nova – Fear
Francesco D’Andrea – Brothers
Manos Mars – Wellington Joke – Short version
Yuval Shapiro – Te Deum – Brass Only
Rex Banner – Get This Party Started – No Backing Vocals
Elijah Aaron – Playtime
Roie Shpigler – Seguiré Soñando – Short version c
Anthony Vega – Mister Pink
Eill – DMWH
Eill – It’s Done
Alon Peretz – Uranus
Vox Portent – Thrill
Ian Post – I Must Be Dreaming – No Choir
Tomas Altamirano – Big One – Alternative version
feinsmecker – Move That
Alon Ohana – Innocent Boy
Nolan Nova – Anger
Ariel Shalom – Star Walk
Anton Vlasov – Somewhere out There
sero – Monos
Jozeque – Stellar
Timothy Shortell – Quintessence
Martin Puehringer – The Message
Aaron James Eckardt – Creepy Secrets Around the Corner
Rick Abbott – Fog Choke
fourwalls – taking it slow – Instrumental version
Lance Conrad – Water Serpent
Kai Livermore – One Blade Left
lumine wave – Beyond the Frame

Epidemic Sound:
Press X Twice – Lexica
Cold War Games – Gabriel Lewis
HeartBIT – Rocket Jr
Pulling Over – Christian Andersen
Sweet Violet – Yi Nantiro
Lone Wolf – Toby Tranter
Blue Lantern – Yi Nantiro
For Real Tho – Toby Tranter
Synths Of The Tsar – Carl Henriksson
Tracker – Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
False Immunity – DEX 1200
Trace – Lennon Hutton
Cave Area – Amir Sharifi
Return of Light – Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
An Undetermined Fate – Philip Ayers
Terra Requiem II – Dian Shuai
This Is Not The End 4 – Fredrik Ekström
Launch Sequence – Helmut Schenker
Rhythmania 2 – August Wilhelmsson
Uncharted Territories – DEX 1200
Paris (Instrumental Version) – Baha Bank$
Question Mark – Dream Cave
Midnight Wanderer – Luella Gren

Tom Fox:
Only Just
Digital Drum Energy 2
So Many Trucks
Turn
Stilts
Crew

_____
Armchair documentaries, almost weekly

Written by fern

Comments

This post currently has 38 comments.

  1. @ReStellar

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    Video is too long, and I don't get the obsessions with Pokemon, even through I used to be a fan of the anime between middle school and high school. To me collectable Pokemon cards are a fraud for even being valuable in the first place – all prop up by the three companies who own the Pokemon franchise.

  2. @catmoonkenobi

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    I think something that could have been a giveaway is the artwork. Where some of the artwork resembles the very real first edition cards, like the Pikachu, it's suspicious the supposed 'test card' has the exact same Pikachu outlined. Surely the artists weren't on board doing sketches for play tests. Surely you don't pay that and that comes later. Having listened to podcasts about TCG art I don't believe artists were tasked to replicate anything either, hence why cards can look so different.

    So an artist, if they saw this, would think "how the heck does this card look like an exact outline of my Pikachu when it's apparently drawn years prior?"

  3. @atakorkut5110

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    44:43 so basically they’re authentication method is can you prove where you got it from and nothing else? How wild that they didn’t even go through any other possible method of verification they were just like oh that guy was there it’s coming from him so it’s gotta be real.😅

  4. @hmr1122

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    Akabane probably got a lot of money for his silence.
    I suspect a lot of cards, not just pokemon are fake.
    They are not busted purely because of the time investment required to scan and check every single card in circulation.

  5. @Marcuccicollects

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    Wow. as an active collector I watched this scam unfold in real time. I never expected to see a Fern video about it!

    and Scott really deserves some praise here for his research and integrity. Pokemon legend right there!

    Frankly, I feel like there are some actors that peddled these cards that have never been held accountable… Thank you for bringing some more light to this crazy store Fern!

  6. @Unbreakable2070

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    Dear Pokémon lovers,

    My friends birthday (27 y/o) was 3 days ago and I see him next weekend. He is a Pokémon lover and does trading and goes to events and stuff.
    Now that I have not any connection to Pokémon I want to give him some pokemon cards or other type of Pokémon merchandise. I was thinking about the price between 20 and 35 euro's and available in Western Europe.

    Thank you guys!

  7. @Spherex

    November 6, 2026 at 4:52 am

    Another incredible vid, thanks for always being so thorough. The amount and frequency of corruption in today's society really diminishes my faith in humanity.

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