Online psychic scams are some of the cruelest cons of all, tricking people when they’re often at their most vulnerable and taking advantage of people’s desire for answers or guidance. Unfortunately, this type of scam is on the rise, fuelled by an explosion in the popularity of psychic services over the last few years.
If you’re interested in booking an online psychic reading, tarot session, or virtual meeting with a clairvoyant, then the number of cons out there may be putting you off doing so.
However, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid psychic scams: use the guide below to stay safe and have the best experience possible if you’re considering signing up for an online psychic service.
Find Out What Past Clients Think
Read as many psychic reading reviews as possible and from as many sites as possible to get a real idea of the service you can expect and its authenticity; don’t just rely on any reviews you find on the psychic or umbrella service’s site itself.
Getting a glowing word-of-mouth review and recommendation from an acquaintance, friend, or family member is ideal, so reach out to anyone you know who has booked an online psychic session previously to find out their thoughts.
Set Your Social Media Settings to Private
When you think about it, there’s an absolute wealth of information about your personality, your lifestyle, your family, and even your career that can be easily accessed via your social media pages. Psychic scams often rely on harvesting this information before your session to convince you that they’re the real deal.
Protect against this by ensuring that your Facebook and other social settings are set to private, so only your friends can see your profile, personal information, and feed.
Avoid Sharing Personal Information Before the Session
When you make contact with the psychic or service you’ve chosen to book your online session with, be very mindful to avoid sharing any personal information or anything that could give the person a clue about the sort of person you are, your likes and dislikes, etc. While this may be really hard to do, it’s important to simply share your name and contact details.
Scammers are often experts at what they do: a couple of throw-away comments that you later will probably have no memory of making – such as needing to dash off to pick your kids up from school – could be used by a con artist to convince you, at the session at a later date, that they have real psychic insight…rather than that they were simply listening carefully to every single word you said during your initial call or email.
A ‘Curse’ is a Major Red Flag
A common scam employed by con artists masquerading as psychics is to suggest or insist that an individual has a ‘curse’ on them and that only they (the scammer) can remove it.
This particular trick is frequently used by scam psychic marketing agencies, who send emails insinuating that something unpleasant or catastrophic will imminently happen to the individual unless they instruct the services of the agency.
If any psychic claims that you need to pay them or book a session with them as the only way to lift a ‘curse,’ then avoid it at all costs.
Watch Out for ‘Bait and Switch’ Tactics
A genuine psychic won’t try to upsell additional products or services to you. Similarly, if you try to book an online service at an introductory offer or for what seems to be a reasonable price but then are immediately offered a different service at a substantially higher price, then this is a warning sign that you could be about to be drawn into a scam.
In general, a genuine, authentic psychic operating with integrity will only sell you what is being offered or asked for in the first place – as time goes on and a relationship is built with a client at this point, and only if it would be in this client’s interests, other services that may be of use could be suggested.
Steer Clear of the ‘Too Good to Be True’
As the old adage goes, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. It’s as true concerning online psychics as for everything else. If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be a psychic or see an ad for psychic services that promises to put you on the path to great riches, true love, and everything your heart desires, then view this as a major red flag.
What to Expect from a Genuine Psychic
Consulting with a genuine psychic should be an uplifting, thought-provoking experience that promotes personal growth and development. You should never come away feeling depressed or scared or under any sort of pressure to book further sessions or services.
Use the guide above to avoid scammers, and find an online psychic that can help you on the way to being your best self and provide you with the answers and guidance you need in a nurturing, trusting virtual environment.
