Pokemon Cards Are Reportedly Being Used To Launder Money By The Japanese Mob

Lan Pitts
12/17/2024

Talk to most collectors and they'll tell you that the pandemic almost five years ago changed the way people buy and sell collectibles. Pokemon cards were heavily affected and some big chain retailers like Target had to limit the number of packs they could sell to customers. They've become such a hot commodity that Japan's news media has reported that the mob is using cards to assist in laundering money.As Shunkan Gendai online reports (via Automaton), criminals have been turning their dirty money into Pokemon cards. The cards' portable size makes them easy to hide and transport, and then they resell the cards, converting their profits into local currency."Many criminals who commit bank transfer fraud are converting the money they steal into Pokemon cards. Shady money can't be deposited in a bank, and there's a high risk of it being stolen if you hold it in cash," a former high ranked crime family member explained. "Pokemon cards are easy to hide, and if you take them overseas and cash them there, you can't get tracked down."Continue Reading at GameSpot...

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