ASA predicts financial loss for consumers who respond to psychic scams

15 February 2006

A typical example of a problematic psychic mailing that the ASA has received complaints about

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is warning consumers about ‘psychic’ mailings which promise to bring eternal happiness, guarantee prosperity, cure bad luck, ward off evil curses, improve love lives and fulfil all wishes.  The ASA is lending its support to the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) Scams Awareness campaign by highlighting how psychic scams work and how to avoid falling for them.

Psychic mailings are nothing more than mass-marketed advertising scams. They prey on the insecure and vulnerable in society and can be both financially and emotionally detrimental to consumers. Claims in these types of mailing that have come to the attention of the ASA include:

• Somebody wishes you ill… a harmful person has cast a spell on you… you are the victim of a curse
• I just had an even clearer vision about you. The danger is imminent – the person who wants to harm you is getting ready to act!
• Spiritual powers to remove all problems forever
• I am prepared to GUARANTEE that you will receive an enormous amount of money
• I can destroy black magic and evil spirits forever

These direct appeals to fear and superstition are invariably followed by a request or demand for money up front in return for the psychic service. Some even threaten those who ignore their offers by claiming the recipient will be cursed if they do not send money immediately.

Consumers receiving mailings from ‘psychics’ should be sceptical:

• Do not respond to an unsolicited mailing that makes preposterous claims such as guarantees of wealth or cures for bad luck.
• Do not send money up front or give out personal details such as a bank account number. Your identity can be used for fraudulent purposes.
• Remember that once you respond to one of these mailings your name is likely to be put on a ‘suckers’ mailing list and you will receive many more scams.
• Always err on the side of caution. If you believe a mailing is misleading pass it on to the ASA. If you are worried about putting it in the bin for fear of bad luck, don’t worry, the ASA will do it for you.
• Recognise, report and stamp out scams.

Of the drive to raise consumer awareness of psychic mailing scams, Director General of the ASA, Christopher Graham said, “Psychic mailing scams play on people’s fears and offer them false hope. People are not only being conned out of their money, they are also subjected to the unpleasant and sometimes threatening nature of these schemes. The ASA urges consumers to be aware of these types of scams and to help in the fight to stamp out this extremely pernicious practice.”