Edmonton police see bleak future for people duped by bogus fortune tellers

EDMONTON – Police are warning people not to be duped by fraudulent astrologers and psychic readers into believing they are cursed with black magic or witchcraft.

Investigators in Edmonton say there have been hundreds of victims in the city since April.

“These fraudsters are experienced and have stolen money from a lot of people,” Const. Harpreet Jhinjar said in a release Thursday.

“It’s important to report incidents to police immediately, so there is a higher chance of locating the suspects.”

Police say victims have paid between $2,000 and $15,000 to self-proclaimed fortune tellers. In one case, a family paid $85,000, but the fraudsters left the country and no arrests were made.

There have been similar frauds in other cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatoon.

Edmonton police say the suspects are from outside Canada, most recently from South Asia. They advertise through pamphlets that they put outside grocery stores, restaurants and on parked vehicles.

They usually set up their business in a rented house.

Police say many people who have been burned do not want to make an official complaint, but call with information to help prevent others from becoming fraud victims.

Investigators point to requests for up front money to carry out healing rituals, or expensive plans to perform prayers, as signs of fraud.

Some fraudsters claim to be able to remove black magic and witchcraft or make unrealistic promises to solve personal and financial problems.

It’s difficult to track the criminals, who often have visas and quickly disappear when they believe they could be caught.

Officers in Edmonton say the Canada Border Service Agency is involved in trying to find and remove the scammers from the country.

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