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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
In response to those asking who is hurt by psychic scammers, or who claim that the money lost to such people is small potatoes, I thought it might be interesting and educational for people to post newspaper articles, personal experiences, etc., with regard to psychic scammers.
Yes, fraud and scams happen in many different businesses, but these scammers often use mentalism and magic techniques (as mentioned in the following article)to lure their victims into false beliefs for the purposes of robbing them or harming them, so they should be of particular concern to mentalists. - entity This one happened very recently, just around the corner from where I live. It was reported in the Toronto Sun Newspaper in January: << He promised them "light in their lives." He laughed with them, danced with them and, most importantly, he prayed for them. Mohammad Roshan Zameer was the name he gave. Though, with their pockets empty, his alleged victims now wonder if even that was real. And they may never know. Because after several members of Peel Region's Hindu community forked over hundreds of thousands of dollars to the alleged Swami Swindler, he upped and left, leaving nary a coin -- or prayer -- behind. On the 540 AM Punjabi Lehran radio show he first spoke on in July, the man became known as Roshan bhai -- "Brother Roshan" in Hindi. Roshan means "illumination" or "light." FREE FIX If anyone had a problem, Brother Roshan would solve it in a few days, free of charge, listeners were told. So listeners like Paramjit Bhullar called the number given. They went to the Mississauga home the so-called priest rented at 4289 Guildwood Way and asked for help. Bhullar had family problems he wanted fixed. For others, it was cancer or financial problems. "He said, 'I have a lot of power with the god,'" Bhullar recalled yesterday at his Woodbridge house. "He told me, 'You're a very lucky person'." With that, the visits shifted from Bhullar's family problems to the promise of a big lottery win. Bhullar was wowed -- brainwashed, he now says -- by magic tricks. A 6/49 lottery ticket was pulled from a boiled egg. Written on the ticket: "Paramjit. You are a lucky person. You will win $21 million." Bhullar was told things only he knew about his past, the way a psychic would tell him. "It was black magic," he said. If he forked over $210,000, he would win $21 million in the lottery, he was told. But Bhullar couldn't afford that. So he offered half. The chance at such a win only comes around "once in a lifetime," he was told. Why waste it? The $105,000 was needed for special prayer supplies sent from India in preparation for the promised Dec. 29 lotto win, Bhullar heard. It was November. Bhullar was given 40 days to get the money. Every few days, Bhullar would bring instalments of $5,000 or $10,000 cash. That's all the priest wanted: Cash. Each time he visited, the house was filled with people waiting to see Brother Roshan, who, with all his said wisdom, only appeared to be about 30 years old. After he had given $30,000 to the man, Bhullar told his friend Parminder Bajwa about the money. When he realized he couldn't talk his friend out of forking over thousands more, Bajwa persuaded Bhullar to purchase a concealable spy camera -- Brother Roshan didn't allow pictures -- to tape their conversations. Bhullar brought his skeptical friend for a visit to the priest. But Bajwa wasn't offered the lottery prayer. Bhullar was told not to bring his friend to the house again. Throughout December, "(Roshan) kept calling, creating urgency," Bhullar recalls. Though his gut told him something wasn't right, God-fearing Bhullar continued to bring money. He became afraid when he showed up at the home Dec. 26 and Roshan wasn't wearing the usual white robe. "He was ready to go somewhere," Bhullar said. "I was scared my money was gone because he was leaving." Bhullar confronted the man at a Tim Hortons after following him in his car to Dorval Rd. and the QEW. "I don't need the lottery. Give me my money back," he told him. Indeed, the man offered him his money, Bhullar said. But why take it back with only a couple days away from the big win? Bhullar let Roshan keep it. When he showed up at Guildwood Way for his final visit Dec. 27, the home was empty. Outside stood "25 to 30" people, each with the same story. The amounts each person had given ranged from $50,000 to $160,000. A Peel Regional Police source said from the handful of victims who have come forward over the past couple weeks, a "conservative estimate" puts the alleged fraudster's earnings at $250,000. That number will likely shoot up as more victims surface, the source said. Knocks at the Guildwood Way home, where week-old newspapers and garbage remained scattered outside, went unheard yesterday. A look through the front door showed abandoned rooms -- the furniture swept away by the rightful owner of the home after her tenants left without paying December's rent. DIRECT DEPOSIT The two tenants deposited their rent directly to her account after she picked up the first two months in person and they asked her not to come by, she said, asking her name not be printed as she, too, "is a victim." "They just left," said a 7-year-old boy who lives next door. "A week or two ago. They were here. Then they left." Tears come to Bhullar's eyes as he thinks about what to do next. He took out a $60,000 line of credit to pay the man he trusted so much. The rest came out of his pocket. "I'm talking to you with smiles, laughing. (But) I'm crying to myself in my office. How do I get back $60,000 credit?" he says. "He promised everyone lightness in their lives. Now everyone has darkness, not lightness.">> Reported in Time Out New York: NYC psychic Tammy Mitchell was recently accused of grand larceny and “fortune-telling” because she charged a stockbroker $487,000 to fix his bad juju. - entity Another one close to home for me. - entity Psychic Surgeon Charged News Report, Staff, Filipino Reporter, Jun 27 TORONTO — The Filipino “psychic surgeon” who once ministered to film actor and New Age maven Shirley MacLaine has been charged with fraud here in Ontario, police said Wednesday. Alex L. Orbito, 65, a self-described “reverend” who claims to reach into the bellies of the ill to retrieve their “negative energies,” faces charges of fraud over $5,000 and possession of the proceeds of crime. Det. Michael Barsky of the Toronto police said officers seized $6,000 in U.S. and Canadian currency — the proceeds of a single afternoon of healing — after raiding the Scarborough hotel where Orbito and his fellow accused, John Robert Wood, 62, are alleged to have set up treatment sessions. “Through sleight of hand, he tells them that he’s removed tumors and illnesses from their body,” Barsky said. “Complainants have held out that it looks like he has some sort of bloody substance on his hand.” Debunkers claim practitioners of “psychic surgery” keep a small balloon filled with animal blood inside the palms of their hands, squeezing them just as their hands appear to enter the abdomens of their patients. The tumors and guts they remove, the size of Brazil nuts, are frequently the livers and hearts of chickens. Orbito also claims to cure blindness by removing a patients’ eyeballs and cleaning them before replacing them in their sockets, other reports say. A private session with Orbito typically lasts between two and seven minutes, with charges beginning at $135, Barsky said. Orbito held six sessions over two days last weekend, each drawing 200 to 500 patients, numbers that indicate he and his Canadian partner may have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars, Barsky said. Wood of Pickering is alleged to have coordinated the sessions, arranging venues and soliciting patients. Barsky said Wood lured some to the treatment by claiming Orbito had cured his own wife of breast cancer — an illness further investigation has revealed she never suffered. Wood faces the same charges as Orbito. Police made the arrests on Tuesday after receiving complaints from people who attended the sessions. “He’s pulling the heartstrings of very, very sick people who don’t have any other medical answers for their situations,” Barsky said, adding Orbito’s patients came from all walks of life, with some even asking that he treat their sick pets. MacLaine wrote about Orbito in her 1989 book, “Going Within: A Guide to Inner Transformation.” Orbito is also said to have treated Fidel Ramos, the former President of the Philippines. This is not the first time Orbito, who travels the world ministering to believers, has run afoul of Canadian authorities. In September 1996, immigration officials, the RCMP and representatives of the College des medecins du Quebec halted one gathering in Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, reminding Orbito that he does not have the right to practice medicine in Canada. In 1989, Liberal Sen. Hazen Argue of Saskatchewan was accused of helping people receive treatment from Orbito in a Regina hotel. Orbito arrived in Canada about a month ago, police say, and is travelling with his wife and adult daughter. Police are not sure where he is based, though in the past he has lived in Manila, Philippines.
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Jerome Finley V.I.P. SLC 3419 Posts |
Entity,
Thank you for the case reports. There are some things which can never be excused; using magic and mentalism to con the unsuspecting public out of money and their mental/emotional health and well-being is among them. I think this is a great lesson for those of us who work on both sides to be ever cautious, honest and faithful in our offerings and for us as a collective body of entertainers to REALIZE how much impact we have on others regarding what we do. Best, JF
"Join my update list here!" http://eepurl.com/uE3Jf
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chichi711 Inner circle 5810 Posts |
That first story is just horrible.
Thanks for posting Entity. |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
I've got lots of stories from my mum's side of the family about psychics and what they did...
saved two people from suicide by letting them talk to dead loved ones, predicted births, marriages, miscarriages, and apparently even when someone died, the day, place and time too during WW2... I'm not saying that my relatives could do what people remember they could do, but they were apparently correct a good 75% of the time...because of where they lived and how people respected one another back then, only people from the three ajoining roads knew about them and what they did... they never charged a penny, and even supplied the tea and cakes... funny old world eh...
I've asked to be banned
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Not funny to those being scammed out of their life's savings, or to those desperately ill paying scammers to "heal" them with tricks.
What's your point, Abraxus? That there are people who believe they are psychic who sometimes try to help others? Okay. If you Mum's side of the family believed they had "powers", and tried to help people, good for them. This thread is about the psychic scammers who hurt people. Why include your relatives in this discussion? -entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
Hmmm
Conmen claiming to be psychics, like conmen who claim to be roofers, politicians, bankers, doctors, the list goes on. Conmen call themselves what they wish. Its part of the MO... OK Tom, I'm on line with your hate movement, what races were these people, and nationalities, were they mostly men or women, heck, let's hate them all. A teenage boy once stole my case, let's hate all teenagers. BTW: Have you read about the crimes committed by magicians recently. I have a feeling we may be in bad company here… Let's call it the IB Movement. Thanks’ Jim, the name fits more than the one you called out. A sick, and now very tired Tony Iacoviello |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
As I said, this thread is meant to be an educational one about psychic scammers, Tony. Hate movement? Isn't that just plain silly?
I don't much care for people who pose as psychics in order to scam people who are sick or desperate, or even greedy. Do you? There are others who believe they are psychic, and who try to do good. They are not scammers, and they are not what this thread is about. As I said at the very beginning, yes, there are scammers in all walks of life. Mentalists might be more concerned about those scammers using magic and mentalism techniques to lure their victims. The heading of "psychic scammer" obviously doesn't apply to you, Tony, so why take such offense? If you were a roofer, and there were unscrupulous scammers using roofing as their pretext, would you suggest that it's racist or hateful to discuss it? - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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R.S. Regular user CT one day I'll have 184 Posts |
Unfortunate indeed. And shame on the scammers. However, who here would fork over $105,000 for a "promised" lottery win? And who would pay $487,000 to a fortune teller? As despicable as the predators are, you have to wonder about the gullible masses who keep them in business. Come on people, smarten up!
"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Thomas Paine
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Intelligence doesn't seem to have much bearing on whether or not people can be scammed by psychic scammers. Gullibile, yes. Naiive, yes. But not necessarily dumb.
Lots of reports of scientists, educators, top businessmen, etc. being scammed by such people. None of us here would likely fall for psychic scammers, because we have a certain education that makes us more informed on these types of issues than non-mentalists/magicians. - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-03-03 18:08, entity wrote: No, it is how I see this thread. Quote:
I don't much care for people who pose as psychics in order to scam people who are sick or desperate, or even greedy. Do you? Yes, just as seeing entertainers take advantage of children, cons taking advantage of the heathcare issues in my country, false stocks and bonds, lottery scams as mentioned above, people posing as law enforcement and commiting crimes (we just had a case of that last night). How about "mentalists" hocking their NLP wares after performing conjuring tricks? There are many types of crimes, and the criminals are not always what they claim. Quote:
There are others who believe they are psychic, and who try to do good. They are not scammers, and they are not what this thread is about. Could have fooled me. Quote:
As I said at the very beginning, yes, there are scammers in all walks of life. Mentalists might be more concerned about those scammers using magic and mentalism techniques to lure their victims. Well, there is more to that than just those pretending to be psychic. Quote:
The heading of "psychic scammer" obviously doesn't apply to you, Tony, so why take such offense? If you were a roofer, and there were unscrupulous scammers using roofing as their pretext, would you suggest that it's racist or hateful to discuss it? I suggest that there is much more to this thread than what you state. It was an outgrowth of a discussion of Psychic Entertainment, something that has much to do with me, and nothing to do with scams. Tony Iacoviello |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Sorry, you're wrong on all counts, Tony. In this thread I have only posted stories of dishonest people who were caught scamming people while posing as psychics in order to perpetrate their offenses.
This thread has nothing to do with those who do entertainment. It has nothing to do with people who truly believe that they have psychic gifts and try to do good. It's about scammers who pose as psychics and use magic and mentalism techniques at times in order to cheat people. I think that most here seem clear about the boundaries of this topic. You seem to have blinders on, for some reason. Let me repeat: This thread is not about you. - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
Perhaps I am mistaken, it must be coincidence that you started this line of argument in the Geller thread and in less than an hour had gathered all of that information and began this thread.
Tony |
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mindpunisher Inner circle 6132 Posts |
These scams don't just belong to the psychic. The elements are found in many scams.
Good old greed and the desire to get something for nothing is the basis for many scams. It doesn't matter if they used magic or something else. Then again mentalism and much of magic was created originally to scam. Perhaps these con men are closer to real mentalists than anyone on here. |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
You are mistaken.
I keep files on this sort of news story. I started to talk about this in the Geller thread, but thought that it might be off-topic, so I started a new thread. Fair enough? - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
Fair enough.
Do you keep files on Mentalist Scammers or Magician Criminals? |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
I would classify mentalist scammers along with psychic scammers. I do have files on both. A file on Magician scammers would overly burden my hard drive.
- entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
But they don't qualify for a topic here by you? This is not the first time you singled out those proported to be psychic.
Perhaps it is just MY blinders... |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Again, try to get clear about this, Tony: I'm not singling out those who purport to be psychic. I'm singling out those who have been caught using the ruse of being psychic in order to scam people.
That's the last time I think I need to clarify this. If you don't understand the difference by now, you're trying very hard not to. - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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Tony Iacoviello Eternal Order 13151 Posts |
I understand, very well.
There are criminals in all walks of life and some portray themselves as something other than what they really are for their advantage. And yes, some are what they proport to be as well. Some scam people, some write about it. Thank you for the clarification. Tony |
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entity Inner circle Canada 5060 Posts |
Happy to have you understand.
This thread is about the criminals who got caught pretending to be psychic and using magic and mentalism techniques in order to scam people. People have written about it. This is a place to post those reports. - entity
email: tomebaxter@icloud.com
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