Lovelorn Man Claims Fortune Teller Scammed Him Out Of $700,000
![Not the psychic involved. (Ron Dauphin)](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/pyshic700k.jpg%3Fw=1024&h=768)
Not the psychic involved. (Ron Dauphin)
While many of us would love a glimpse into the future, one man says he was scammed out of a hefty sum of money in his attempt to find out what was keeping him from finding romantic bliss, saying he forked over $700,000 to a fortune teller only to find that his expensive efforts were all in vain.
A 32-year-old Brooklyn man seeking to be reunited with his long lost love is now accusing a fortune teller of wheedling a literal fortune out of him over 20 months, leading to her arrest last month, reports the New York Times.
What was he paying for? Special crystals, diamonds, a time machine, an 80-mile bridge made of gold in another realm, a reincarnation portal and diamonds to attract the energy of a woman he’d met in Arizona who didn’t return his affections. He told his story to a private detective which was then passed on to police last month.
“The girl didn’t want to be with me, and the girl had categorically made that clear,” he wrote in a written statement for the police.
So he started paying a psychic he’d found who said he and the woman he sought were “twin flames” and she could help move the spirits to help dispel the negativity that separated them.
He even shelled out $40,064 on a diamond engagement ring from Tiffany’s and gave it to the fortune teller, he says, who reportedly promised he’d be using it as an engagement ring for his love someday.
He traveled to visit the object of his affections, but she backed out of meeting up with him, saying he’d been acting weird. The fortune teller said a nasty spirit was stalking him, and she could get rid of it for $28,000… And then another $28,000, the man claims.
More big payouts followed he said, including a fake funeral ritual to trick the bad spirit into thinking he was dead for $40,000 and a trip in a time machine — really a rose gold Rolex that cost $30,000, the man claims, and a bridge to another realm made of gold for $80,000.
He says she promised to return most of the money he’d paid when the job was done, but he kept paying out until he made a horrible discovery — the women he loved had passed away. The fortune teller told him the evil spirits had killed her, and that she would reincarnate his love, putting her spirit into the body of another woman.
He kept paying, borrowing money from a colleague and selling his car, until he finally ran out of money. The new woman he met that the psychic claimed was his lost love didn’t seem to be the same woman, and he was still alone. Alone, and broke.
Finally, he sought out the private detective and together they went to the police. The fortune teller was arrested late in May with a partner, and charged with grand larceny.
Her lawyer denies the allegations.
Remember folks, if it sounds too good to be true… it probably is, especially if it involves building infrastructure from precious metals in another dimension.
A Manhattan Fortuneteller Cost Him Fortune After Fortune [New York Times]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.