In the Crystal Ball: More Regulation for Psychics

Time ^ | Sept 2, 2010 | Elizabeth Diaz

[Vendome]

With a little Foresight.....

[Joe 6-pack]

"What is the usual clientele of these folks?"

They will typically target people in the midst of life-altering events, i.e. divorces, death of a loved one, loss of employment etc.

One scam involves them telling people that their jewelry, money, etc. is the source of their misery and needs to be turned over to them for "safekeeping". In some elaborate scams, precious gemstones are swapped out with glass or imitation stones before being returned. In other cases the psychic talks the person into signing them as the beneficiary of an insurance policy, etc.

Certainly it's something no "sane" person would do, but when they target people deep in grief with little or no faith, they make surprisingly easy marks.

[onedoug]

I wouldn´t go to any seer who wasn´t already rich from their earlier predictions.

[MinuteGal]

These fortune tellers, tricksters, psychics and seers are on the business TV shout shows every day and night.....and all day on Saturday radio programs, to boot.

They wear Brooks Brothers suits and colorless nail polish instead of purple capes, plumed turbans and beards.

They make their living providing prophetizing entertainment to the awed, trusting, avaricious masses, but their income comes mainly from their own various media and speechifying gigs rather than from the fruits of their own financial predictions.

If it were otherwise, they'd all be retired and living it up on the Isla del Sol and Martha's Vineyard.

Leni

[RipSawyer]

I thought that was the windfall prophets tax.

[dfwgator]

I always wondered, shouldn’t psychics be calling you, instead of the other way around?

[RipSawyer]

The only seers worth paying to see don’t need your money and don’t want to waste their time.

[onedoug]

There are no seers, paid or not.

[SunkenCiv]

LOL!!

[RipSawyer]

“There are no seers, paid or not.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Well, if there were any, then what I said would almost certainly apply to them.

[bigheadfred]

"We had no mechanism of enforcement to protect people against unsavory characters,"

Livin' in the wild, wild west...

[bigheadfred]

Used to have “ ‘bigheadfred’s’ psychic hotline—We already got your message” on my answering machine. All I know is there are some DUMB people out there.

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

[SunkenCiv]

So, that *was* your phone number. I want my money back, those lottery numbers were NO GOOD. ;’)

[tet68]

It makes it illegal to say incantations to give good luck without having a license,”

Never stopped Obama.

“Economic Stimulus!”
“Recovery Summer”
“Drink a Slurpee.”

[bigheadfred]

You can have your money back. Kinda glad I get to scratch a name off my D list. Besides, the money I get from the psychic line gets funneled into the loan-sharking thing and the returns on that are like winning the lottery.

[magslinger]

There are no seers, paid or not.

'K, Mart, Roebuck will be disappointed to hear it.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)