A man accused of using a fraudulent credit card to walk out of a Tennessee game store with a $2,500 Pokémon card has been identified after police connected him to other credit card fraud investigations.
Clarksville police identified the suspect as Andrew Taylor Brown. Investigators say Brown entered Guild Vault Games on July 25 and obtained a Charizard X EX card valued at $2,500.
The credit card charge initially appeared to go through, allowing the collectible to leave the store. Several days later, the full amount was reversed through a chargeback, leaving the business without the payment or the card.
Brown was recently arrested in Orange Beach, Alabama, with three other people, according to FOX 17. Investigators there recovered a large amount of suspected stolen property, but the missing Charizard was not among it.
The $2,500 Payment Initially Appeared to Go Through
Police say Brown entered Guild Vault Games at 2026 Fort Campbell Boulevard at approximately 6:43 p.m. and used a fraudulent credit card to purchase the high-value collectible.
At the time of the sale, the payment appeared successful. The problem surfaced several days later when a chargeback for the entire $2,500 was processed, negating the transaction. The card was described by police as a Charizard X EX enclosed in a hard plastic PSA case.
Detectives Connected Brown to Similar Credit Card Fraud Investigations
Clarksville police initially released surveillance images and asked the public for help identifying the person involved. Detective N. Johnson later identified Brown and connected him to similar credit card fraud investigations, according to Clarksville Online.
Police have not publicly detailed those other cases, including how many transactions are under investigation, the businesses involved or the value of any additional suspected losses.
Police Found Him After an Arrest in Alabama
Investigators learned that Brown had recently been arrested in Orange Beach, Alabama, along with three other people. Authorities in Alabama recovered what Clarksville police described as a large amount of suspected stolen property. The Charizard card was not among the items recovered.
Clarksville police credited the Orange Beach Police Department and Metro Nashville Police Department with helping identify Brown and move the Tennessee investigation forward. Police said the card had not been recovered as of their Aug. 28 update.
Clarksville Detectives Say They Will Pursue Charges
Brown’s Alabama arrest is separate from the still-developing Tennessee case. Clarksville police said detectives had obtained sufficient information to identify Brown as the suspect and would pursue charges connected to the Pokémon card transaction.
Police had not announced the precise Tennessee charges or said that Brown had been formally charged in Montgomery County. The Clarksville allegations therefore remain pending.
High-Value Card Sales Need More Than an Initial Authorization
A card payment that receives an initial authorization can still later become the subject of a fraud dispute or chargeback, making documentation particularly important when a business is handing over merchandise worth thousands of dollars.
Visa’s merchant fraud guidance recommends that businesses accepting cards in person use chip or contactless processing when available, obtain authorization and train employees on procedures for suspicious transactions.
For high-value collectibles, merchants can also preserve detailed transaction records, surveillance footage, receipts and photographs of the item before it leaves the store. Recording a graded card’s certification number can help distinguish a specific collectible if police later attempt to locate it.
If a transaction is believed to involve a stolen or fraudulent card rather than an ordinary billing dispute, merchants should also contact their payment processor and law enforcement promptly. Preserving evidence early can become particularly important when the merchandise is portable, valuable and easy to resell.