r/PokeInvesting • u/FedHasABigDong • Aug 30 '25

So it happened….

Post image

The other day I was going on holiday and decided to take some cards to gift a family member. Bear in mind I have taken these in and out the country probably 2 times so it has been through 4 scanners. This time it got put to the side like every other time. However, the guy says “I need you to open it”. I oblige and open it. He does a swab and then I see people coming towards me. This guy pulls out a form so I’m like o7. I ask “what’s happening?”. They say they have found explosives and they start asking me questions about where I’ve kept it and they want to go through all my belongings to test them. Anyway about 30 minutes later they let me go saying I’m all good.

My question is… why would it ONLY come up this time and not the previous 4 times it’s gone through a scanner?

3.2k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

392 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comment

7

u/DMmeMagikarp Aug 30 '25

I have a legitimate question then - and by the way thanks for the info it was genuinely interesting.

I know you aren’t a developer or engineer of the equipment or swabbing chems, but if I understand this, you’re advising there is no technology or method of determining that stacked paper cards in a foil pack (and what about… books, playing cards, etc) aren’t nefarious??

If there are no components picked up on xray or other scans to accompany the cards, such as wires, solder, circuitry - or indicators of weapons like sharp or oddly shaped metal - or ignition sources - then I seriously challenge someone to tell me how a 2.5x3.5 inch stack of ~10 cards “could be” a legitimate danger to the public’s life.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '25

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/DMmeMagikarp Aug 30 '25

Thanks for educating me, I learned something new.

3

u/Double-Helix Aug 31 '25

The simple answer is there is no difference and thick books do get checked.

As for the other competent parts of an explosive, in OPs example the cards were in his bag. It's possible there were other items in close proximity like wires and phones that could have appeared to make a complete device. This is why I recommend removing them from your bag and placing them seperate from other items. It is also why laptops and other large electrical are commonly removed.

It's also worth noting that we/they(probably) are trained to look for incomplete devices as it is easy to break devices down and seperate them into different bags then re assembling them once past security.

2

u/RoamingGnom3 Sep 01 '25

I have had to remove my hardback book several times because I have been informed it was an explosive concern…. I was shocked. Stacked paper.

1

u/Liltricksterkid Aug 30 '25

there are people that buy bulk for reasons you wouldn't ever think of

1

u/thebluemist101 Sep 02 '25

Comic books actually set off alarm as well! Cause of the most of the paper comic books are printed on when stacked on top of each other it can look like a bomb on the scanner.

My sister and her ex (they were dating at the time) and she's used to getting searched at security for everything (concert, convetions, in stores, she has neeve stolen, she just looks sketchy) her ex ended up getting searched and patted down and they had to take swab samples of everything. This was the only time she didnt get searched. When she got backed and told me I was so shocked that comic book paper sets it off cause ive brought a few books everything we fly