Edited and cropped from original image shared by Eric Bahn via X
goodnewsnetwork.org
On August 29, 2026, the Pokémon XP convention in San Francisco became the scene of a sad story that quickly turned into a community effort. Venture capitalist Eric Bahn, who is known for his work in technology and finance, announced that his son had been scammed while trading Pokémon cards with an adult at the event.
“Lost his most valuable cards in a fraudulent trade by some guy in a booth.”
“Very tough lesson for him. Sucks to see an adult take advantage of a child.” – Eric Bahn 💛 (@ericbahn) August 30, 2026
Bahn explained that the boy had lost a PSA 9 Rayquaza VMAX #218 from the Evolving Skies set. The card is a high‑grade version of a popular Pokémon, and the PSA rating of 9 means it is in near‑perfect condition. The card had taken the boy months of careful collecting and was one of his most prized possessions.
Pokémon cards are traded in person and online. Some people try to trick others by offering a trade that looks good but is actually a trick. In this case, the adult in the booth promised a trade that would give the boy a better card, but the boy ended up with a lower‑quality card or nothing at all. The scam is a form of fraud that can happen to anyone, but it is especially painful when a child is involved.
The first person to step forward was the YouTuber Deep Pocket Monster. He had met the boy a few hours earlier at the convention and saw the boy’s disappointment. Deep Pocket Monster said he would “reach out via DM” and offered to help. He is a well‑known figure in the Pokémon community and has a large following of fans who love card trading.