New York City police said that an individual stole approximately $9,710 worth of Pokémon and baseball cards from the newly opened CardVault by Tom Brady store in Manhattan, underscoring concerns about security at high-value collectibles shops and raising questions about staffing and fraud prevention.
On Oct. 20 at approximately 11:40 a.m., an unidentified male suspect entered the CardVault store located in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, and executed a theft of collectible trading cards valued at about $9,710, according to a statement from the New York City Police Department.
Police said the individual bypassed the payment terminal after a transaction was declined.
"Once the transaction was declined, the unidentified individual began to enter manual prompts into the contact payment terminal without the employee's knowledge to bypass the transaction being declined," the NYPD said.
In its statement, the police department explained that the "unknown defendant utilized a tap-to-pay account and then manipulated the point of sale system in order to obtain property without the permission and authority to do so, resulting in the loss of 9,710 U.S. currency in merchandise. It's being investigated by the Financial Crimes Task Force of the NYPD."
Video surveillance shows the suspect last seen walking south on Lafayette Street wearing black clothing, a black Yankees cap, and carrying a multicolored bag.
The store had just opened on Oct. 8, less than two weeks before the theft. The retailer describes itself as a buying, selling, trading, and grading facility for sports cards and collectibles.
The co-owner, former NFL star Tom Brady, acquired a 50% stake in the business earlier in the year.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact the NYPD tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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