Violent Pokémon crime wave targeting sellers on Marketplace, police in Quebec warn

Montreal-area police are warning the public about a rash of violent crimes targeting sellers of Pokémon cards and MacBooks.

Laval police say they arrested 10 young men between 16 and 18 years old on June 9 and June 11.

They say the suspects had allegedly posed as buyers and set up meetings with people who were trying to sell the cards or laptops on the online Marketplace platform.

Police say some of the suspects got violent during meetings, and will face theft, assault and weapons-related charges.

They are warning sellers on public platforms to verify a buyer’s profile and to never show up alone when meeting someone to sell a product.

Police in Laval say they have recorded 30 incidents linked to the sale of Pokémon cards since Jan. 1, 2025, including 11 since March 1, 2026.

Laval police also released three videos of some of the incidents, showing how victims met with suspects in public places.

They also seem to show suspects using what appears to be pepper spray to attack the sellers. Police said at least seven of these incidents involved violent attacks, including the use of pepper spray.