Spotting Fakes

In Probably Stolen, read the item's manual and check it under the Magnifying Glass. Hemingway cigarettes need the right lettering, logo, color and seal; Immunivax needs a seven-digit serial; water needs a test.

To spot a fake in Probably Stolen, inspect it with the Magnifying Glass against its manual, and one problem is enough: a correct accusation lowers the price, while a false one costs reputation.

A red round emblem on an inspection tray, a handbook page comparing lettering, logos, colors and seals, and a small panel. — A pack of Hemingway cigarettes lies under the magnifying glass beside the Authenticity Handbook, with a Counterfeit Check panel offering Genuine and Confront, in an official Steam store image of Probably Stolen Questing Goose Studio and tinyBuild

Item by item

These are AllThingsHow's readings of each manual on Oct 29, 2026.

Item	Manual	Check
Hemingway Cigarettes	Hemingway Cigarette Authenticity Handbook	Lettering, cross-and-vine logo, colors, and a security seal: "never sold without" one
Food Stamp	Food Stamp Identification Handbook	Values of 40, 80, 120, 160, 200 or 240 only; a seal on 160 and up; a working chip
Immunivax Injector	Immunivax Assessment Guide	Label; serial of seven digits from 1250000 to 4559999; not recalled batches 250, 251, 301, 355, 385, 386, 421; not Expired or Empty; no cracks
Ribwich	Ribwich Appraisal Guide	Date in a production run, valid facility, Davre logo, sticker on second runs, and for Deluxe, sesame bun and extra pickles
Water	Water Trading Manual	Test the purity against the label: see Water Trading

Confronting a seller

5:48 Open the check panel and choose the issue. A correct call lowers the price; GitM still bought fake Hemingways at the discount, and AllThingsHow bought a forged 160-credit stamp for 7. Getting the Mentor's Hemingway handbook comes on Day 3. Read a manual by right-clicking and choosing Read.

Selling fakes yourself

9:56 You can relabel counterfeit goods as genuine with a Labeler, and doing it once earns Lower Levels Special. Upper Level buyers may not catch it, and TreyexGaming, playing the demo, reports that odd "OGS" customers don't check at all. KeenGamer still calls accurate labels the safer choice for beginners, and the store's angry note shows why. Winning without selling stolen or contraband goods earns Clean Hands, held by 0.9% of players.

Frequently asked questions

How do you check Hemingway cigarettes in Probably Stolen? Compare lettering, logo and color to the handbook and look for the security seal, since Hemingways are never sold without one.

How do I spot fake Immunivax in Probably Stolen? Check the label, a seven-digit serial between 1250000 and 4559999, recalled batch numbers, the indicator and the body for cracks.

What happens if you accuse wrongly in Probably Stolen? A false accusation costs reputation.

Sources

Probably Stolen: How to Spot Fakes With Every Item Manual's Counterfeit Tells, AllThingsHow, Oct 29, 2026
Probably Stolen tips: rent, contraband and fakes, GitM, Oct 30, 2026
Probably Stolen: Complete Walkthrough & Beginner Tips, KeenGamer (Ali Amir), Oct 28, 2026
Probably Stolen - Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim, Steam, read Oct 31, 2026
Global achievements for Probably Stolen, Steam, read Oct 31, 2026
Probably Stolen Beginner Guide - Tips and Tricks, TreyexGaming (Eric Langell), Sep 15, 2026
I Ran A Sketchy Underground Shop - Probably Stolen, Aliensrock, Aug 3, 2026 (video)

Moments

I Ran A Sketchy Underground Shop - Probably Stolen

Aliensrock

5:48 Open the check panel and choose the issue. A correct call lowers the price; GitM still bought fake Hemingways at the…
9:56 You can relabel counterfeit goods as genuine with a Labeler, and doing it once earns Lower Levels Special. Upper Level…