PSA deactivates stolen-card certificates after FedEx truck theft near grading center

The cards were on their way back from grading

Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said the truck was broken into near PSA on October 13. MyNorthwest reported that the driver had left it unattended, the lock was gone and two pallets were taken. A third pallet was disturbed.

The Athletic's October 19 report, citing police, described roughly 100 packages on each stolen pallet and about 50 additional packages taken from the third. Package counts are not card counts: a single grading order can contain multiple cards.

Collectors confirmed the theft in a public statement and said it was working with law enforcement and the carrier. FedEx also said it was cooperating with investigators. Neither the company's statement nor the police estimate establishes a final loss figure.

Deactivated certificates put a new check in front of slab buyers

Collectors says it notified marketplace partners so they can watch for rare and serialized items. Deactivating certificates creates a warning buyers can encounter when checking a slab, but it does not physically remove a stolen card from circulation.

Before buying a PSA slab, enter its number directly into PSA's certification tool rather than relying on a seller's saved screenshot. Compare the record with clear images of the card and label. If the result raises a warning, pause the purchase and contact PSA through its support channel.

A failed lookup alone is not proof that a seller has one of the stolen cards. Recheck the number and seek clarification rather than making a public accusation.

The opposite shortcut is unsafe too. PSA explicitly warns that a successful certificate lookup does not eliminate counterfeit risk because criminals can copy real certification numbers onto fake grading inserts. A database match is one check, not the whole purchase decision.

That distinction matters whether a slab comes from an auction or a live-break seller. Our guide to fake Pokemon cards and slabs explains the separate physical checks; a graded label should not replace them.

Compensation is being arranged, not a published settlement

Collectors says its customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value. The statement does not publish individual offers or a universal payment date.

Affected owners should keep their order records and PSA correspondence together. If an offer arrives, compare the cards and grades listed with the submitted order, and ask how the valuation was determined before accepting it. Owners who submitted through another business should also reconcile that business's submission records with PSA's notice.

Fair market value and sentimental value are different things. Collectors acknowledged that distinction, saying many affected owners see the cards as more than a financial asset. Its statement does not say the stolen cards have been recovered.

For everyone else buying slabs, start with the live certificate record and a physical inspection. Keep the transaction details too. This theft is not evidence that every delayed PSA shipment is affected.