Pokémon TCG Contest Cheater Gets Caught With Forged Popsicle Sticks
In the most outlandish of crimes, a man has been arrested for fraud in an attempt to obtain rare Pokémon cards through a Japanese ice cream company.
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A Japanese man has been arrested for illegally attempting to acquire rare Pokémon cards through a competition being led by Akagi Nyugyo Co, an ice cream company based in Japan. The 43-year-old man, identified as Takashi Ono, is alleged to have participated in fraud by forging up to 25 different popsicle sticks in a bid to win the Pokémon cards. The competition invites customers to purchase popsicle sticks from the company’s Garigari-Kun brand and if they come across a winning popsicle, they will be rewarded with a limited-edition Pokémon card.
The winning popsicles are specifically labelled with the congratulatory message “You win a Gari-Pokémon card” and customers lucky enough to get their hands on them are instructed to send them back to the company in exchange for Pokémon cards. The suspicion first began when Akagi Nyugyo Co notified police that numerous winning popsicle sticks were being sent by one single person. The perpetrator’s attempt to circumvent the rules coincides with reports that other winning popsicles are selling for around $500, despite the fact that a box of ice cream typically costs about $3.
Recipients of the winning sticks receive a Mythical Zarude card, which is available in extremely limited supply. Supposedly, this helps to clarify why Ono was willing to go to such extreme measures to acquire these very cards. Pokémon fans based in the US are feeling disappointed as non-Japanese players are still having trouble accessing Zarude aside from trading with Japanese players. The Mythical Zarude card sells for around $300 online right now.
According to Nintendo Life, the Mythical Zarude cards are connected to the upcoming Pokémon film Secrets of the Jungle, which is planned to release in the US sometime in 2021. The movie was originally scheduled to launch last summer but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic disrupted those plans. The movie released on Christmas Day in Japan.
It is estimated that one person must open a minimum of 41 boxes before getting their hands on one winning popsicle. Additionally, each box contains six separate popsicles, meaning the chances for an individual to win one stick is 1/246. Considering how elusive this probability is, now think about what the likelihood might be for someone to earn 25 winning popsicles. This would hypothetically mean that Ono would have consumed over 5,000 popsicles. With this in mind, it certainly makes sense why the company became so suspicious.
When you pore into the details of the attempted forgery, the crime becomes even more ludicrous. The crime is as unique as it is laughable. It shows that Pokémon is as popular as ever if someone is willing to risk jail time by pretending to eat thousands of popsicles. A far as crimes go, this one will live long in the memory.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pokemon-tcg-contest-cheater-forged-popsicle-sticks/