S$958,000 lost in scams involving Pokemon trading cards since Oct. 2025: S'pore police

With the upcoming January 2026 release of new Pokémon trading card sets, such as “Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes”, the police would like to remind members of the public to stay vigilant against e-commerce scams involving the sale of Pokémon trading cards.

Scams

This comes on the heels of at least 477 cases of e-commerce scams involving the sale of Pokémon trading cards being reported since October 2025, according to the police, who added that total losses amounted to at least S$958,000.

In this scam variant, victims would encounter pre-order listings of Pokémon trading cards on online platforms such as Carousell.

When victims expressed interest in the products, scammers would convince victims to make initial deposits via PayNow or bank transfers to pre-order the products.

Victims only realised that they were scammed when they fail to receive the products, or when the sellers became uncontactable.

Crime prevention

In light of these scams, the police would like to remind members of the public to:

• Only purchase Pokémon Trading Cards from authorised sellers on online platforms and physical retail stores.
• Always use secure payment methods such as cash on delivery when purchasing any products through e-commerce platforms so that members of the public can inspect the products before making payment.
• Do not make any payment prior to receiving or inspecting the products.
• Be wary of e-commerce scam red flags such as large discounts offered for faster transactions.
• Do not transfer money or disclose personal information, internet banking credentials, or one-time passwords to anyone.

In addition, members of the public are encouraged to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• ADD – the ScamShield App and set security features.

  • This includes enabling two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for bank accounts and set transaction limits on internet banking transactions.
  • Members of the public can also add a Money Lock feature to further secure savings in bank accounts from scams.

• CHECK – the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 if members of the public are unsure if something is a scam. They can also check the legitimacy of suspicious phone numbers, messages and website links through the ScamShield App.
• TELL – the authorities as well as family and friends if or when encountering scams.

  • Report any suspicious listing or user profile through an in-app reporting function within Carousell. Initiate in-app blocking within these platforms to block unwanted communication by suspicious users.
  • If members of the public suspect that they have fallen victim to a scam, they should call their bank immediately to report and block any fraudulent transactions as well as make a police report.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.

Top photos via Police News Release, Canva