Few months ago, several people contacted me to say they thought they’ve been taken advantage of by psychic frauds through email. These folks had all had readings with the same “intuitive” reader.
I asked them if they’d be comfortable sending me copies of their readings so I could check things out. And when they did, I discovered that the readings were ALL about 90% identical!
An email reading scam is when the reader gives you the same basic information that everyone else is getting.
The way psychic frauds get away with this is by keeping the reading extremely vague, like the example below:
A relative around you has never accepted you, but things will start to turn around. It’s time to let go of your past and embrace your future. Someone special will be sending you a gift.
Notice how general the information is? Most of what is mentioned could apply to just about anyone. Nothing is detailed or specific.
Tips to Avoid Email Psychic Frauds
It’s always best to find a reader by word of mouth if you can. If that’s not an option, and you are searching for an intuitive reader online, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I feel a connection with this person? (Make sure you check out their ‘About Me’ page.)
- Do I get a good sense of their personality when I read their blog or social media page?
- By reading their posts, does this seem like a person I would enjoy working with?
- Does their blog, website, or Facebook page look professional?
- Do they have testimonials? If so, do they seem like they were written by real people?
Here are a couple of other quick tips:
1. Before you purchase an email reading, make sure you know exactly what you are paying for:
- Approximately how many pages will the reading be?
- How will the file be delivered? Email? PDF? (PDF format is always nice, and very professional.)
- Can you ask a follow-up question if something doesn’t make sense?
2. Don’t pay too much attention to the number of fans on a Facebook page. Why? Because it’s very easy for psychic frauds to go online and “buy” fans. For example, I found a site where you could buy 10,000 likes for $120. (Just to be clear, buying likes is different than advertising.)
I know some wonderful intuitives and mediums who have less than 500 people that follow their Facebook page – and others who have over 10,000. The number isn’t necessarily an indicator of legitimacy.
Scary Email Message
Next on our list of psychic frauds is the scary email message. This is when you find a message in your email or Facebook inbox from a psychic or medium.
They may either:
- Say that they have a message for you and that it’s very important that they talk to you, or
- Say that they are a medium and claim to have a message from your loved one in heaven. They may even tell you your loved one is having some sort of distress.
They will usually give you just enough general information to get your attention. And, if you reply back, they may tell you that they will give you the rest of the “message” in exchange for a fee.
This happened to a friend of mine. A woman who claimed to be a medium contacted her and said that she had a message from my friend’s dad in heaven. My friend was upset, because she really wanted that message from her dad, but didn’t have the money to pay for the full reading.
Luckily, I was able to assure her that the whole thing was a bunch of baloney, and that her dad was at peace.
Red Flags For This Psychic Scam
On rare occasions, a medium or intuitive will be moved to pass along a spontaneous message. If it is genuine, they will do so at no cost and they will explain to you who they are and what they do; they will then ask your permission to pass along the message.
Asking permission is important, because not everyone believes in psychic ability or the afterlife. Ethical readers do not want to frighten or upset anyone, while psychic frauds don’t care.
And keep in mind that it takes a pretty strong spirit to be able to get through to a medium when he or she is not working.
Bottom line:
If a reader contacts you and says, “Hey, I have this message for you, but will only give it to you if you pay,” that is a red flag. Delete the message, or report it as spam.