FBI warns New Jersey card shops about a stolen-credit-card scheme targeting high-end cards

The FBI’s Newark field office is warning trading card and collectibles shops about a fraud scheme that uses stolen credit cards to buy high-value cards. Criminals targeted seven New Jersey shops between September 2025 and March 2026, according to NJ.com and ABC7 New York, which both reported the warning on Oct. 29.

NJ.com reported that some stores lost tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise. The FBI says thieves pick cards because their rarity, condition and authenticity make them easy to resell before the fraud is even flagged.

How the scam works

The FBI described two payment tricks, per NJ.com and ABC7:

• The “failed payment” move: A buyer tries to tap a phone on the contactless reader. The payment appears to fail. The buyer then asks the cashier to type in a card number by hand. That number belongs to a stolen or compromised card.
• The card-cycling app: A criminal network runs a phone app that stores many stolen card numbers. Thieves hold the phone to the reader while the app cycles through numbers until one is approved. NJ.com reported the FBI is investigating the app.

Stores often don’t learn about the fraud for weeks. By then, the cards may already be resold.

The FBI also flagged in-person theft. In one case, a man tried to sell a box of cards while an accomplice reached over the counter and took more, ABC7 reported.

Not just fraud

NJ.com tied the warning to a string of local crimes. In June, thieves took $40,000 to $50,000 in Pokémon cards from Big Pack Hobby Shop in Rochelle Park. In July, two men robbed a father and son of $150,000 in Pokémon cards and $12,000 in cash. That happened in a Woodbridge hotel parking lot as they left a card show.

“They’re targeting their locations for these cards,” said Kelly Blanchfield, head of the FBI’s White Collar Crime unit, as quoted by NJ.com.

Why it matters

Most hobby theft stories are about one break-in or one stolen shipment. This one describes a repeatable method aimed at shops. In our view, the manual-entry trick is the key detail. When the fraud surfaces weeks later, the shop is the one left holding the loss. The warning also lands two weeks after the PSA/FedEx theft. Card security is now a mainstream news topic, not just a hobby one.

By the numbers

• 7: New Jersey shops targeted, per the FBI
• Sept. 2025 to March 2026: the period of the reported thefts
• $40,000 to $50,000: Pokémon cards stolen from Big Pack Hobby Shop in June, per NJ.com
• $150,000: Pokémon cards taken in the July Woodbridge robbery, per NJ.com

What collectors and shops should do

The FBI’s advice for retailers, per NJ.com and ABC7:

• Require photo ID for any manually entered card purchase, or turn off manual entry if you can.
• Lock display cases, and relock them after every customer.
• Install cameras, door alarms and panic buttons.
• Keep more than one employee behind the counter to watch for distractions.
• File a police report for every attempted or completed theft.

Vendors and collectors leaving shows should watch for anyone following them. Victims should call 911. Business owners who think they were targeted can call FBI Newark at 973-792-3000 or file a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Sources: NJ.com via Yahoo News (Oct. 29, 2026); ABC7 New York (Oct. 29, 2026)

Featured image: Photo by CardMapr.nl on Unsplash