How Psychic Scams Work: Don't Get Conned!
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Is Your Clairvoyant a Fraud?
Do you believe? According to CBS news 57% of Americans believe in Extra Sensory Perception. Similarly, in England, the BBC reports that more than half of Britons believe in psychic powers such as psychic readings and telepathy. Whether a true believer in psychic phenomenon or a die hard skeptic, everyone can agree on this one universal truth: There are a great many psychic con artists running money scams, seperating the uninitiated from their hard earned cash.
There are no national figures for how many people fall victim to psychic scam artists. For one thing, many people never come forward out of embarrassment. Police do their best to reign in these con artist mediums, but the numbers are staggering and there aren't enough bunko squads to go around. Googling "How many psychics arrested" returns 1,560.000 hits, which should give you some idea of the scope of the problem.
Many people go to a psychic reader out of actual need. Perhaps they have lost someone very dear and are emotionally distraught. Perhaps their marriage is failing and they are seeking answers -- about career, relationships, love, sex, inner pain -- some divine communication from the spirit world that answers their desperate cries and eliminates their problems or concerns.. They don't know where else to turn and so seek out the mystic. God forbid they should choose a common thief.
This is where my friend comes in. His name is...well...let's call him Mr. Gullible. Mr Very Gullible. While I will relate his tale with tongue planted firmly in cheek, there is nevertheless much we can learn from his experience, and by understanding how these crystal ball blackguards operate, we can avoid falling prey to psychic scam artists ourselves. If we should laugh at our human foibles along the way, so be it.
Welcome To My World
Mr. Gullible had been feeling very depressed - something about his dead gold fish, Moby - and decided to seek the council of a genuine, authentic, got-a-neon-sign-in-the-window, psychic. So down to Madam Ruth's he goes for a psychic reading, and enters her storefront parlor. The light was low, but scented candles burned everywhere. Airy, gauzy fabric flowed along the walls and beads separated the front room from the darkness beyond. He stood nervously at the front door. Mysterious voices seemed to come from the walls. He could barely make out what the voices were trying to communicate. "Why can I not go to the base with you, Master?", came a woman's voice. A man replied, "We've been all through this, Jeannie. Now back in your bottle." "Oh...Master!", and then a swooshing noise. It was creepy.
Suddenly a gypsy woman appeared from nowhere. The hanging beads rattled, heralding the mystics presence. The woman held one hand open to the sky while the other clutched her throat, her weathered face turned toward the heavens with eyes closed. Suddenly, in dramatic fashion, the old woman announced, "You have come for a reading!". "Holy cow," thought my friend, "she's doing it already!"
My friend has entered the psychic's world. Everything - the scented candles, the fabrics, the look of the woman - has been carefully calculated to draw him in, to make him more susceptible to what is to come. Of course there IS the television noise in the background, but even psychics can watch I Dream Of Jeannie re-runs. Ray Hyman, professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and on the executive council of the national Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, states in the September/October issue of The Skeptical Inquirer, "Anyone who's been to a reading knows that it's quite a powerful experience. A psychic has the upper hand right from the start. You're entering their world, using their language, following their rules." For this interview, as well as a fine example of a true-life new-age psychic reading in the modern world, go to jdlasica.com. Same game, different playing field.
Let's Play 20 Questions
They take a seat at a small table with a crystal ball between them. The gypsy makes mysterious movements with her hands along the outside of the glass ball. She begins to ask simple, seemingly innocuous questions. "You have lost someone very near to you," she intones. Why, yes. Poor old Moby! "This has hurt you in a meaningful way." Yes! I loved that little fish. "I am seeing the letter B." No acknowledgment from my friend. "It could be a first name...or a last name...or a city...or a place.." Yes! Yes! Mr. Moby lived in a BOWL! She continues in this fashion until she makes a pronouncement: "You are a sincere and deeply feeling individual, but people don't understand you. You are intelligent and highly motivated, but you sometimes let other people's problems consume your thoughts. You always try to do good, even at your own expense. Women are attracted to you, but they fear your intelligence and depth. There is trouble ahead, but you will overcome it." "Holy smokes," thinks my friend, "she MUST be psychic."
They call this a "cold reading". This is nothing more than a cheap parlor trick and the psychic con artist is very good at it. My pal Gully wants to believe, no...needs to believe so badly, that he fails to realize that he has given her all the information she needs, and that her final proclamation is just a newspaper horoscope. My friend doesn't know it, but he has now become her "mark". In the Monday, March 5, 2001 edition of Time magazine, Leon Jaroff writes, " "It is a sophisticated form of the game 20 Questions, during which the subject, anxious to hear from the dead, seldom realizes that he, not the medium or the departed, is supplying the answers." For an example of cold readings and how they work, go to skepdic.com. You could do it yourself. Hey, there's some free career advice. I hear the money's good.
Set The Hook
The psychic's face takes a serious turn. She is hearing voices or seeing something, but what? Finally, she reveals the mystery. "I see a darkness over you. It is evil. It is a very powerful curse! Very powerful!" Mr. Gullible is very worried now. He has already been sucked into the Psychic's world and he believes what he is hearing. Ah, well. He needn't worry. The psychic can remove the curse. She will only have to burn a special candle and purchase a prayer card, and she can get them both for only $300.00. My friend hesitates, but the gypsy woman is having none of that, so she badgers him. "Don't you want to remove the darkness? This curse can kill you! You could die! The curse must be removed!" Hesitantly, he hands over the money as the psychic tells him to return the next day to find out if the darkness has been removed...and to bring an egg with him. As in chicken. Over easy.
As soon as the old woman began speaking of the darkness and curses and death, he should have run away. Far, far away. Adios. Arrivederci. Goodbye. Threatening a person who is emotionally vulnerable is not only unprofessional, but immoral and criminal. There are no special candles and no prayer cards. Find out in advance what the cost of the reading is and don't give them one dime more, regardless of what they tell you or threaten you with.
Those Eggs Look Yummy
My friend returns to Madam Ruth the following day. Bad news. It is much worse than she thought. There is not one curse, but SEVEN, and that requires more special candles, prayer cards, and some crystals this time. Once again, my friend hears that nagging voice in the back of his head telling him get out. She asks for the egg he brought with him. He hands it to her. She places a bowl in front of him, cracks open the egg and, TA DA!...the egg is full of blood! Or maybe there is a live slug writhing in the raw yolk. "You see!," exclaims Madam Ruth. "This is the poison...the evil that infects your soul!" My goodness, can it get any worse? My friend is shook up. He hands over the cash and promises to return in 3 days.
Any beginning magician worth his weight in rabbits can pull this stunt. The Large, Grade A egg Gully brought has been switched with a pre-doctored egg in which red dye has been injected. The writhing slug trick is even easier. The psychic has simply palmed the slug and released it into the bowl as she cracks the raw egg. Isn't that a French dish? Snail in egg? Very simple illusions, but they can have enormous impact on the believer, even causing fear. When you hear that little voice in your head, listen to it. That's real ESP and everyone has it.
Psychic Sylvia Browne Big Fake?
Onward and Downward
The readings continue. The curses are difficult ones, Madam Ruth informs him. She has never seen anything like them. He begins to have readings at her home. At one point, the psychic instructs Mr. Gullible to place a $100 dollar bill into a sealed envelope for every year he has lived and to carry it with him at all times. For Gully, that's $3500.00 bucks. She asks him to see the envelope on several occasions but she never opens it and always gives it back. He trusts her even more for her honesty and does as he is told.
I meet my friend for lunch. I order the eggs. He tells me all about Madam Ruth and all the money he has "invested" in removing the dreadful curses. "Gully, Gully, Gully," I say to him", "the only thing you have "invested" in is the psychic's retirement plan." I show him incontrovertible evidence that it is all a scam, a con, a rip off. I produce documents that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is a con artist and he is her mark. Does he believe me? No, he does not. He is suffering from True Believer's Syndrome, a real affliction where someone continues to believe in spite of proof to the contrary. "I've been to her house," he says, "and she's not rich. How could she be stealing money?" I show him an article about a family of con artists in Chicago that owned multiple houses and several psychic parlors. Many of their houses looked like the Taj Mahal on the inside. He is pissed at me and exits the restaurant in a huff. I ask the waiter to bring me a side of escargot and I finish my eggs.
It's An Ending, But It Isn't Happy
Gully continued to see the psychic. Eventually, she declares that the $100.00 bills have absorbed the evil and must be destroyed. She appeared to tear up the money before his very eyes. Or did she have to burn it in a secret midnight ceremony? I forget. I've had a little fun with Gully's story, but this is, in fact, a serious issue. Many people - educated, intelligent, savvy - fall prey to psychic scam artists every day. They can truly feel despair due to the psychic's chicanery, and there have been many documented cases of victims committing suicide. Remember what you have learned here, and never give a psychic your full name, address or telephone number: With a little knowledge you can avoid becoming the next big payday for a psychic scam artist. At least Gully no longer sees the psychic. He's broke.
CBS News Undercover - Psychic Scam in Action
Photo Credits
From top, all on flickr: Gypsy with crystal ball/misfitgirl; Neon sign/SeraphimC; Storefront B&W/ectarama; Fortune machine/Willy Volk; Everystockphoto: Snail/tristrambrelstaff
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Comments
You were a very wise girl, Veronica Bright! I write for another site as well...just factual, no art, no humor stuff. I joined Hubpages so I could put a little humor into my articles. Thanks so much for the comment. Now, come back to this hub tomorrow and bring an egg.
Great hub, thanks! I used to read palms for fun. I'd take the person's hand, look into it, and say whatever popped into my head. I had no clue how to read a palm but no one knew that. I never read a single person's palm that the the person didn't freak out about how accurate and amazing the whole experience was. Many of the people who said this were self-professed skeptics and thought it was all hooey until submitting to the reading. I quit doing it finally because of this. I never charged any money, but I can see how you could net a tidy sum if you had no conscience.
Often I just said really obvious things about the person, interspersing it with vague stuff along the lines of what you talk about in this hub.
I used to read tarot cards and still do. I will not read for other people anymore unless they insist, and then I give them a whole rehearsed speech explaining 1) why it isn't magic, 2) why it feels real, and 3) how it all works. To this date, not one person who has requested a reading believes my up front explanation and disclaimer.
I have come to believe that there is something about this process that fills a need in people that is much more powerful than the need to have factual explanations. I think reading does serve a purpose, a real purpose, but there are so many charlatans and unscrupulous hucksters out there it never goes anywhere but down. I've tried to write about what I think the process actually does that is a legitimate sort of thing, but no one cares. Seriously, people want to take the whole thing at face value, it doesn't matter what I say or think.
Thanks for a well-written, accurate, and humorous look at an old, old game.
Christoph! I have a feeling that we 'at-the-edge-believers' are nosey wanting to know what the future will bring before it actually happens. Which is all a big bunch of cowcakes I know... but my friends and I have gone to several of these fortune tellers just for fun. Only old Mrs. Nethelton (she looked to be in her nineties) 35+ years ago, two weeks before my wedding, came close to predicting the disaster my marriage would be and that I would have three fantastic children etc. I know just lucky guesses, yet after all this time I can still hear her weird crackly voice and recite the words she used... she charged as 2 bucks for a lousy cup of tea not for the predictions. As I said before all just a bunch of cowpies...
Loved the hub regards Zsuzsy
pgrundy: I know whereof you speak. My better half used to read tarot cards and palms at various charitable events. She's not a psychic, but she knew what the cards meant and could talk a good game. When the event would close down at 10:00 PM, there would still be a long line of 50 people waiting for a "reading". She dutifully stayed until everyone was finished. I was amazed then at people's need to get a reading and her stories of the people's reactions.
I agree that it can serve a real purpose. I try not to come down on either side and chose not to get into whether it can be a real thing or not, since this is about con artists and not about whether ESP can be real. In fact, in the article sited and linked at the bottom of the section "Welcome to My World," jdlasica.com, points out some of these actual benefits of which you speak.
Thank you for your comments and compliments and intellegent observations.
Zsuzsy Bee: Thanks for writing. If one goes to a psychic for fun and pays $50 or thereabouts, and has a gas, well, that's what they are for! Entertainment! There can also be other emotional benefits, as pgrundy points out. As long as there's a set price and nobody's getting manipulated and screwed, then it's just good old-fashioned Gypsy fun! Thanks for the comments!
People want to be cared about and valued for their special individual characteristics and these fakers know it. Through a combo of vagueness and info provided by the mark as well as reading body language and gestures, the "psychics" do sort of form a picture of the person and they reflect it back, usually in flattering terms, because people always like to think that other people think they are cool, smart, good looking, sexy, whatever. People need to feel cared about and validated and these psychics and palmists etc. fill that need. I need to be cared about too but I KNOW that those hucksters care only about my wallet so they wouldn't fool me, but once you've had the feeling of being cared about it's beyond intellectual. And to their credit, sometimes they do just about as much good as a bona fide shrink, who (let's face it!) only cares about your wallet as well.
Yes, they are very skilled at reading people in a matter of seconds. They can do good for a person and some do. As long as they aren't the scam artist type, it can be fun and rewarding. I agree as well about the shrinks. I guess it works for some people, but it has always seemed like a bit of a scam to me. Isn't that what friends, spouses and lovers are for? To listen to you and offer advice and encouragement? Thanks for the comment, Hot Dorkage!
Hi Christoph,
A friend of mine and I got into a discussion about the John Edwards show. I got turned on to him several years ago, and always enjoyed watching his shows.
Anyway, my friend told me it's fake. All of it. I, of course, said no way, he's for real. Then my friend explained how there are microphones planted all over the location, which picks up many conversations going on in the audience. For example, if I were attending one of his shows, and turned to my friend and said, oh, I hope he gets a message for me from long lost grandma, or, I hope he can tell me if my aunt was murdered, then that message is relayed to John. He'll then be saying, over there, 4th row on the left, did someone there just lose a grandma? or, over there, 10th row in the back, there was a murder investigation,,,
To tell you the truth, I don't know how true what my friend told me is, but after hearing the explanation, it makes sense. Yes? No? I'm still out on whether I believe or not.
Thanks for a very interesting hub,
Trish
Hi, Trish. I'm glad you wrote and specifically, asked about John Edward. My wife is a huge fan of John Edward, and whenever his show was on (can't find it lately), we had to watch it. So he is a bit of a touchy subject around here. My wife believes in him; I do not. Never did (but I am a cynical person).
During my research for this hub, I came across some information on Mr. Edward which states the very things you have mentioned and more. Edward denies that this is true, but any "psychic" will deny all allegations. This information mostly came from a Larry King show, in which John Edward, Sylvia Brown and another psychic went up against Ray Hyman of the Skeptical Inquirer and Leon Jaroff of Time Magazine, both quoted and linked above. Unfortunately, this interview did not make it into my final draft, but fortunately, I still have my notes. The link is:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0103/06/lkl
I think you, like myself, will find this facinating, as John Edward and the others answer these accusations directly. You can make up your own mind.
Sometimes people are planted out in the waiting area as well, gathering information which is reported back to the "psychic". There are other, even more sinister tricks some of these "Psychics" use, whether on television or just one who makes a living seeing larger numbers of people at one time. People have to get tickets, right? Sometimes these tickets must be paid for or sent through the mail. So there is an address. They have been known to send another party to this person's house the day before. Right from the beginning, they get lots of information: What the house looks like; the mailbox; cars in the driveway; what's in the backyard. This person - usually a woman - will knock on the door and ask to use the phone. Think what info she can get if she is invited in. So now the psychic has all this information related to the person who will be sitting in seat F11.
You ask my opinion. I am not an expert and my opinion is not any more valid than anyone else's, but since you ask, I still think he is a fraud. My wife still does not.
All that being said, I do think there are people who are really psychic or something, just maybe not on TV. I hope this helps. Thanks for writing!
Wow, there's a lot to think about in all this, Christoph. I've read palms and tarot cards for fun in the past, and been either eerily accurate, or just plain lucky, depending how you look at it. I do neither now, partly because I hope to be taken more seriously these days, and partly, because i wasn't always comfortable with people's neediness. I also flirted with becoming a healer, and got half way through the course before walking away from it. I believe that we all have an inner guidance that we should train ourselves to listen to, and my inner guidance told me that this was not the right path for me.
There are some terrible scammers and crooks out there preying on the lonely, the desparate, the needy, but there are also those who provide genuine solace and comfort and charge little or nothing for doing so. If people need this kind of support they should use their own good commonsense and go by reccommendation just as you would when choosing a builder or a dentist, Sometimes help can be found in the most unlikely places, whereas I would tend to be suspicious of the mystic music and joss sticks brigade!
Hi Christoph,
I read the Larry King interviews. It left me with more questions than answers. They all, of course, were defending their positions, and nay-saying anything they didn't agree with.
Actually, the points you brought up as far as other trickery, such as plants in the waiting room and the information that can be gathered from people knocking on doors or from the actual show tickets themselves, leads me to believe it's all a hoax. These, I believe, are absolutely ways to get enough information so that when a show is being done, the psychic can appear to the uneducated to be very credible.
On the other side of my coin, however, I do wonder about the connection between the psychic and crime. There is a show I watch, which you probably have seen as well, Psychic Detectives. I am leaning on the side of believing that in those instances, there is some credibility to what a psychic can supposedly do. I'm finding it hard to think of how a psychic can manipulate information regarding a crime, other than to have read a news article about it.
In summation, I do believe that some people are more perceptive or intuitive than others, or are more in tune, say, with a person known to them, and in those instances, what they may say may very well be true.
To say the least, this is a wonderful, thought provoking hub, and I thank you for it,
Your fan,
Trish
Amanda: Thanks for the comment. I also think there are some people who do some good. I intentially limited the scope of this hub to detecting psychic con artists and not the much larger and controversial question, Are psychics real? Maybe some are, maybe some aren't. I haven't made up my mind and I doubt if I ever will. Like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. Thanks!
Trish: Thanks for your notes. Yes, Oklahoma. I lived in Muskogee from when I was 7 to 14 yrs old, an impressionable time for anybody. It was a great place for growing up: small town, lot's of stuff to explore, and we even had some of that "Outsiders" stuff going on. I lived there when the Merle Haggard song came out, Okie from Muskogee. We thought it was hysterical!
I have to agree about the psychic detectives show, although I think some of them are a little vague. I can think of one that was astounding and try as I might, I could not figure out how it could have been faked. It was the kind of thing that sent shivers. On that note - and again to confuse the issue - one of the interviews I read was with an FBI agent. He said that in his 25 years, he never saw any results from psychic information. They would offer tips, same as anyone else, and those tips were followed up, same as everyone else, and not one ever led to the solving of any crime, but then the "psychic" would go around saying they were a "consultant to the FBI".
It's an issue that I think will never be resolved. Thanks again for writing!
Great hub. I had two eggs with tomato sauce for breakfast and six garlic snails for dinner. Does that count? Oh and I have dark side I like Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter.
BTW the greatest hoax buster, on the fake medium issue, was Harry Houdini. His last challenge before he died was to challenge all mediums to contact him after his death . They tried ever year on the same day (his birthday I think) for some 50 years but no one was successful so go figure
In addition mediums are not reported as winning on lotto or horse races or making huge amounts on the stock exchange.
They always say they will lose their powers if they use them for making those sorts of predictions.
sixtyorso! Yes! Eggs with tomato sauce work (looks like blood) and the snails always count - because they're disgusting and delicious, two of my favorite food groups. Didn't you want some fava beans and some chi-an-tee with that? I am familiar with the Houdini challenge. If I'm not mistaken, they still do it every year.
Don't you hate that lotto thing. Man, I'd be a the track or the casino with a pocket full of lottery tickets!
Thanks for writing!
As a person blessed/cursed with intermittent ESP, I agree that people need to be wary about who they choose to trust. I do believe that there is true talent out there...I just don't believe that truly gifted people would prostitute their ability. Therefore, I'm extremely skeptical of anyone in the public eye...whether it's a neon sign or a national broadcast.
There was a time in my life when the rug was pulled completely from beneath my feet and...well, I stood there, figuratively speaking, in stunned amazement for about a year trying to figure out where it all went and where to go from there. Some well-intentioned people were concerned and thought perhaps I was suicidal...which was the furthest thing from my mind. They insisted that I seek therapy. Instead, I freaked them all out by going to a psychic counselor recommended by my hair dresser. LOL! They were so upset...asking over and over again, "WHY??"
I told them simply, "Because I just need to hear somebody talk about tomorrow as if they really believe it's going to happen."
Richard Greene, was an amazing psychic counselor. I didn't go alone...I went with a trusted friend. He knew who I was the minute I walked in the door...not because he was THAT psychic, but because my picture had been in all the local newspapers. His first words were..."oh my god, don't even ask me that question."
I smiled at that...because it didn't take a psychic to figure out what kind of question a woman in my circumstances would ask a psychic. "And if I did?" I asked him. He said, "If you did...I'd say...you already know the answer to your own question, you just aren't ready to believe the truth yet."
It wasn't a psychic's answer...it was the type of answer an honest friend would have given me. He talked about tomorrow as if it was going to happen...and he never charged me a dime. I felt better for having gone to him.
Dear Spryte: Thanks for reading and your heartfelt comment. The story you tell is very captivating, and, of course, gets the curiosity thing going at full tilt. Obviously, it is a personal matter which you have chosen not to reveal, and I don't think you should, I mean, not to me, not here.
I am glad that this person helped you. I have tried to clarify, in the comment section at least, that I do not disbelieve that people can have psychic powers, or really high intuition. I too have intermittant bouts, but so tame are they I do not view it as a curse. If someone askes me if I have ESP, my answer would not be yes, but "kinda, sometimes." It comes and goes and I have no say in the matter. High Syncronicity I call it. Thank heavens I don't see planes crashing or anything.
Another thing I have said (I think) is that I want to believe, and these cons piss me off because they are seriously mucking up the issue. When I started to write this, it was going to be strictly humor. I had a good joke. But it turned into this - something more serious.
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sure everyone who happens upon this hub will find it as interesting and intriguing as I have. Perhaps when we are better aquainted you will share your experience with me. I'd like that.
Chris
Yes I am afraid it works like a broken telephone. Many years ago i was on holiday at the coast when I had this creepy feeling that we were going to be involved in a car wreck. The feeling was so strong and persistent that I cut the holiday short and packed everyone into the the car to go home and "get it over with" so to speak. We arrived home safely! Only to find that our house had been broken into and as no one knew where we where, the local police had posted a police guard to look after the house (which had already had the valuables taken)!
Spryte methinks your Danny prologue is the start of your story?
Sixty - You would be right. My reply to Christoph's hub was just another example of story "leakage" and was what finally pushed me over the edge. Can you find the others? :)
Hmmm. A challenge. I love a challenge! And Hide and Seek and Easter Egg hunts, too. This could be like "The Great Hub Race." It's a puzzle wrapped in a mystery inside an egnima!
Sixty: I had a very similar experience. I was driving to Chicago for a weekend at the Drake and had a premonition that on my way back, a rock would be "kicked up" by a vehicle in front of me and hit my windshield. I took note to be extra careful on my way home, staying well back of semi-trucks. I was going to do what I could to prevent this event from occuring. It happened on the way THERE, which was unexpected. Put a chip in my windshield, too! Thanks for writing!
I myself saw an episode of Chris Angel in which he busted "psychic powers" But having said that I do believe that there are people who posses such abilities but they are very few in number and rarely if ever advertise their powers. Good Hub :-)
Hi countrywomen: I agree totally. Thanks for stopping by and having a read and leaving the comment. It is appreciated. Thanks!
Also when you mentioned 'I dream of jeanie' show it reminded me so much of her and her master(Major Nelson). I sometimes wish I had those powers at the blink of an eye to set things right around me. We all wish there was a genie may be not as beautiful as Barbara Eden but still some one who would make things happen for us and end up being another Mr/Ms Gullible.
Hi countrywomen! Thanks. I'll bet you can set a lot of things right around you with just a blink of an eye! You'll find more about I Dream of Jeannie in my Hub, Ginger or Mary Ann. I hope you'll check it out. Bye for now!
Wow, controversial subject on a huge scale.
Firstly I too believe in John Edward, as anyone who has watched as many of his shows as I have will know that he frequently comes up with facts (later proven), that even the people he is reading didn't know and were unresearchable. e.g. the time he told a women he had a small white, virtually hairless dog, blind, that had a name similar to a breakfast cereal. She had no clue what he was on about, but later in a follow up she had called her Mum, who then told her that her Grandmother had previously had a dog perfectly fitting the entire description and called "Popsicle". This could not possibly have been found out by addresses or hidden microphones. You only have to read John Edward books to be inspired by how his gift was discovered by him, and to see him do a "blind" reading, (someone behind a screen that he has no idea who they are) to be convinced.
Now I know there are many "fakes" out there, in fact on at least one occasion I demanded my money back and threatened to go to the local papers if she wouldn't comply. My reason for this was that not only did the medium in question ask me numerous leading questions, but she also separately gave my friend virtually exactly the same reading, and on tape in both cases. We got our money back, but had to relinquish the tapes.
The secret of being convinced by a medium is to give them no information other than your first name. This way, if they come up with any information that is specific you can have confidence in their abilities.
I have been to a number of excellent mediums, as has my older sister, and we are always very careful not to give any information about ourselves, our surnames etc. To give a few examples of how brilliant a good medium can be:
I spoke to one on the phone after my Husband died of Cancer, and she gave me various very specific information only knowing my first name and not why I was booked in with her or who I had lost. Some of this info included the fact that my Husband had a limp on his right leg, (true as he had previously had a bad car accident that broke his ankle a year earlier). She also told me he had a large bi-coloured dog with him, which was really impressive, as about 18 months before my Husband died we had lost our black and tan Doberman, and I had said to my Husband, "If ever you die before me, please let me know you are okay and "Odin" (our dog) is with you".
She also went on to come up with some names such as Edie, (which was a relative of my Mum's and not a common name). Another name she came up with was "Steve", who ended up being the next chap I had a relationship with nearly a year later.
Another Medium saw my Sister on a separate occasion, and although my Sister had gone to visit her for her own personal reasons, this Medium told her that she had my Husband there, and that his Son had treated me very badly after he had died, and that he was ashamed of him. This was amazing, as my Sister had not said she had a Sister, or that this same Sister had been widowed at a very young age. What's more it was so true, as the elder son had stolen a car and a camcorder from me after his Dad had died, and claimed his Dad would have been proud of him for his behaviour, (see my Hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Bowel-Cancer-Stole-My-Husb )
Another occasion I went to see a medium after my cat had been killed. I didn't get the cat until right at the very end, but she did bring through my Father who had died years earlier, (see my Hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Getting-a-Second-Chance-at although I was still young enough at the time that my Father being dead was unlikely. She exhibited virtually all of the symptoms of his illness right in front of me, including coughing and spluttering. She even showed physical signs such as his eyes bulging like they used to. What she went on to say was that he was sorry he had been so horrible to my Mum and us in life and that he could now see how awful he had been, and that he knew Mum had now met someone else, and he was really happy for her. He offered her a red rose as a sign he loved her. All of this was 100% accurate, and to be totally honest none of the above Medium's got anything wrong, which dispels the assumption that if they offer enough information they are bound to get a few "hits" and numerous "misses", and that people will only focus on the "Hits" and forget the "Misses".
On yet another occasion I was in a bar in Tenerife chatting to a girl I had only just met. Her boyfriend was at the bar buying a round of drinks in a very noisy environment with live music. I told her I had been widowed, but nothing else. A couple of minutes later her boyfriend returned and immediately asked me, "Whose Dave?". I nearly fell over on the spot, but explained Dave had been my late Husband. He told me Dave knew I had been through a really tough time and that he was around me. The guys girlfriend told me not to be shocked, as this happened to her boyfriend all the time. I was stunned, and they got nothing out of it at all.
Another excellent British Medium is "Lisa Williams", currently based in America. She is mind blowing, and gives a large amount of very specific info, including names. She is enough to convince even the most hardened sceptic, and she is also a very likeable person. Her TV series is rivetting, and I recommend everyone should watch it, especially sceptics.
It is also well worth watching "Psychic Detectives" on Sky, as most of the episodes feature hardened detectives who were initially only using a Medium either as a last resort, or because the families of the deceased requested they do so. Most of the cases when solved were largely because of the information given by the psychics, which was also uncannily accurate and convinced the detectives that perhaps they should be more open to using psychics in the future.
So to summarise, yes, there are loads of fakers out there, but amongst these are a good element of genuine psychics who are tarnished by the fakers repuations. Who can say it is unfair for them to charge for their services, as after all, they have a skill, and need to make a living in much the same way as an artist or sculptor. I have no problem with this, and believe in going to psychics that have been recommended by people I know that have been to them beforehand, and whose opinions I trust.
Hi, Misty. I am glad you had a chance to respond and had so much to say. I'm not sure how or why the comment section has gone in this direction. The article itself says nothing about John Edward. I do not say he is a fake. If I have expressed that belief in the comment section, that is my opinion and is not meant to be taken as anything that I wish to present as fact. When I did (in the comment section - not the article) I provided a link for anyone who wants to, to go look at the interview and the accusations and the psychics themselves defending against these charges face to face. I encourage everyone to go look at it. Both sides are represented. One guy who is retired from the army and was in charge of a secret program looking into "remote vision" for 30 years, uncategorically states that psychic ability is real. I also provide an immediate contrary opinion - my wife's. The hub is about psychic frauds...Period! I intentionally did not make any such statements about all psychics being frauds. I came across some information but I did not use it. If I had of, I would have damn well quoted sources. I would have presented THEIR opinions - not my own - since I don't really have any in this regard. At least not strong enough that I want to go around being the great debunker. I do have an opinion about con men in general. I hate them.
I really was a private investigator and I really did bust cheats throughout the U.S, but my "opinion" didn't count. It had to stand up in a court of law. There had to be incontrovertable video evidence. I know better than to make accusations without something to back it up. Everyone who has gone into this area - as though I have said all psychics are frauds - always start off by saying something like, "I know there are cheats, but..." That should be the end of the conversation right there. That's all I said. "You could look it up," as they say
I'll be right back.
Ok. I'm back. I'm upset because I have upset you, and that makes me feel like shit. I curse the day I wrote this fu##ing thing. It started out to be a 100% humorous piece, like Becket or Tom Stoppard (except I'm not as good as they are.)
When Edward came up in the comment section, I not only provided a link, but I said "you can make up your own mind", "I am not an expert", and "my opinion is no more valid that anyone else''s." What more can I do? I also said I believe it exists, that I have seen things that I could not explain, and that I think I possess it to some minor degree. How can I think it's not real when I believe that I myself have it (just a little).
I have seen the John Edward show, Lisa Williams, and Psychic Detectives many, many times. Sometimes I am impressed, and sometimes I am not. If someone is on TV, and they are "on the money" 20% of the time, but through creative editing are made to appear that they are correct 90% of the time, then 70% of the time they are fakes. I could play devil's advocate with you, but I don't want to. I don't care. They are on TV, not in a storefront ripping off suckers who walk in off the street.
I am truly sorry for the hard time you went through, and happy that you found some reliable and real psychics. Why you call me a sceptic, I don't know. Maybe I can just tell a fake when I see one. I encourage anyone who has managed to stick with us this long to visit Misty hubs listed above (and all of them, for that matter) and if you have any links to valid, documented evidence or persons of high standing or authority, post them here. If they check out OK I will leave them for all to see. Sir Author Conan Doyle believed - Houdini didn't. The list goes on and on.
Are we OK? I'm finished. This is what I have to say and this is all: Some of those "Gypsy" Psychics are really con artists. Here are some of the tricks they play to get your money. If you find this happening to you...get out.
Thanks for that mention earlier. I really appreciated it. I guess you'll be taken me off now, huh?
P.S. Misty: I will read your hubs that you have linked to later tonight or first thing tomorrow. I was writing a hub that I hoped to publish tonight, and find myself behind.
Hey Christoph, you haven't upset me at all so don't worry. My comment was more aimed at the general people who will read the comments and the hub and jump to conclusions that they should never trust any psychic. You are one of my favourite Hubbers, and I certainly won't be taking you off my recommended list :)
There are many con artists out there, I simply wanted to impart a few good tips about how to avoid being conned, and to sort out the "wheat from the chaff" so to speak. By the way it wasn't my intention to call you a sceptic directly, that comment was aimed a sceptics in general who might be reading the comments.
Anyway, I hope this has put your mind at rest and please don't worry I still rate you big time :)
Good. You are one of my favorites,too.
OOOhhhh I have gone all mushy inside now :)
OOOooo. Hope that's figurative. Otherwise, it could get messy!
I think your Wife and my Husband might have something to say about that if it weren't figurative LOL :)
Actually, I was researching the Ebola virus, and there's a thing it does to your insides and well....that's pretty funny though!
My God, don't tell me I have Ebola please..................
Of course you don't. You haven't been eating any rodents or great apes lately, have you?
well not for a week or two at least!!!
Whew! That's a relief!
oh daaaammmmnnnnn!!!!!!
Glad I got the skinny on this scam. I went to a physic once. Funny thing though. When I left I thought she was full of it, come to find out, it all happened and she never asked me for a cent more then we agreed on.
Was it worth my friends 80$. lol, yip cause she told I wouldn't have to pay a cent. hahahaha. Great hub.
Hi, Sandra! Nice to see you again! No eggs? No snails? Sounds like you got a good one!
I've just stumbled across this site and was interested in your article. I'm a spiritual counselor or "intuitive" and I work to defraud "psychics" who offer spells and tell of curses. I have so many clients who have become psychic "junkies' who cannot make a move without going to a fortune-teller, it amazes me. I work to get them OFF the "junkie psychics" and listen to their own spirit or "psychic ability."
I tend to agree with you on John Edwards and Sylvia Browne, totally cold readers, but they do have some talent. WE are ALL psychics, we all have a sixth sense. BUT people like John Edwards and Browne have been so worried about chasing the "buck" that they have lost a lot of there psychic energy. You gotta be focused and if you are psychic, MONEY can not come first. A true spiritual advisor knows the "universe" God, etc..in some way provides and usually ask for donations. Money cannot take priority or one loses spiritual power.
My two-cents from a professional "mystic"
mystic: I appreciate your coming by and I agree with you. I, too, believe everyone has a bit of psychic ability! Some maybe more than others, to be sure, but anyone can heighten theirs with practice and getting in tune with it. I have had personal experiences with it, as has most everybody though they may not realize it.
Thanks for the comment. It's always nice to have a Professional come by, especially when they confirm what you already suspect. Thank you!
I'd have to agree with mystic above. I too hear often of jerks out there who tell vulnerable people that they are cursed, and so on.
Ethical readers, like mystic apparently is, and like myself, work to foster INDEPENDENCE not psychic junkies.
This is a good hub methinks... thanks for your work.
IA
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment. Glad you found it to your liking. One thing is sure, people can feel very passionately about the subject, as evidenced in the comment section. Thank you for your input.
That must be that con artist psychic I saw on unsolved mysteries. It was the same type of con, with the egg, the money in the envelope... its sick, and crazy too that ppl fall prey to such a scheme.
Great hub Chris. Tis a shame about Gully. ; )
Mella: Thanks for stopping in. Actually, it's a very common "psychic" trick, or ruse, if you will. Many use the same thing, or slightly different versions of it. Glad you enjoyed my humble peice!
mp says:
This stuff is all so fascinating... I was raised believing it was all satanic and had to be avoided at all costs... but when I finally grew up (a couple months ago lol) I realized whether its true or not or evil or not(which I dont believe it is) I need to make my own educated decision. Personally I dont think people can read others minds but I do believe people can be very intuitive by reading body language, mannerisms, voice fluctuations etc...
Again it is all very fascinating...thanks for the post... I like your style.
MP: Thanks for reading. Your comment is appreciated.
@SWEET PSYCHIC: Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you have said. I certainly didn't mean to imply there are no real psychics, just that there are many con-artists posing as psychics. Thanks for reading.
P.S. I could not run your comment with the embedded link. Sorry.
A lot of effort has been put into your blog, a good read :) I do not feel (as in 100% belief) any psychic or medium that appears on Tv or otherwise has the power or talent to give any of us any answers that we cant find ourselves. It is a scam, probably one of the most accepted scams to this date.
Lucky star: Thanks for the comment. I think it's true that most psychics on TV are probably fake, but I will stop short of saying absolutely 100% of them are. I don't have any objections to a psychic making money from their gift either, as long as it's fair and they aren't taking advantage of people. Thanks again!
I went to Pamela nine. Nothing she told me every came to pass. Any one is crazy to go to her, got over my craziness. She says she is better than John Edwards. But you can't prove that to me.
Ronnie Sewell: Although I am unfamiliar with Ms. Nine, you'll get no argument from me, and I certainly wouldn't try to prove John Edwards was better than anybody. Thanks for your comment.
Veronica Bright says:
18 months ago
Great hub...and sense of humor! Oddly enough, I write on another site as wella snd have a series of Articles on the Paranormal, and some "Psychics"
Back when I was a young girl, about 20, a palm reader told me I had a curse on my heart and wanted $300. I never gave it to her, never went back, but that stays with you.
Anyway, great job!