How to spot fake Pokémon cards

Pokémon TCG · Facts checked 12 October 2026

In PSA’s 2025 fraud report, Pokémon was the most counterfeited trading card game, and counterfeit Pokémon cards sent in for grading rose by more than 125% in a year⁵. No single check proves a card is real, so use several and compare the card with one you know is genuine, or with the official image¹⁶.

Quick checks

• Find the card in the official Pokémon card database and check every detail matches³¹.
• Read every word. A missing accent on the é in Pokémon, or a spelling mistake, is a red flag¹⁶.
• Put the back next to a card you know is real¹⁶.
• Look closely at the print. Fakes copied from scans look blurry close up¹⁰⁶.
• Tilt it under a light. A card that should be holo or textured but is flat is a warning sign¹⁹.
• Be wary of prices that are far lower than usual²¹³.

Compare it with the official card

The quickest check is to find the same card in The Pokémon Company’s official card database and compare the two side by side³¹. Check the name, HP, attacks and damage, Weakness, Resistance, Retreat Cost, set symbol, card number and rarity¹⁶⁷.

Fakes often get these details wrong. Counterfeits have been found with inflated HP, another Pokémon’s name or Pokédex text, and Basic Pokémon labelled as Stage 1⁶⁸. TCGplayer notes that, as of 2026, no genuine card has more than 380 HP, so an HP or attack of 1000 or more means the card is fake¹.

Check the foil too. If a card was printed as a Rare Holo, every genuine copy is holographic¹, and CGC has caught fakes whose holo pattern didn’t match the real card’s⁹.

English cards changed from yellow borders to silver ones with the Scarlet & Violet expansion, which came out on 31 March 2023⁴. Check the border against the official image of that exact card.

Text, spelling and symbols

Read the whole card, including the small print. A missing accent on the é in Pokémon is a well-known sign of a fake, and so are spelling and grammar mistakes¹⁶⁸.

Compare the lettering with a real card. Fakes often use a slightly different font or font size, uneven spacing between letters, or small print that’s blurrier than the rest of the card¹⁶⁹.

Look closely at the Energy symbols in the attack costs, Weakness and Retreat Cost. On fakes they’re often the wrong size, off-centre or the wrong design¹⁶⁸.

One mistake doesn’t always mean a fake. Some genuine cards were printed with errors, so look the card up before deciding¹⁶.

The back of the card

The back is one of the most reliable checks, and it’s the first thing TCGplayer’s experts look at¹. Genuine backs look almost identical, so put the card next to one you know is real¹⁷.

On fakes, the blues are often washed out or the wrong shade, the blue border can bleed into the design, and the printing can look blurry¹⁶⁷.

A real-looking back doesn’t prove the card is real. CGC has found fakes made by gluing a printed front onto the back of a cheap genuine card¹⁰.

Print, colour and finish

Look at the card close up, with a magnifying glass if you have one. Many fakes are copied from scans of real cards and printed on ordinary printers, so they can look fine at arm’s length but blurry or grainy close up¹⁰⁶.

Compare the colours with a real copy or the official image. Counterfeits often look duller, or more or less saturated, than the genuine card⁹⁸⁶.

Tilt the card under a light. Fakes often have flat foil, or a holo pattern that doesn’t match the real card. Many genuine cards have a textured foil that follows the artwork, and fakes often leave it out¹⁹⁸.

Feel the card stock too. Fakes can be thinner and weaker than real cards, or have a glossy finish that catches the light¹⁶⁸.

The light test, edges and size

Pokémon Support says counterfeit cards are often easy to see through when you hold them up to a bright light². Don’t rely on it alone: TCGplayer says real cards vary too much for it to be reliable¹, and Wargamer says many modern fakes are thick enough to pass⁶.

Look at the edges from the side, next to a real card. TCGplayer lists messy edges with cardboard residue as a warning sign¹, and CGC found fakes almost twice as thick as a genuine card, with extra layers at the edge¹⁰.

Genuine cards measure 63 × 88 mm (2.5 × 3.5 inches), and fakes are often cut to a slightly different size⁶.

Don’t rip or bend a card to test it. Both damage the card, and TCGplayer calls the bend test unnecessary and the rip test untested¹⁶.

Sealed packs and boxes

Fake booster packs can be hard to tell from real ones, so the price is one of the best clues. Pokémon Support says a pack priced far below the suggested retail price is a near-certain sign of a counterfeit, and that flea markets are the most common source of reported counterfeit sales². TCGplayer also warns against prices far below the Pokémon Center’s¹.

Compare the packaging with the official product images on pokemon.com². Look for spelling mistakes, references to other sets and pictures from the anime: genuine products use the card game’s own artwork¹⁸.

Booster boxes come sealed in soft wrap printed with Poké Ball logos. Hard, crackly wrap, or wrap with no logo, is a bad sign¹⁸.

Genuine booster packs have straight, flat seals, and wavy or ribbed edges are a warning sign¹. On boxes and tins, Cardmarket warns of stretch or burn marks in the plastic and bubbles near the seal⁸.

Make sure the product exists. Counterfeiters sell boxes and tins that were never made, so check the exact name before you buy⁸².

Graded cards in slabs

Graded cards can be faked too, with counterfeit labels¹¹. Look up the certification number on the grading company’s own website and check every detail matches the card in front of you¹¹¹². CGC’s lookup also shows its own photos of the card in its holder¹².

A matching number isn’t proof on its own. PSA warns that criminals put real certification numbers, copied from public sources, on fake labels¹¹. CGC asks collectors to contact it if the details it shows don’t match the card¹².

Buying safely

Before you buy a valuable card, research what it should look like and what it usually sells for, and be suspicious of large discounts, especially on bulk lots¹³. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is².

Buy from sellers you know and trust. TCGplayer advises avoiding unknown or unreliable sources, such as flea markets and some online marketplaces¹.

If you’re not sure, ask a local shop that specialises in trading cards. Some can look at a card and give you their opinion²¹³.

If you think you’ve bought a fake

Don’t sell it on or trade it away. TCGplayer tells sellers not to sell anything they aren’t sure is genuine¹³.

In the UK, Citizens Advice says you have the legal right to a refund if you buy something fake: a full refund within 30 days of paying, and a refund up to 6 months after you paid. Your rights still apply if the seller says the low price should have told you it was fake¹⁴.

Depending on how you paid, Citizens Advice says you can also ask your bank for a chargeback on a debit card or a credit card payment under £100, make a section 75 claim for credit card payments from £100 to £30,000, or open a dispute in PayPal’s Resolution Centre within 180 days¹⁴.

You can report the seller to Trading Standards. They can take action against sellers who break the law, but they can’t get your money back¹⁴.

If you still can’t tell whether a card is real, Pokémon Support has a service request form you can use².

FAQ

What’s the quickest way to tell if a Pokémon card is fake?

Find the same card in the official Pokémon card database and compare them, then check the back against a card you know is real. TCGplayer rates the back as one of the most reliable checks³¹.

Does the light test work?

Sometimes. Pokémon Support says fakes are often easy to see through under a bright light², but TCGplayer says real cards vary too much for it to be reliable, and Wargamer says many modern fakes are thick enough to pass¹⁶. Use it alongside other checks, not on its own.

Is a card with a spelling mistake always fake?

Usually, but not always. Some genuine cards were printed with errors, so look the card up before deciding¹⁶.

Can a graded card be fake?

Yes. PSA warns that criminals make fake labels with real certification numbers¹¹, so check the card itself as well as the number on the grading company’s website¹².

How common are fake Pokémon cards?

Very common. PSA intercepted more than $200 million worth of fraudulent collectibles in 2025. Pokémon was the most targeted trading card game, with counterfeit submissions up more than 125% on the year before, and Mega Charizard EX cards from XY Flashfire were the most counterfeited by volume⁵.

Sources

Facts checked on 12 October 2026.

1. TCGplayer: How to Spot Fake Pokémon Cards, 13 May 2026
2. Pokémon Support: Did I purchase fake or counterfeit cards?
3. Pokémon.com: Pokémon TCG card database
4. Pokémon.com: Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet brings changes to the Pokémon Trading Card Game
5. ICv2: Pokémon TCG card counterfeiting surged in 2025, 8 May 2026
6. Wargamer: How to identify fake Pokémon cards, 31 January 2025
7. ONE Esports: How to tell if a Pokémon card is fake, 15 January 2025
8. Cardmarket: Spotting a counterfeit
9. CGC Trading Cards: Counterfeit card alert: Pokémon Illustrator, 10 August 2023
10. CGC Trading Cards: CGC Trading Cards catches counterfeit Pokémon Center and Lucky Stadium cards, 29 October 2020
11. PSA: Cert verification
12. CGC Trading Cards: Cert lookup
13. TCGplayer Help Center: How do I know if an item is counterfeit?
14. Citizens Advice: Report fake or counterfeit goods

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