Photo: Tulsa Police Department

https://www.facebook.com/tulsapolice/posts/pfbid0ge2SV4uV5A2JmVFDQQg2eByKftfCh5mqD8eNFTZyeyszsrqkEZ5fyyaui8LVJ48kl Tulsa Police Department odtorsSenp1t3gug56mfg9am0m6c 0 h70 h aalaaa9l09c6uu24f796uc5c6c 1 · COUNTERFEIT POKÉMON CARD BUST – Man arrested for selling fake cards online for thousands of dollars. For the past several months, the Tulsa Police Department has been investigating a fraudulent Pokémon Card Scam. Detectives were contacted by five victims across the United States. Victims in Hawaii, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Ohio all reported buying rare and high value Pokémon cards from the suspect in Tulsa, identified as Michael McCoy. Each victim purchased the cards for thousands of dollars only to find out the cards they received were fake. During the investigation, Detectives partnered with a special prosecutor with the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office who specializes in intellectual property and trademark infringement. Through collaborations with Nintendo Corporation, a representative determined that the Pokémon cards were in fact counterfeit. The cards that were sold by the suspect had little to no value on their own, however were being sold as “rare collectors cards” for $350 per card. On 11/1/2022, Officers arrested Michael McCoy at a local Post Office as he was in the process of mailing more counterfeit cards to another potential victim. McCoy is now charged with: - Obtaining Merchandise by False Pretense over $1000 x 5 - Violation of Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act McCoy also had warrants for his arrest out of Arkansas. This is an arrest, not a conviction.

Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have arrested a man for allegedly selling counterfeit Pokémon cards for thousands of dollars.

In their briefing, police identified the suspect as a man named Michael McCoy.

The TPD and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office “who specializes in intellectual property and trademark infringement” partnered with Nintendo Corporation, and one of its employees “determined that the Pokémon cards were in fact counterfeit,” per the release.

PEOPLE reached out to Nintendo but did not immediately hear back.

McCoy was arrested on Tuesday at a post office. Police said they found him “in the process of mailing more counterfeit cards to another potential victim.”

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Tulsa Police Department

https://www.facebook.com/tulsapolice/posts/pfbid0ge2SV4uV5A2JmVFDQQg2eByKftfCh5mqD8eNFTZyeyszsrqkEZ5fyyaui8LVJ48kl Tulsa Police Department odtorsSenp1t3gug56mfg9am0m6c 0 h70 h aalaaa9l09c6uu24f796uc5c6c 1 · COUNTERFEIT POKÉMON CARD BUST – Man arrested for selling fake cards online for thousands of dollars. For the past several months, the Tulsa Police Department has been investigating a fraudulent Pokémon Card Scam. Detectives were contacted by five victims across the United States. Victims in Hawaii, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Ohio all reported buying rare and high value Pokémon cards from the suspect in Tulsa, identified as Michael McCoy. Each victim purchased the cards for thousands of dollars only to find out the cards they received were fake. During the investigation, Detectives partnered with a special prosecutor with the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office who specializes in intellectual property and trademark infringement. Through collaborations with Nintendo Corporation, a representative determined that the Pokémon cards were in fact counterfeit. The cards that were sold by the suspect had little to no value on their own, however were being sold as “rare collectors cards” for $350 per card. On 11/1/2022, Officers arrested Michael McCoy at a local Post Office as he was in the process of mailing more counterfeit cards to another potential victim. McCoy is now charged with: - Obtaining Merchandise by False Pretense over $1000 x 5 - Violation of Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act McCoy also had warrants for his arrest out of Arkansas. This is an arrest, not a conviction.

One of the buyers, Riley Bennett, told Tulsa’s Fox23 News, that at first glance, he was convincedthe cards were real.

“Everything looked absolutely flawless, like really good to me,” he said. The suspect also allegedly sent footage that showed him packaging and sending the cards.

Bennett said he sent McCoy $3,000 within a week for the cards.

However, once Bennett actually received the cards, he immediately knew something was wrong.

“It was like instant that I knew. I was like, ‘These are terrible quality, these are totally fraudulent.’ "

TPD’s Financial Crimes Lieutenant Andrew Weeden said Bennett filed a police report in Tulsa since that’s where the cards were from.

TPD then started to get similar complaints, and Bennett helped them find the suspect through a sting operation.

“I started messaging him and acting like I was a potential buyer,” he said.

McCoy was later caught when he tried to mail the fraudulent cards at a Tulsa post office, police say.

Weeden said McCoy made up to $12,000 in his alleged scam.

Hisbond for the false pretense chargewas set at $4,000, per his booking record. He is being held without bond for the Arkansas warrants.

The TPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

It’s not clear if McCoy has hired an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

source: people.com