If you're an amiibo collector beware, fake amiibo have been spotted online (Link, Pikachu, Samus, and Mario). The amiibo that have been spotted as counterfeit figures do not contain the NFC chip inside of the base that allow the figures to be usable in games.
The fake amiibo are no more than cosmetic figures that, for the most part, appear to be true amiibo figures. There are telltale signs, however, that the figures are fraudulent (besides the fact that after you purchase it, it won't work).
Textures, colors, wrong models and boxart are all inaccurate in the bootleg versions. Specifically, Mario's counterfeit amiibo has the wrong colors, as well as the wrong texture on his pants and hat. Pikachu's arms are nearly one with his chest, which is not supposed to be the case with the Pikachu amiibo. Samus and Link both look off, Samus' head is far to small and misplace and Link's face is…wrong (he looks like Xandir from Drawn Together with those eyes).
Watch out when buying online! These amiibo are typically easy to find in stores.
[Info Amiibo via Nintendo Life]
