The 3 Most Common Psychic Scams
1) Psychic Hotlines. This isn't a scam in the sense that
it's illegal, but if you dial a "900" number for a quick
astrology or tarot card reading, chances are the person
on the other end doesn't even claim to be psychic.
Worse, some of these "psychics" are told to keep you on the
line for as long as possible, so you'll rack up minute after
minute of costly phone time. The one thing we CAN predict is
that you'll be startled when you receive your next phone bill. ;-)
2) Winning Lottery Numbers. Whether online or in-person, you
may encounter a psychic who "sees" that you have money
problems, or should be earning more (how many of us could
dispute that?).
The answer to your troubles, she'll say, is that you're about
to win a lottery or that you should use certain numbers, which
she'll provide, to win an upcoming lottery.
Hours or days later, you learn via email that you've --
miracle of miracles! -- won a lottery you've never heard of,
or won an obscure "lottery" you entered with the winning
numbers given to you by the fortune teller.
(Naturally, the only reason you were contacted by the
"lottery" is because you provided the scammer with your
contact information, including an email address.)
These lotteries are, of course, fakes, and are usually
designed to elicit financial information such as a bank
account number, where your "winnings" will be deposited.
If you're foolish enough to provide this information, your
bank account can be cleaned out.
3) You've Been "Cursed!" For the clever AND patient scammer,
this routine pulls in THE biggest cash amount. These scammers
focus on finding victims who are clearly distraught about a
personal or professional loss.
Typically, the victim will meet the scammer at her storefront
"psychic" shop or a street fair. It begins innocently -- when
the patron pays a few dollars for a tarot card reading,
fortune telling or palm reading. But the "insights" spilling
from the psychic's mouth sometimes convince the victim to
eventually spend thousands of dollars.
In most cases, the psychic tells the victim that he/she has
"recently faced a loss or separation of some kind." (In the
victim's mind, this could be anything from a failed romance to
a death in the family -- including a pet -- to a financial
reversal, and it also depends on how one defines "recent.")
Often, the victim will then tell the scammer about this
"recent" incident -- after which the psychic informs the
person that she must light special candles or perform rituals
that will remove the "curse" that caused the separation/loss.
Some victims have been told that money they've inherited was
"cursed," and needed to be "cleansed" at midnight ceremonies
in cemeteries. Unsurprisingly, many fortune tellers are
apparently caught up in these curses and mysteriously vanish
with the evil money.
The bottom line: all of the "materials" and "procedures" the
psychic needs to rid you (or your money) of a "curse" require
HUGE amounts of YOUR money.
People have been known to max out credit cards, empty bank
accounts, and purchase flat screen TVs, theater tickets and
cruise ship vacations for their psychic "benefactors" in order
to convince the "spirits" to remove their curses or bring them
good luck.
Some victims have participated in these scams for more than a
decade!
Red Flags
Now that you know what to look for, your task is MUCH easier.
But it's still important to be vigilant. Watch out for the
following:
-- If you want to have any kind of psychic reading, always ask
the price before starting. It certainly shouldn't cost an arm
and a leg.
-- If a fortune teller says you have a curse, need a lucky
charm or should have special candles and/or prayers said for
you, don't just walk away -- RUN!
-- Don't call a psychic hotline, unless you have money to burn.
-- Delete spam from any alleged psychic.
-- Delete emails regarding lotteries that you've never entered
or heard of.
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From internet Scam Busters.org
Those who run the lotteries love it when players look for consistency in something that's designed not to have any. So many systems, so many theories, so few jackpot winners.
There is one and only one 'proven' system, and that is to book the action. No matter the game, let the players pick their own losers.