Psychic Arrested in Exorcism Scam

Benjamin Radford

In September 2016, a New York–based psychic was arrested for convincing a client that her failing marriage was caused by an evil spirit that could be driven out only by an expensive exorcism. According to a September 13, 2016, story in The Gothamist:

Photo: Steven Hirsch

An Upper East Side fortune teller was arrested this weekend after she allegedly terrified and manipulated a distraught woman out of more than $60K. Among other things, the “psychic” convinced the woman she had a “demon/evil spirit” inside her that was a dead baby the victim’s mother had miscarried before the victim was born—and the only way to get it out was through increasingly expensive “demon removal work.” (http://tinyurl.com/z6m48d4)

Many fortune-tellers try to skirt responsibility by advertising their services as “for entertainment only,” though most people who visit psychics really do take the information seriously (as you might expect they would when paying around $60 per hour for “entertainment”). Those who seriously consult psychics are often troubled people looking for answers and guidance. Thousands of people are scammed by psychics every year, falsely told, for example, that they are cursed and that $10,000 in “faith money” can help end a bad luck streak.