US to Canada: Why Pokemon cards are catching attention of criminals

Pokemon cards, once collected and traded in schools, are drawing the attention of criminals. Smash-and-grab robberies have been reported across several countries. It comes amid a resurgence in craze for rare Pokemon cards.

In Short

• Pokemon cards are no longer collectables. They are now investments
• In 2025, a rare Pokemon card fetched Rs 155 crore at an auction
• The resurgence has seen a series of smash-and-grab robberies

For many of those growing up in the early 2000s, collecting and trading Pokemon cards in schools, slipped in between notebooks, was a big part of childhood. What was once a childhood hobby has now turned into a million-dollar business, with Pokemon cards being auctioned for lakhs, sometimes crores, in international markets. That kind of money has now attracted criminals, with several countries, from the US to Hong Kong, seeing a series of smash-and-grab robberies.

Now, those who haven't followed Pokemon must be wondering what the craze is all about. Pokemon, short for pocket monsters, first became popular in Japan in the 1990s as a video game. However, it became a behemoth and reached a wider audience through its animated TV series. The series is about catching and collecting monsters before battling them against others. Pokemon trading cards turned it into a full-on craze among the youth.

THE REVIVAL OF POKEMON CRAZE

However, the Pokemon craze saw a revival in 2016 after the launch of the mobile phone game Pokemon GO. Trading cards came into vogue during the COVID-19 pandemic as people got the time to rediscover Pokemon. It's not that all cards are worth lakhs or even thousands. Only the rarest cards drive collector and investor interest.

In 2025, a record sale changed everything on how people perceived Pokemon cards. YouTuber Logan Paul got richer by $16.5 million (Rs 155 crore) after he auctioned an ultra-rare Pikachu card. It was the most expensive trading card ever sold. In fact, Paul had bought the card in 2021 for $5.275 million (Rs 50 crore), which was also a record at that time.

The sale showed that Pokemon cards were no longer just collectables. They are now serious investments to make quick money. In fact, the global trading card market has been projected to touch $23.5 billion by 2030, as per a report by Strategic Market Research. Most of it is driven by nostalgia among the millennials. Most of the buyers are Gen Z.

The massive valuations of these cards have now drawn the attention of thieves and criminals. "Knowing Pokemon cards can provide a way to make a quick buck has made thefts more common," Syed Rezwi, an online creator, told The New York Times.

Experts underlined that the resurgence in interest in Pokemon cards indicates a new economic reality.

Jared Mast, who deals in alternative investments, including collectables, told ABC News that people are now desperate to find their own source of income.

"As people feel uncertain about the economy, they tend to gravitate towards 'hard assets' such as Pokmon cards. These can be held on to for value and resale," Mast said.

HIGH-STAKES HEISTS ACROSS THE WORLD

In April, high-stakes heists have been reported from the US, the UK, Hong Kong and other parts of the world as well. In fact, thieves are going to great lengths to get their hands on Pokemon cards. But there is a catch. It is not easy to speculate which trading cards will go up in value.

Once the cards are stolen, they are sold on online marketplaces. This happens after the cards are graded, creating an entirely new identity for the card.

Earlier this week, in Anaheim, California, thieves broke into a store, tunnelled through a wall and stole $180,000 worth of Pokemon cards. In Chicago, too, a collectables store was broken into, with $100,000 worth of merchandise stolen.

Perhaps the most brazen happened in New York City. A trio of armed robbers locked around 40 people in a store, pointed guns and looted Pokemon cards and cash, according to ABC News.

"They took the items that had really large price tags, including a professionally authenticated, first-edition Charizard card that is worth about $15,000," Courtney Chin, the owner of the store, told The NYT. The robbery happened during the first community event organised by the store, Poke Court. Overall, items worth $110,000 were stolen.

Snatch-and-grab robberies are also on the rise in Hong Kong. On April 9, a man entered a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui and asked to view two rare Pokemon collector cards, worth $31,917. When the shop owner handed the cards, the man took them and bolted.

In Hong Kong, the value of Pokemon cards has surged by around 4,000% since a decade. In Canada, three teenagers, in the 15-16 age group, used bear spray during a Pokemon card robbery this week. The fear is such that stores have been forced to boost security.

A businesswoman in the UK's Newark, who started selling Pokemon cards in December last year, has shut shop after hundreds of pounds worth of cards were stolen. In the first incident, a man walked into her store and fled with Pokemon cards worth £200. Days later, the front window of the store was broken, and more cards were looted.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Stocking the playing cards is too risky and not worth it," Katherine Mayer, the owner of Tentacles of Time, told the BBC.

Not only stores, Pokemon conventions and community events, like one held in Singapore earlier this year, have also become a hub for thieves to steal rare cards worth tens of thousands of dollars.

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