curse removal, curse cleansing scam - The Skeptic's Dictionary

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href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#W">w</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#X">x</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Y">y</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Z">z</a></li> </ul> <webContent><h1 align="left"><font face="Arial">curse removal, cleansing scam</font></h1> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3">This scam involves convincing the mark that she and her valuables, including cash, are cursed and that the con artist, posing as a <a href="psychic.html">psychic</a>, <a href="tarot.html"> Tarot card reader</a>, Gypsy, <a href="clairvoy.html">clairvoyant</a> or the like has the power to cleanse the person and her money and jewelry, thereby lifting the curse. Modern con artists sometimes claim the problem is "negative energy" rather than a <i><a href="curse.html">curse</a></i>, which might appear too old-fashioned a term for people hip to the New Age.</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Whenever a psychic claims to need your money or valuables for cleansing, she is preparing to take you to the cleaners. For example, Linda Marks claimed she was a Gypsy and could peer into the future. She liked to conjure snakes and scorpions out of chickens’ eggs and turn water blood-red. These parlor tricks would frighten gullible clients into believing that their lives were infected by evil spirits. The solution, she told them, was for them to give her all their money so she could pray over it and "cleanse" it of evil. They did, to the tune of about $2 million. Once she had their cash, the Gypsy and the money would disappear, as if by magic. Ms. Marks was arrested and convicted and was given four years in prison to perfect her art and repay the money she stole from her mostly elderly clients.</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3">One psychic was arrested in Rocklin, California, who not only took money and jewelry for cleansing, but also took the clients shopping to buy items needed for the cleansing ritual (Campos 1999). Nothing too elaborate is needed for these rituals: some candles, some herbs. Burning sage might be nice for seducing the bereaved and bewildered.</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>further reading</b></font></p> <p align="left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">books</font></b></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1573921610/roberttoddcarrolA/"> Keene, M. Lamar. <i>The Psychic Mafia</i> (Prometheus, 1997).</a></font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0879751983/roberttoddcarrolA/"> Randi, James. <i>Flim-Flam!</i> (Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books,1982).</a></font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0962347302/roberttoddcarrolA/"> Steiner, Robert A. (1989)<i>. Don't Get Taken! - Bunco and Bunkum Exposed - How to Protect Yourself</i>  Wide-Awake Books.</a></font></p> <p align="left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">websites & blogs</font></b></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://skepdic.com/refuge/harmarchive.html">What's the Harm?</a> - Bob Carroll</font></p> <p align="left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">news stories</font></b></p> <ul> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/334440_forturneteller06.html"> Fortune teller accused in $220,000 scam in Seattle arrested in Canada</a></font></p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.nbc6.net/news/9255107/detail.html">Woman Steals $95,000 In 'Blessed Money' Scam</a></font></p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article715702.ece"> 'Psychic' jailed for making clients' money disappear by Jacqui Goddard</a></font></p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2004/October_04/10192004_09.asp"> Psychic's horoscope may include jail time by Mitch Maersch</a></font></p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2537420/detail.html">'Cursed Money' Thefts Lead to Arrest Of Psychic</a></font></p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Campos, Art.  "'Psychic' didn't see her arrest coming," <i>The Sacramento Bee. </i>February 4, 1999, page B1.</font></p> </li> </ul> <p></webContent>Last updated 27-Oct-2015 </p> </div> </div> <div class="right"> <div class="right_it"> <div class="search"> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="skepdic.com" /> <input type="text" name="q" maxlength="255" value="" size="20" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> <br /> <div class="search_2"> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" /> Web     <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="skepdic.com" checked="checked" /> Skepdic.com <br /> <img src="_images/logo_google.gif" alt="Google" width="48" height="19" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-3542920166946725" /> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;" /> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /> </form> </div> <div class="center"> <p align="right"><a href="http://skepdic.com/authorpage.html"><strong>Books by R. 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