Gotta Catch ‘Em All! On the Criminological Relevance of Pokémon

Hacking

In May 2026, universities around the world, including Maastricht University, were affected by a cyber-attack that targeted the online education platform Canvas. The hackers stole data from 275 million users, including students, teachers and staff. The group that claimed the attack calls itself ‘ShinyHunters’. The name stems from the so-called Shiny Pokémon, which can be encountered in the video game. This type of Pokémon is a rare and valuable species and when players obsessively try to catch it, they engage in ‘shiny hunting’. The hacker group follows a similar hyper-focussed strategy in attacking databases for certain records.

Robbery

Pokémon cards can be highly valuable. In fact the most expensive card was sold at an auction for $16.942.000. Given their value, Pokémon cards not only attract collectors, but also thieves. Earlier this year, CNN reported that the cards were ‘igniting an international crime spree’. Stores selling the cards were robbed in Las Vegas, New York, Vancouver and Nottingham. Reportedly, the damage amounts to more than $500.000. There have also been instances where card collectors presented their collections on social media after which their private homes were targeted by burglars.

Drugs

LSD is an hallucinogenic drug that, in order to easily consume, is often infused into paper like sheets. When you place the sheet on your tongue or swallow it, the substance is released into your system. At the beginning of this year, the Dutch police arrested several people on suspicion of drug trafficking. When the suspect’s cars and houses were searched, the police found XTC pills, amphetamine, and cocaine. The most surprising catch was however a batch of LSD infused Pokémon cards. That this is not a unique situation becomes clear when one visits online communities that have ‘LSD and Pokémon’ discussion threats: “Hey guys I have these Pokémon blotter tabs that are AMAZING! It’s definitely the cleanest acid I have had in a long time…”. On these fora users openly discuss the ins and outs of using Pokémon LSD.

Money laundering

In Japan, it was reported that criminals are apparently using high value Pokémon cards to launder money and move their criminal assets across borders. Currently, in Japan alone, Pokémon card trading is a $2.1B business and in the Japanese Parliament, there are discussions that such trade may require regulation because the cards are no longer simply ‘children’s toys’ but have become serious financial assets that can be abused for criminal purposes. Also in Europe, the danger is real. In Spain, the police dismantled a Swedish criminal network based in Marbella. Their modus operandi was to convert drug proceeds into rare Pokémon cards. The card collections were presented as legitimate investment portfolios.

Counterfeiting

The explosive growth of the Pokémon card market has attracted fraudsters as well as counterfeiters. The scams range from simply printing fake cards and using fake packaging to sophisticated approaches that involve fake grading slabs, altered labels, and forged certificates targeting high-value cards. The last types of fraud have arisen because major trading and grading companies have developed security features and verification systems to safeguard authenticity. On trading platforms, instructions are shared on how to detect fake cards and how to engage in safe (online) buying practices and collective warning systems are being organised. It is worth protecting yourself, because estimates indicate that trading card fraud is reaching alarming levels with over $200.000.000 in damages.

Pokémon made me do it!

There are more examples to demonstrate the relationship between Pokémon and crime. Does that lead to the conclusion that Pokémon are criminogenic? Criminologists use the term ‘criminogenic’ to highlight that certain conditions, objects or environments cause crime or make crime more likely. In that regard, criminologists have, for instance, made a difference between coercive environments, that force or compel people to commit crime, and facilitative environments that tempt, encourage or invite people to engage in criminal behaviour ¹. Pokémon are not coercive, so they do not force people to commit crime, but the examples do illustrate that Pokémon cards have criminogenic features that can facilitate crime and make it more likely. They are high value goods, which makes them appealing. You can turn a huge pile of dollar bills into one single card, which makes it easy to handle and the cards can be resold locally and abroad without attracting suspicion, making detection difficult. They have no intrinsic value but their massive worth is generated by a fast global (online) market that is unregulated, making the cards attractive investments also for criminals.

From a cultural criminological perspective, the relationship between Pokémon and crime is also intriguing. Cultural criminologists are interested in how meanings are constructed, identities are developed and how that helps us to understand criminal behaviour. The ShinyHunters and LSD examples indicate that somehow Pokémon are meaningful to those who engage in criminal behaviour. It allows them to convey their elusive unique identity or having drugs packaged as Pokémon makes them fun, cool looking and therefore more attractive.

To wrap up, one last telling example that illustrates the criminogenic effect that a Pokémon card can possibly have. The most wanted Pokémon card is the dragon-like Charizard and in 2020, Vinath Oudomsine was able to obtain one. The problem was that he did this by falsely using a $85,000 federal loan meant for small businesses hit by the Covid pandemic. He defrauded the relief fund to pay for his most favourite Pokémon card. In this peculiar case, maybe it was the Pokémon card that made him do it.

1. Needleman, Martin L., and Carolyn Needleman. “Organizational Crime: Two Models of Criminogenesis.” The Sociological Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 4, 1979, pp. 517–28. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4106061. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.