Published May 8, 2026, 11:46 AM EDT

Fan favorites like Pikachu, Charizard, and Gengar are popular counterfeit targets

Graphic: Polygon | Source images: The Pokémon Company "" data-is-feature-img="true"> Graphic: Polygon | Source images: The Pokémon Company

The more Pokémon trading cards pop off , the more potential players and collectors have to worry about one thing: counterfeit cards. Sometimes, a fake card will be obvious. As more money pours into the hobby , however, there's more incentive than ever to pull a fast one on people. Fakes are getting harder to tell from authentic ones, but it helps to know what Pokémon cards are the most likely targets — and what you should look out for in general while inspecting singles.

Grading service PSA recently published a fraud report that goes over trends in forged and altered collectibles, including Pokémon cards . As PSA is in the business of assessing card conditions and determining their value, the service needs to be good at spotting counterfeits.…