Credit Card Chargeback Scheme Targets NJ Pokémon Shops, Drains Thousands
Thieves have stolen thousands. Retailers lost both their products and money when banks reversed the charges.
A chargeback scam has struck multiple Pokémon card shops across New Jersey. Thieves have stolen thousands. Retailers lost both their products and money when banks reversed the charges.
Jennifer Scheri runs Liquid Games in Ocean Township. Last month, a man walked through her doors. He flashed a Pennsylvania ID that bore the name "James Harrison." His tap-to-pay system had stopped working, he claimed, so he offered his card number instead.
"He told us his tap-to-pay wasn't working. So naturally, he gives us a card to manually enter, and not thinking anything of it, we took the number and went on his way," Scheri said, according to News12.
Four weeks passed. Then the bank pulled back $2,500. The cards? Gone. The payment? Vanished.
"We're all very close with our customers. It almost doesn't feel like they're our customers, they're family. So it's really hard to think that somebody could come in here and really look you right in the face and basically steal from you in broad daylight, and it really hurts," she said.
This scam has hit other locations too. Cardtel operates in Englishtown. That shop lost more than $2,000 worth of products through an identical scheme, News12 reports. Scheri believes the same thief attempted another purchase at her shop.
These items command steep prices. That makes them attractive targets. Single cards can fetch thousands.
"There's been a lot of theft in the community, and that's because a lot of these items are so high-priced and they're so quick to move. There are some cards that have come out within the last five years that are worth over $1,000. It's really taboo, I think, for a lot of people to hear some of the prices on the cards, and it's very misunderstood," Scheri said.
Shop owners have contacted police. Marlboro officers confirmed they're looking into Pokémon card thefts but declined to share specifics about their investigation.
Retailers want the public's help. They're asking anyone with information to come forward. Spreading the word might prevent others from getting scammed.
