Greedy People Have No Problem Preying On Misfortunate
(CBS) NEW YORK "A greedy person manipulated her and took advantage of her vulnerability. That's why this is a crime," said retired NYPD Det. Bob Geis.
He's talking about a woman we'll call Mary. She's educated and too embarrassed to reveal her identity. After going for a typical $5 palm reading, Mary was conned out of $30,000 over a period of years, by a storefront psychic like the hundreds you see nestled throughout the city.
Mary was lonely, uncertain of her future, the perfect victim.
"It's like a trap you fall into," Mary said.
Like three out of four Americans, Mary believed in the paranormal. She became trapped after the psychic claimed a curse was on her and her family.
"I got low enough to where she had me scared enough to feel like my life was doomed," Mary said.
The psychic convinced Mary that money was the root of evil and sacrificing money would cleanse her spiritually and get rid of the curse.
"They make their money doing a curse removal scam," said Geis, who is now a private investigator. "This is how they produce income for themselves and their loved ones. They have an expression that they taught me. They say, 'if the bear don't hunt, the bear don't eat.' "
Geis said the average storefront psychic earns about $300,000 a year, and they don't make that kind of money doing card readings. They do it by cultivating victims and then taking advantage of their vulnerabilities
We sent a producer with a hidden camera to storefront psychics in Manhattan to see what can happen. It was at an Upper East Side storefront where the con unfolded after our producer gets a tarot card reading.
A psychic who called herself Samantha told our producer, "I feel like recently there's been a lot of negative energy surrounding you."
Then she repeatedly warned our producer, "This negativity is going to start to follow you ... the more it goes on, the longer it goes, the stronger that this gets."
She predicted our unmarried producer would have doomed relationships
"I need to help you with this because this is something that's not going to clear on its own," Samantha said.
Samantha said she wanted to meditate for guidance. Our producer returned the next day. Samantha told her crystals, candles and money would block and absorb the negative energy.
"You're just going to have to use a certain amount of money for every year of your birth, to represent yourself, said Samantha. Then she told our producer to seal $20 bills in an envelope and carry it with her at all times.
"I don't want you to think that this is for me or that you have to spend this for anything."
Our producer then prepared an envelope to look like it contained nearly 50 $20 bills and went back to Samantha. Samantha asked to see the envelope, but did not open it.
However, Samantha then predicted good things to come. But first she says, "We need to build a stronger magnet so that this energy can be lifted."
When our producer seems reluctant to continue Samantha brings in the big gun, a woman she says is her mother, named Donna, and supposedly a very strong psychic. Donna turns up the pressure.
"If somebody told me I had to walk on water to get rid of this negative energy, I would try ... you will end up with no one, you understand?"
Donna told our producer she would need to add to the envelope a $100 bill for every year of her age.
On the fifth day, our producer returns, supposedly with nearly $6,000. And Donna tells her, "Keep it very close to you where you sleep and I'll see you tomorrow at 2 o'clock.
Detective Geis said Donna was getting ready to strike.
"They were gaining your trust, to show you they wouldn't take the money. And the other test was to see if you really had the money," Geis said.
Then on the sixth day, the psychic makes her move. She says the negativity is gone, absorbed by the money which must be sacrificed or the producer will be unlucky in love forever.
Donna says she needs to burn the money and then bury it to keep the negative energy from returning.
Our producer gives her the envelope and tells Donna that she's a journalist, working on a story about psychic scams. Donna replied, "This ain't a psychic scam dear."
"You just talked me out of nearly six thousand dollars," said our producer. Donna then blamed our producer.
"You're scamming me. You came in here and you lied to me," said Donna.
"I didn't lie... every single thing I told you and Samantha was the truth about my life," said our producer.
Mary's psychic took her to the brink of suicide.
Psychic scams are not only cruel, they're criminal. Something to keep in mind the next time you're tempted by a neon sign.
If you think you've been conned by a storefront psychic, call your local district attorney:
Manhattan DA: 212-335-8900 (Special Prosecutions Bureau)
Brooklyn DA: 718-250-2340 (Citizen Action Office)
Queens DA: 718-286-6673 (Economic Crimes Bureau)
Bronx DA: 718-590-2000 (ask for Investigations Bureau)
Staten Island DA: 718-876-6300 (ask for Detective Squad)
Suffolk DA: 631-853-5602 (Intake Unit)
Nassau DA: 516-571-3343 (Consumer Frauds Bureau)
http://wcbstv.com/seenat11/local_story_248221426.html
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