Scalper group “Hidden Society” buys Phantasmal Flames early via Pokémon Center backend

PokeBeach reported Phantasmal Flames products were preloaded into the Pokémon Center backend before public launch; for over an hour, scalper groups allegedly tricked checkout into selling. One Discord, “Hidden Society,” was described as collectively purchasing at least 42,000 products; an admin message bragged about profits. Unclear whether Pokémon Center canceled the early orders; PokeBeach noted private admin chatter telling others to claim cancellations. The piece contextualized the PC virtual queue (earlier 2025) and in-store machine purchase limits as incomplete bot defenses amid max-capacity printing shortages.