A record-breaking deal involving the purchase of Pokemon trading cards -livestreamed on the internet - ended in chaos when the rare first-edition haul turned out to be fake.
Chris Camillo, a 'social arbitrage investor', had hoped to seal the deal with the $375,000 (£290,000) transaction, which reached its climax on YouTube channel Dumb Money on Tuesday.
Luckily for him, he had not yet parted with his cash and instead had it with him, in a silver briefcase filled with $100 bills on a table during the grand unsealing of the 'treasured' box.
Camillo, one of Dumb Money's hosts, had watched the market for the Pokémon trading card game - which launched in 1999 - rise considerably recently and thought it would be a great investment opportunity, The Guardian reported.
But as the packs were carefully removed from the 'Gotta Catch 'Em All'-labelled box, alarm bells began to ring.
Chris Camillo, a 'social arbitrage investor', had hoped to seal a deal - involving the $375,000 (£290,000) purchase of rare first-edition Pokemon trading cards - on YouTube channel Dumb Money on Tuesday
As the packs were carefully removed from the 'Gotta Catch 'Em All'-labelled box, alarm bells began to ring when onlookers soon realised the treasure haul was fake - with some packs unsealed and with worrying colour variations
Luckily for Camillo, he had not yet parted with his cash and instead had it with him - in a silver briefcase filled with $100 bills on a table during the grand unsealing
One observer said: 'The colour's different on that one and that one.' Another chimed in with: 'That's not a first edition card.'
And when they then observed that one of the packs was already open, a man exclaims: 'That's a major f***ing issue.'
Someone then says: 'I'm going to call the sellers... money back on that' - and 'Wow. This a resealed box! This is unacceptable.'
The sellers in question were headed up by Jake Greenbaum - who goes by the Twitter handle JBThe Crypto King and describes himself as 'Trader. Builder. Blockchain Entrepreneur'.
Greenbaum was also billed as well-known YouTube personality Logan Paul's 'personal Pokemon consultant'.
The vendors wanted to be paid in cash - hence the briefcase - with the idea that the buyers would check the contents of the box before giving them the money and selling the cards next year for charity.
One observer at the Dumb Money event (above) said: 'The colour's different on that one and that one.' Another chimed in with: 'That's not a first edition card'
The cards themselves are said to have been purchased from an unnamed third party.
Those involved with the transaction, on both sides, strongly dismissed suggestions that the whole epsiode was a stunt, according to the Guardian.
The international Pokémon phenomenon is one of the most lucrative animation franchises in history.
Schools worldwide were forced to bring in strict gambling rules in the late 1990s as children incessantly fought over the collectible trading cards sold in shops, magazines, and fast food meals.
The cartoon series, launched in Japan in 1997, follows Ash and his friends Misty and Brock as they fight evil with monsters, 'Pokémons', they can store in a small ball.
Each Pokémon has its own special powers and different strengths.
In the show, owners pit their pocket monsters against each other - the winner keeps both.
As the slogan 'Gotta catch em all' suggests, the aim is to collect all the pocket monsters - a battle schoolchildren worldwide simulated using the collectible playing cards.
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