The official materials reviewed do not verify that fake certification pages for Pokémon slabs—graded cards sealed in plastic holders—are currently operating. For a PSA slab, check the domain first and type `psacard.com/cert` directly into your browser. This precaution avoids relying on an unverified search result or seller-provided link. However, even the genuine PSA lookup cannot authenticate the physical slab by itself.
Table of Contents
- What the documented fraud shows
- How to reach the correct PSA lookup
- What a matching certification number proves
- Inspect the holder as a separate check
What the documented fraud shows
The documented fraud involved forged psa grades and labels, not a named spoof lookup domain. A federal jury convicted Anthony Curcio on January 28, 2026, of wire-fraud offenses involving sports and Pokémon cards sold to buyers nationwide, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
The scheme reused real PSA labels after removing their grades and serial numbers. Fake PSA 9 or 10 grades and new serial numbers were then printed onto them. Attempted losses exceeded $2 million, but the DOJ account does not identify a fake certification website.
How to reach the correct PSA lookup
PSA's official certification lookup is at `psacard.com/cert`. It checks certification numbers associated with PSA and PSA/DNA collectibles.
The FTC warns that scammers can use paid search results and official-looking links to divert people. Its practical advice is to type a known website address yourself instead of trusting an advertisement or unfamiliar link in the results, as explained in the FTC's search-result scam warning.
- Open a new browser tab.
- Type `https://www.psacard.com/cert yourself.
- Confirm the hostname is `www.psacard.com`; `/cert` is the lookup path.
- Copy the certification number from the listing, not the seller's lookup link.
- Stop if the page redirects to an unfamiliar domain.
What a matching certification number proves
A successful lookup confirms the database information associated with that number. PSA warns that counterfeit grading inserts can reuse genuine certification numbers obtained from public sources. The database also does not inspect the slab offered in a marketplace listing.
A matching result therefore does not guarantee that the pictured card, label, or holder is genuinely PSA-authenticated. Compare the lookup result with the listing's card, grade, certification number, and holder. A mismatch is a reason to pause immediately; a match is one checkpoint, not an authenticity verdict.
Inspect the holder as a separate check
PSA describes its holders as tamper-evident, not tamper-proof. Its buyer's security guide identifies possible opening or resealing signs such as cloudy "frosting," fractures, unusual flexibility, and re-glued edges. If the domain, database record, label, card, or holder conflicts with another detail, pause the purchase until the seller resolves the discrepancy.
- Request clear front, back, and edge photographs.
- Compare the physical label with every available lookup detail.
- Examine the holder for cloudiness, cracks, bending, or disturbed seams.
- Evaluate the seller separately from the certification result.
