Pokémon Card Stores in Japan to Use Facial Recognition Against Scalpers
The Pokémon Company is stepping up its game to combat scalpers in Japan by introducing facial recognition technology at its official Pokémon Card Stores. This initiative comes after the company announced plans earlier this summer to use a Japanese ID system called My Number Cards for transaction verifications on their official Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) website. These new measures are making it seem like buying a TCG pack might soon be more complicated than boarding an international flight!
According to a post on their Japanese site, the Pokémon Card Stores will focus on selling Pokémon TCG packs along with related merchandise. They will also host free classes to help fans learn the ins and outs of the game. The five initial stores scattered across Japan are set to be equipped with facial recognition technology aimed at reducing fraudulent activities.
Here’s how it works: anyone aged elementary school and above will have their facial data collected, while younger kids, specifically preschoolers, will be exempt. It seems that anyone under the age of three is considered a low risk. After all, it’s common knowledge that the real scalping action doesn’t kick off until kids hit the second grade!
In Japan, many new products are released via a lottery system, where store staff hand out numbers to those waiting in line, allowing them to purchase the item when their number is called. With this new facial recognition system, the Pokémon Company aims to ensure that each customer gets their own unique number, thwarting attempts by scalpers to exploit the system by lining up multiple times or having accomplices take extra spots in line. Customers are even encouraged to inform staff if they need to step away briefly—probably to prevent any sneaky disguises!
The Pokémon Company’s heightened security measures highlight the ongoing challenge of scalping and theft within the Pokémon TCG community. Just earlier this year, an unofficial Pokémon store in New York faced a serious issue when it was robbed at gunpoint, losing a staggering $100,000 worth of merchandise. While the intention behind these surveillance tactics may be to create a safer shopping environment, one can’t help but feel a bit uneasy about turning stores into surveillance hubs. We’ll have to wait and see how this affects the Pokémon community in Japan and beyond!