Authenticator Claims eBay Seller Moved $1 Million in Fake Beckett COAs, Calls for Federal Investigation

An authentication specialist is calling on federal authorities to investigate what he says is a massive counterfeiting operation involving fake Beckett certificates of authenticity.

Roman Pioner, who runs CheckCOA, posted a detailed thread on X documenting what he describes as “the largest single fraud case I have ever seen in the hobby.”

Pioner claims a single eBay seller operating under the username “rmcxtysadyk” has sold more than 10,000 items with compromised Beckett COA numbers.

“One eBay seller. 10,000+ sales. $1,000,000+ stolen,” Pioner wrote. “I have personally added 4,000+ compromised Beckett cert numbers to our Fraud Alert at CheckCOA. This is not a scam, it is a factory.”

According to Pioner, the seller is based in China and has moved items including signed jerseys from Tom Brady, Lionel Messi, and Wayne Gretzky — all with what appear to be valid Beckett COA numbers.

“Signature quality is low, but the volume is insane,” he wrote. “Located overseas, no returns. Every single cert I documented is COMPROMISED.”

Pioner says the fraud works because Beckett’s certification system lacks photo verification. When someone scans a Beckett cert code, it returns “Valid” — but there is no image in the database to compare against the physical item.

“Scammers print real numbers on fake labels. Beckett cannot tell the difference,” Pioner explained. “No photo = No security.”

He estimates the seller moved 10,000 sales at an average price of $50 to $700, putting the total fraud at over $1 million. eBay only retains 90 days of listing history, so Pioner says the actual number could be higher.

“I have already found dozens of physical copies for a single cert number,” he wrote. “Collectors are paying for zombie numbers.”

Pioner also claims the operation extends beyond jerseys to “mid-tier” names like Dennis Rodman and Mike Tyson — items collectors assume are “too cheap to forge.”

“Wrong. In a volume game, everything is a target,” he said.

He warned that the counterfeit items are already entering the U.S. secondary market and will be resold as authentic memorabilia.

“These 10,000+ fakes are entering the US secondary market right now,” Pioner wrote. “They will be resold as authentic to you.”

He also claimed the problem is not limited to Beckett, naming Upper Deck, Panini America, PSA, and Tristar. “Over the next few days I will be exposing fake autographs and graded cards for each company,” he wrote.

The claims come as authentication and counterfeiting issues continue to surface in the hobby. Earlier this month, a group breaker warned of increasingly sophisticated fake PSA slabs circulating in the market.

Former Beckett authentication expert Steve Grad announced his departure from the company last month after 24 years, saying he plans to expose problems in the authentication industry.

The alleged eBay operation echoes a high-profile case from 2025, when Brett Lemieux — who ran Mister Mancave in Indiana — confessed to selling over $350 million in counterfeit memorabilia with fake authentication holograms from major companies including Beckett, Panini, and Fanatics.

Lemieux was found dead shortly after his confession in July 2025.

An FBI response to a Freedom of Information Act request obtained by Sports Card Radio confirms the agency has records on the case and that “there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding” still active as of February 2026 — suggesting the investigation extends beyond Lemieux himself.

Beckett, eBay, and the authentication companies named by Pioner have not publicly responded to the allegations.