A dealer who discovers a fake Pokémon slab should pull it from sale immediately, quarantine it, and preserve the item and every related record. A fake slab is an encapsulated card with a counterfeit or altered holder, label, card, or combination of the three. Until authentication is complete, describe the slab as "suspected counterfeit" rather than proven fake. Do not crack, clean, return, discard, or publicly display it while evidence and customer exposure are being assessed.
Table of Contents
- Quarantine the slab immediately
- Photograph and describe the evidence
- Trace the source and possible exposure
- Seek confirmation without overstating the case
- Protect buyers and complete the incident file
Quarantine the slab immediately
Change the inventory status to "quarantined" or "not for sale" across the point-of-sale system, website, marketplaces, and show inventory. Record when the item was removed and who handled it.
Protect the slab without changing its condition: Do not remove stickers, wipe fingerprints, test the plastic with chemicals, or open the holder. Even a genuine card inside a counterfeit holder may be important evidence in a supplier dispute, insurance claim, or fraud report.
- Place it in a clean sleeve or evidence bag.
- Assign an incident number and secure storage location.
- Seal the container with a numbered or initialed tamper label.
- Start a custody log for every transfer or inspection.
- Restrict access to staff handling the investigation.
Photograph and describe the evidence
Photograph the slab before moving labels, packaging, or other attached material. Capture the front, back, edges, corners, seams, label, certification number, barcode, holographic features, and the card through the holder. Use neutral lighting and include both straight-on and angled images. Reflected light can reveal resealing, glue, surface distortion, or inconsistent case construction that a flat photograph misses.
Create a written condition record using observations rather than conclusions. Write "uneven seam along lower edge" or "label text differs from comparison example," not "obviously forged." Record the slab's dimensions and weight only if suitable equipment is available, since normal production differences can limit those measurements. Keep the original image files unchanged. save working copies separately, retain their metadata, and consider recording file hashes—digital fingerprints that show whether files later changed. Also save a dated screenshot of any certification lookup, but remember that a valid database entry does not authenticate the physical slab; counterfeiters can copy real certification numbers.
Trace the source and possible exposure
Build a timeline from acquisition to quarantine. Record the seller or consignor, purchase date, invoice, payment method, lot contents, shipping information, package condition, intake employee, storage movements, listing history, and discovery time. Search for connected inventory using more than the certification number. Review items from the same seller, shipment, consignment, trade, grading submission, card set, and acquisition period.
A single fake does not prove every related slab is counterfeit, but it justifies a focused review. Preserve original emails, messages, invoices, marketplace pages, shipping labels, tracking records, and surveillance footage that may expire. Keep notes and annotations in a separate incident file so the original communications remain intact. Do not return the slab to its source until the evidence is copied and any grader, insurer, payment provider, attorney, or investigator has advised whether the original must be retained.
Seek confirmation without overstating the case
Contact the named grading company through contact information obtained independently from its official channel, not from a link or QR code on the suspect slab. Provide clear photographs, the certification number, and the stated card and grade. Ask whether those details match its records and whether physical inspection is required. A matching certification page is only a screening result.
The number may have been copied from a genuine slab, while an apparent mismatch could reflect a data error, an older label format, or incomplete records. Compare construction details only with verified slabs from the same grading company and label generation. If the grading company cannot inspect the item, consider an independent specialist who can document methods and findings. Report suspected fraud to the relevant marketplace, payment provider, insurer, or law-enforcement agency when the facts and potential loss justify it. Describe what was observed and verified without accusing a supplier of intentional fraud unless the evidence establishes intent.
Protect buyers and complete the incident file
If related slabs were sold, identify the affected transactions individually. Contact buyers with a factual notice explaining what prompted the review, which item may be affected, and what inspection or return process is available. Avoid announcing that an entire batch is fake without evidence supporting that claim. For returns, provide tracked shipping instructions and ask the buyer not to open the slab. Photograph the unopened return package on arrival, record who opened it, and place the returned item into the same custody process.
Apply the dealer's return policy, marketplace rules, payment obligations, and applicable law; higher-value or disputed cases may require legal advice. Record refunds, credits, chargebacks, expert fees, shipping costs, insurer notices, and recovered funds under the incident number. Never move a suspected counterfeit back into saleable inventory merely by calling it a replica or disclosing doubts. The final incident packet should contain the chronology, inventory record, photo manifest, custody log, source documents, certification checks, expert communications, affected sales, financial entries, and filed reports. Seal the original slab in its documented storage location and record the seal number as the packet's final entry.
