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May 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 31/05/2010 6:15 PM Page 11 Hotline Psychic Admits It’s A Scam 11 Psychic Hot Line Secrets: their birthday, name and address. Then they Denver UFO mystery start spamming people. They'd send callers Clairvoyance or Hoax? letters telling them they're in danger, and they solved need to call your psychic friend immediately. ABC NEWS Fox 31 - KDVR.com The average call is 15 to 20 minutes. But they When the economy tanks, psychics say wanted one hour. The final straw was when I did their business soars. an infomercial for them. They handed me a pile The psychic industry is a $2 billion a of info and told me who was asking the year business, with millions of people still questions. It was a total fake. Five to seven dialing "900" numbers, even after two decades psychics might be nice people, but everyone of lawsuits, bad press and bankruptcies. But else are crooks. when someone calls a psychic hot line, does the ABC News: How much did you get person on the other end have more insight than paid? anyone else? Mark Edward: Not much. We got paid Former psychic hot line worker and a percentage of what they made depending on author of "Psychic Blues," Mark Edward, says what. But it's many people's primary source of DENVER - All it took was a call to the he's blowing the whistle on his former industry. income. I'd do it for nine to 10 hours each day. Astronomy department at the University of "The psychic business is built on lies. ABC News: What tricks of the trade Denver to solve the mystery of a strange light There is no supernatural power. You can't see would you use? seen in the sky over Colorado last weekend. the future," Edward says. "We're in the golden Mark Edward: You have to gauge the No, it was not a UFO. But it was age of the con. There are people coming out of tone of a person's voice. If they are aggressive definitely out of this world. the woodwork that would love to separate you or laid back, in a hurry or skeptical. The first "That's Venus," DU Physics and from your money. But people just want four or five words are important. Then I ask for Astronomy professor Jennifer Hoffman told us someone to talk to. That's the bottom line." their name and birthday, and if they had a after watching Jai Harris's video. Edward says he was taught techniques to specific question. At $3.99 a minute, they want Harris captured home video of the bright keep his conversations vague, flattering and an answer quick. And then I answer as if I'm light in the northwest sky over Colorado on drawn out. The goal was to make the callers feel answering the question about myself. All these May 8 from her home in Denver's Park Hill good about themselves, and keep them talking. things about yourself are relatable. Nine out of neighborhood, and then uploaded the video to Edward once gave a two-and-a-half-hour 10 times you will hit a nerve with them. Then I'd YouTube. reading. At $3.99 a minute, the caller paid more pause and let them jump in. People love talking "I quickly went to get my camera. I than $600. about themselves and here what you say about opened the iris all the way and zoomed in all the In a statement to ABC News, Edward's them. They like to imagine I'm in some far off way," Harris said. "It was much brighter than former employer said: "All of our psychics are convent but really I'm ironing at home. And I'd the stars and much, much lower." independent contractors, and as such, they try to be compassionate and sound as new age "Right now Venus is visible in the early worked for multiple psychic lines at the same as you can. evening. It is low in the sky and very bright," time. So either he is lying or confusing us with ABC News: Would you have pre- Hoffman told us Tuesday. "Venus will be a disreputable psychic line." planned things to say? twinkling a lot and changing colors, but it won't In a 2007 study, conducted by the Mark Edward: Yes, I would have note move. It will stay in the same place and by University of Auckland in New Zealand, Dr. cards by my phone for specific answers. Pink midnight will set. Robin-Marie Shepherd found most users called for love. Yellow for travel. Green for money. When Venus is this bright, the for advice on "personal relationships." Nearly Then I'd talk about a childhood memory of astronomy department gets a lot of phone calls." all users describe their behavior as "addictive." mine. Less is more. Eventually you will find Venus is the second-closest planet to the And, at an average of $100 per reading, something relatable. Just one or two firm Sun and, after the Earth's moon, is the brightest many went in to debt because of it. connections, and you'll run with the ball. Once natural object in the sky. [] ABC News had an extensive interview you make that hit, it pours out. And then you with self-avowed non-psychic Mark Edward. mirror. Let the person talk and then you listen STRANGE WORLD RECORDS ABC News: Are psychics real? and say, "I hear what you're saying is this," "I Mark Edward: No, they're not real. It's feel what you're saying." I fed them hope. - The world’s shortest escalator is at a just a matter of intuition. If you're good with ABC News: When and why did you shopping mall in Japan. It rises 2 feet, 8 people, you learn how to read people. Do you leave? inches. want to be a real estate agent ... or clairvoyant? Mark Edward: I got sick of it and how ... They're all a similar skill set. It's a skill you much they were making off of innocent people. - Bertha Van de Merwe from South Africa can learn. It's real, but it's nothing supernatural. I left on my own though, they didn't kick me holds the record for staying awake: 282 ABC News: Are you against anyone out. hurs, 55 minutes. claiming to be a psychic? ABC News: Did you feel bad about Mark Edward: In general I'm against what you were doing? - Record name: a Florida baby was named it. I think people are better served by going to a Mark Edward: I never took any legal Truewilllaughinglfebuckyboomermanifest- therapist. or medical questions. ... I gave them 800 destiny (Middle name: George). ABC News: How did you begin your numbers instead. I helped a lot of people, but career as a hotline psychic? there was nothing psychic about it. Common - World’s tallest identical twins: Michael Mark Edward: I was working as a sense is the same as intuition. In our society and James Lanier - they’re both 7’4” tall. mentalist full time. Doing séances. I wanted to we've lost touch with that. Also, I was a skeptic know how the hot line mediums did it. My the whole time, so I felt like I was doing a - World’s shortest play: Samuel Beckett’s friends were making money sitting at their [public] service by infiltrating [The Psychic Breath - 35 seconds of screams an dheavy homes. I wanted to sit at the top of the mountain Network]. breathing. and see what it looks like. I learned the tricks of the trade. Did it for nine years. I had a friend The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show - World’s record for the cat with the most who did it, and they gave me a number. I did a toes: Jake, who has 28 (seven on each few auditions. They liked me. ... There was no with paw). test, you just needed the gift of gab. ABC News: What did they encourage Rob McConnell World’s longest national highway: the you to do? www.xzoneradiotv.com Trans-Canada Highway, at 10,781 Mark Edward: You have to keep kilometers (6,699 miles). people on as long as possible. Then you ask for