Coming to believe the psychics she had contacted were as kosher as a ham sandwich, Louisa called me to get my opinion. After hearing her story, my blood began to boil – I detest psychic scam artists who manipulate people into thinking they’re powerless. Thankfully, Louisa learned her lesson, and then turned the tables on a trio of swindlers. Well done, Louisa!
“I feel I’ve been taken advantage of by three different psychics on Instagram,” Louisa told me. “I was so desperate to get some answers; I fell for everything they said.
“The first one charged me $25 for a Soulmate reading. Long story short, we had a few phone calls, shared a few text messages, and I ended up paying her $500. Then she said I needed to pay $777 more because she felt I was an emotional wreck. I didn’t pay.”
The second psychic told Louisa she needed to buy a $200 crystal from her, then pay another $200 for a chakra balancing. When Louisa balked at the price, the rip-off psychic offered to give her a $100 discount.
Louisa continued, “Two weeks ago I suddenly received an Instagram message in my account from a new psychic who said, ‘I want to help you. There’s someone who needs to be in your life, but negativity is interfering. I see how deeply you care for this person.’ I could have him back in my life if I paid $121 and she would do a 21-day meditation for me. She promised she wouldn’t charge for anything else. Today she contacted me, saying that while meditating she felt a lot of negativity from past generations, and needed another $200 to remove the curse. When I said I had no more money, she offered to cut her price to $100.”
I told Louisa psychic scammers make their money by doing things like convincing people they were cursed, and suggested she find the blog on my website “How to Recognize Psychic Scams.” That evening, Louisa emailed me, saying, “I’d love to share with you the steps they used on me so other people won’t go through what I did. I feel like I need to do this for other people.”
That would be wonderful, I wrote back. And I was pleasantly surprised by Louisa’s response, doing investigations that would put Sherlock Holmes to shame:
Hi Carolyn! I hope this helps. I’m really angry at them, because I was very vulnerable and here’s how they used Instagram to take advantage of me:
- They promote themselves as psychics that will answer all your questions, help you get over your obstacles and bring back the love of your life,
- They have profile pictures of images, not their actual faces,
- They are hard to find in other social media. Only one had a website,
- They don’t use their real name,
- They only do sessions on Instagram. Only one gave me her phone number,
- They start with promotions like “Soulmate reading for $25,” then hook you for more money,
- They use words like “hon” and “darling,” speaking to you in a kind and loving manner, the way your grandma or a very close and dear friend would talk to you,
- They say they can fix whatever comes up,
- They always find something else wrong after the first time you talk with them, then tell you how awful things are and scare you, saying they can make life better if you pay between $100 and $800. If you say you can’t pay, they offer a discount or a payment plan, and act like they’re doing you a favour. They’re very pushy, saying things like “You have to make the payment right now, because I’m at the store.” One even asked me to get a loan so I could pay them!, and
- They ask for money to buy things they needed for their meditations to help you, like crystals, candles, etc. Things you pay for but never see in real life.
“I hope this helps a lot of people,” Louisa wrote before signing off. I sure hope it does, and thank you, Louisa, for sharing with me and helping to alert others about how psychic scammers work. (Louisa’s name has changed to protect her privacy.)
By the way, Louisa didn’t charge me a cent for her valuable information. And, likewise, I give you free of charge how to recognize that you’re dealing with a psychic scammer:
• The scammer says you’re cursed, and that only they can remove this curse,
• The scammer wants a ridiculous amount of money for a session,
• The scammer says you need more sessions to clear up your problem,
• The scammer says you must buy “mystical trinkets” (crystals, candles, etc.), and
• The scammer tells you that you have no power.
If you have any questions or comments on this subject or on any other spiritual matter, feel free to write me at mail @ carolynmolnar.com. And please visit me again!