scam alert: fake psa cards from ebay seller "cardregistry"

[Leon]

I spoke with the supposed mastermind several times. Try tracing/catching someone using some kind of magic jack phone who is based in Mexico but seems to be very mobile. I don't think it's a gimme..I really don't know what happened to that investigation in the end either. I understand one guy downstream got picked up on some kind of fraud charge but really don't know good details (or remember them). And all of that was a few years ago, or so. I presume if not stopped the culprit kept doing what he does...which is defrauding collectors using altered holders and cards.

Originally Posted by botn

I have been told by a few reliable sources that there are dealers who have talked with or had contact with the guy who is directly involved with the resealing. Would seem to me that an arrest would have been made if this were true. Dunno...

[dwinters]

I have always thought that psa holders should be designed to change colors after sonic bonding. If cracked, the sonic bonded area could then easily show significant damage. The flips should also include micro-print only visible with a 10x loupe. Psa needs to work harder than the us treasury to protect the consumer.

[botn]

Originally Posted by Leon

I spoke with the supposed mastermind several times. Try tracing/catching someone using some kind of magic jack phone who is based in Mexico but seems to be very mobile. I don't think it's a gimme..I really don't know what happened to that investigation in the end either. I understand one guy downstream got picked up on some kind of fraud charge but really don't know good details (or remember them). And all of that was a few years ago, or so. I presume if not stopped the culprit kept doing what he does...which is defrauding collectors using altered holders and cards.

Well I have no idea about how the underworld works but there are currently dealers in the US who are tied to this guy while claiming total innocence. If this was important enough to national security magic jack phones or not, I suspect his operation would not be ramping up as it appears to be.

[conor912]

If high end cards keep fetching the ludicrous sums that they have been, then people will keep sending in their cards to get graded. As long as those two things keep happening, the scammers will keep scamming and PSA will continue to not care. Rinse, wash repeat. Ego, delusion and denial will keep this train running forever.

A while back, I realized it was cheaper to buy raw cards and, even if 75% are messed with, I'm still out less than if I bought one high grade slabbed card that turned out to be bogus.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by conor912

If high end cards keep fetching the ludicrous sums that they have been, then people will keep sending in their cards to get graded. As long as those two things keep happening, the scammers will keep scamming and PSA will continue to not care. Rinse, wash repeat. Ego, delusion and denial will keep this train running forever.

A while back, I realized it was cheaper to buy raw cards and, even if 75% are messed with, I'm still out less than if I bought one high grade slabbed card that turned out to be bogus.

It appears Bob has shared a solution to this problem. Just send any high end card you buy for a reholder right away and pay with an Amex. You'll be out some shipping fees but that's a small price to pay for peace of mind.

[Bob100]

This may be a silly newbie question, but to authenticate an SGC card you just bought to make sure it has not been tampered with, can you simply send it to them to re holder (even if the holder looks fine)? If I read the SGC site correctly, this would only cost $5.

[CW]

Originally Posted by Bob100

This may be a silly newbie question, but to authenticate an SGC card you just bought to make sure it has not been tampered with, can you simply send it to them to re holder (even if the holder looks fine)? If I read the SGC site correctly, this would only cost $5.

Not a silly question and, yes, a reholder should do the trick. If you don't want to risk having the card cracked out by them and reholdered (stuff happens and on rare occasions cards can get damaged), you could call ahead and ask if they could inspect the holder and card for you without the reholder. You'll also have to pay return shipping.

It is pretty tough to crack and reseal and SGC holder without some evidence, but it doesn't hurt to have things verified.

[Bob100]

Thank you for clarifying that! Really wish we didn't have to worry about all of this...