Page 51 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - August/September 2017

Toronto’s fraudulent fortune-telling industry 51

Inside the secret world of

Toronto’s fraudulent

fortune-telling industry

by
By Jonah Brunet and Emerson Brito
and
Robert Cribb

First, Jack was diagnosed with clinical
depression after his father died in 2006. Two
years later, his 14-year marriage collapsed and
he had to fight for access to his two children.
Four years after that, he fell in love with a co-
worker and got engaged, but the relationship fell
apart justbefore the wedding.
In 2013, his ex-fiancée filed harassment
charges and he spent a night in jail. Almost
immediately, he lost his job.
On the road to rock bottom, Jack, an
educated professional in his 40s, did what most
of us would do: he reached for something to turn
around his fortunes.
But seeking spiritual guidance from five All this happened to Jack and he knows what stolen or lost may be found.”
Toronto fortune tellers only pushed him deeper you’re thinking. Yet victims tend to have little hard
into turmoil. By the time he was finished, he had “I know it sounds ridiculous. It’s like evidence. And fraudulent fortune tellers look
lost as much as $25,000 and had to sell his how could you fall for such a thing,” says the exactly like those who earnestly believe their
house. 46-year-old single father who asked that his psychic powers can be used to help people.
The Toronto Star, Ryerson University’s name and appearance be changed to protect his Fraud is difficult enough to prove, says
School of Journalism and W5 have spent months job and his family. “But depending on the stage Toronto police Det. Alan Spratt of the financial
investigating Toronto’s thriving fraudulent of your life and the vulnerability and what crimes unit, but the challenge is greater where
fortune-telling industry that uses spells, potions, you’re going through, they’re very good at the law and spiritual beliefs intersect.
sleight of hand and smooth sales patter to collect making you believe.” “I would be reluctant to charge anyone
small fortunes from thousands of vulnerable Jack’s financial descent began in 2009 just solely on the basis that they could tell the
victims. when he visited Marina, who works from an future. If that’s their belief system and there is
Interviews with a dozen psychic clients, office in a cavernous strip mallin Woodbridge. genuine intent and they don’t have criminal
including a teacher, real-estate agent, a doctor, Pictures of Jesus hung on the walls, scented intent, I think it would be a difficult charge to
corporate manager and a Bay Street stockbroker, candles flickered and a small, black Bible sat on prove.”
and hidden-camera visits to psychics, reveal the a large, mahogany desk. Since 2010, Toronto police have charged
secrets of an industry estimated to be worth $2 He sat and poured out his troubles. When 15 people with fraud relating to psychic
billion (U.S.) in the United States alone. One in it came time to pay, Jack was stunned — it was practice, “fortune telling” or “witchcraft,” says
four North Americans believes in some form of hundreds of dollars for a single session. But he Spratt.
paranormal activity, according to a 2005 Gallup paid and he kept on paying, moving from Shame surrounding the crime is a major
poll. psychic to psychic based on streetside impediment to prosecution. Most victims are
A skilled, convincing fortune teller can advertisements and ads. skeptical about what the police can do to help
earn as much as $500,000 a year, says Miki Before he finally quit a couple of years them.
Corazza, who has been in the business for 42 ago, he had been taken in by the tool box of “Going to the police is probably going to
years and is increasingly concerned it has psychic offerings. reveal a lot of personal stuff about me,” says
become rife with fraud. One told him he needed to sacrifice a Jack, who remains too embarrassed to tell his
“There are people in this business who lamb or a pig to lift a curse. Another told him family what happened. “How do I prove that I
are not legitimate, and there are people — a lot that since he bought his former girlfriend a went there? There’s no receipts, there’s nothing
of people like myself — who are legitimate, that television, he needed to buy a Best Buy gift card other than some candles, right, or some bathing
have gifts and varying degrees,” she says. “Part the psychic could pray over. salts. . . What’s the point?”
of my service is providing empathy and support He never saw what happened to the gift He’s right, experts say.
to people. I’m not in the business of false hope. cards but now assumes the psychics used them “There’s no mechanism for getting that
I’m in the business of truth, whether you like it for themselves. money back,” says Toronto private investigator
or not.” Jack blew so much on bogus psychic Richard McEachin, who says he has worked on
But most victims are too embarrassed to services and supplies over the course of a decade at least 50 spiritual fraud cases in his career.
turn to police. Those who do realize quickly that that he had to sell his house. He now lives there “For any of these kinds of confidence scams, the
this cash-on-demand business means there is as a tenant. people who are victims are seen to participate in
often no paper trail or evidence. “It’s not like I have the money to go put their own problem.”
on a down payment on another house,” he says. And that makes them poor witnesses in
The business is a combination of grooming and “I used to own this, and I just threw money away the eyes of prosecutors, he says.
sales techniques linked to sometimes to psychics who were supposed to help me.” “This type of person would be
extravagant fees: charging hundreds of dollars Lumped in with prohibitions against the considered the type that would not hold up under
for candles and bath salts to ward off evil spirits; practice of witchcraft, sorcery and cross-examination — he was so easily duped,
asking clients to purchase gift cards and “enchantment,” the Criminal Code makes it therefore he would be easy to manipulate,
expensive items so the psychic can pray over illegal to fraudulently “tell fortunes” for profit or confuse, or get flustered during the cross-
them; the promise of wishes fulfilled through “pretend from skill in or knowledge of an occult examination. . . Prosecutors only want slam
animal sacrifice; and signing upclients cursed or crafty science to discover where or in what dunks and plea deals and this is a long way from
with the “evil eye” to long-term cleansing. manner anything that is supposed to have been that.” (Continued on Page 52)