Skip to content

RipsChart data · Updated November 12, 2026

Investigations in progress

Card thefts, scams and counterfeits are in the news, but nobody publishes the numbers. We are asking police forces, fraud agencies and border services in the US, Canada and the UK for them. No results yet: this page says what we asked, who we asked and when answers are due.

100+ requests

going out in late November 2026 to police, fraud and border agencies in three countries

Replies are due within 20 working days in the UK and for US federal agencies, and about 30 days in Canada. Expect first results from late December 2026 into January 2027.

What we asked, and of whom

Topic Country Sent to What we asked for Law Reply due Status
Card thefts by police force UK 46 police forces Recorded thefts, burglaries and robberies where trading cards (Pokémon, sports and other collectible cards) were stolen, by year, 2020 to 2026 to date. Freedom of Information Act 2000 / FOI (Scotland) Act 2002 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Card thefts by police service Canada 15 police services Incidents involving stolen trading cards, including store break-ins and robberies during private sales, by year, 2020 to 2026 to date. Provincial freedom-of-information laws About 30 days Sending late Nov 2026
Card thefts by police department US 42 police departments Incident reports where trading cards were listed as stolen property, by year, 2020 to 2026 to date. State public records laws Varies by state; we are asking for replies within 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Card scams UK Action Fraud (City of London Police) Fraud reports mentioning trading cards or named card games, with reported losses, by year. Freedom of Information Act 2000 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Card scams Canada Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Fraud reports mentioning trading cards or named card games, with reported losses, by year. Access to Information Act 30 days Sending late Nov 2026
Card scams US Federal Trade Commission (Consumer Sentinel) Consumer Sentinel reports mentioning trading cards or named card games, with reported losses, by year. Freedom of Information Act 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Counterfeit card seizures US US Customs and Border Protection Seizures of counterfeit trading cards: number of seizures, quantities and declared value, by year and port. Freedom of Information Act 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Counterfeit card seizures Canada Canada Border Services Agency Detentions and seizures of counterfeit trading cards, by year. Access to Information Act 30 days Sending late Nov 2026
Counterfeit card seizures UK Border Force (Home Office) Seizures of counterfeit trading cards, by year and point of entry. Freedom of Information Act 2000 20 working days Sending late Nov 2026
Mail theft of cards Canada Canada Post Reported loss and theft of parcels containing trading cards, and related investigations, by year. Access to Information Act 30 days Sending late Nov 2026

Exact wording may be adjusted per agency to match how each records data. We will publish every request and every reply, including refusals and "information not held" answers.

What's already public

Some police services have given numbers to reporters. Laval police in Quebec counted at least 30 Pokémon card thefts reported since January 2025, 11 of them since March 2026, and seven involving violence, many tied to sales arranged on Facebook Marketplace (Global News, June 2026). Durham Regional Police's Project Magenta alleges 36 incidents across Durham Region and Toronto from June to September 2026, with losses and damage put at nearly $1 million; the allegations have not been proven in court (Retail Insider, October 2026).

Others say they cannot count them. In the Greater Toronto Area, Peel police told CTV News their crime data is too general to isolate trading card incidents, and Toronto police said they did not see a consistent trend (CTV News Toronto, December 2025). That gap is why we are asking every force the same question.

For journalists

We will share results with reporters before publication, broken down by your city, force or region where the data allows. Email [email protected] with your outlet and the area you cover. All results will be free to cite with a link to RipsChart.

How we'll handle the answers

  • Publish each agency's reply as received, with the date, alongside our summary.
  • Flag where agencies record data differently (for example, searching free-text crime notes vs a property-type code), because that makes some numbers not comparable.
  • Report refusals, partial answers and "not held" responses rather than leaving gaps.
  • Never estimate a figure an agency did not give us.

Sources

All links checked November 12, 2026.

  1. Global News: Laval police on Pokémon card thefts (globalnews.ca)
  2. CTV News Toronto: GTA thieves going after Pokémon trading cards (cp24.com)
  3. Retail Insider: Pokémon card thefts push Canadian retailers to rethink store security (retail-insider.com)

More RipsChart data