How to tell if a Pokemon card is fake

Twenty years later, Pokemon is still all the rage. If you’re an avid Pokemon card collector, here’s how to spot the real ones from the fakes.

Know your pokemon stats

Scam artists will try to dupe you by showing off cards that technically don’t even exist. You should have a thorough understanding of the different Pokemon and attacks, or at least talk to an enthusiast who has this knowledge. Sometimes a scammer might try to list a Digimon or similar character as an actual Pokemon. For those who aren’t familiar with the hundreds of Pokemon out there, it could be easy to mistake these characters for actual Pokemon.

In addition, be aware that there isn’t an HP above 250, so if you see that, then you know it’s a fake. Take a look at the energy symbol for the Pokemon, and make sure that it’s an actual symbol from the series. Also be sure to check that it’s not distorted or printed smaller or larger than usual.

Check for typos on the card

This seems like an obvious one, but there is so much going on in a typical Pokemon card that it can be difficult to spot simple typos. There can be a lot of text on a Pokemon card, so make sure that you read it carefully to ensure that everything is correct. Pokemon have strange names, so it can be simple to accept a fake name as a real one.

Take at where the card came from

Where are you getting these cards from? Sites like Amazon and eBay are full of people trying to scam others out of a quick buck. Take the time to examine the seller and find an authentic Pokemon card trader.

Check the quality of the card

Take one of your real Pokemon cards, and hold it next to the one in question. A fake card will have slightly-off coloring and fonts, and it might have fake stamps of authentication.