He sold fake Switch accessories and made more than $2 million. The scammer was active on Amazon for 7 years

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Nintendo often deals with people who modify and resell original consoles, but a long-running scam on Amazon recently came to light. Someone was selling fake Switch hardware and games, and despite negative reviews, they managed to make over $2 million before finally being caught (according to GamePro).

Dealer made millions of dollars on Nintendo counterfeits

Isaac Lapidus, a 34-year-old man, is facing charges related to trademark counterfeiting. He has not pleaded guilty and has been released under supervision. Authorities say Lapidus was using five separate Amazon accounts to sell fake Nintendo games and equipment.

Between October 2018 and September 2025, he reportedly sold around 200,000 fake Nintendo Switch docking stations, 10,000 adapters for the stations, and approximately 15,705 Pokemon Go Plus devices. Amazon and Nintendo recently discovered the fraud, leading to his arrest.

District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly explained that customers were posting negative reviews, warning others that the seller was offering counterfeit items instead of genuine ones. Despite these warnings, the scammer continued to attract buyers and made over $2 million in seven years.

Police searched a warehouse owned by a man and discovered a large quantity of counterfeit goods intended for sale. The haul included 46 boxes of fake Nintendo Switch docking stations and chargers, 23 boxes of imitation NES Mini Classic consoles, and 33 boxes of counterfeit Pokemon Plus Go accessories.

What will happen with this particular scammer is still unknown, but Nintendo is proving it won’t tolerate such activity. A recent court case saw someone selling altered Nintendo Switches ordered to pay $2 million in damages. While a similar scammer in Japan faced legal action, their penalty was much lighter – around $3,000.

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2025-09-19 12:02