How Romanian Fortune Tellers Used Google To Fleece Victims

Hentes writes "The internet has made many things easier, but unfortunately this also includes crime: it seems that nowadays not even people wanting to know their future are safe from fraud. Two fortune tellers are being investigated, after the Romanian police uncovered that they have utilized some extraordinary help in their clairvoyant acts. The pair used information collected from internet search and social networks to gain the trust of their customers, claiming that they could see their personal data through their crystal ball. In some cases, they also used high-tech surveillance techniques such as hidden cameras and phone tapping. But they didn't stop at merely spying on their victims: their most bizarre case involved a scuba diver dressed as a monster." Nice to know that internet-based fraud isn't limited to motivational speakers with real-estate seminars and other get-rich-quick flim-flam.

Comments

It's a foregone conclusion

[xrayspx]

"it seems that nowadays not even people wanting to know their future are safe from fraud"

If you pay someone money and expect them to tell your future, you will never be safe from fraud. In fact, as your palm reading crystal adviser, I sense...fraud...in your future.

Re:It's a foregone conclusion

[Arancaytar]

No fortune teller believes in their own powers any more than a stage magician does. To provide customers with a skillful illusion requires the awareness of building the illusion - the fortune teller has to cold-read their customer, provide vague hints and leading questions.

That said, a fortune teller doesn't have to be a fraud any more than a stage magician does; it can be a nice form of entertainment. The difference is that far less customers believe in stage illusions than in fortune telling, and fortune tellers - once they have stumbled across a gullible customer - will often proceed to fleece them for everything they own.

Re:It's a foregone conclusion

[Dexter Herbivore]

No fortune teller believes in their own powers...

You under estimate the power of self delusion.

Re:It's a foregone conclusion

[houghi]

I actually know someone personally who does believe in her own future prediction power.

I know a whole industry that believes they can tell the future. How I can be sure? They makes financially obviously unsound decisions like buying/selling their stock, etc. because of some calculations they did based on an algorithm.
They actually has to run a special programs for that, because it's the only one which does the calculations they need.

Surprising how old the techniques are

[Grayhand]

Really it's just an update of what has been going on since at least the mid 1800s. Back then they would question friends and relatives and check newspapers and birth records. Even the diver isn't all that different from having some one dress up as a ghost or having a veil on a string dance around. People believe even lame gags because they want to believe. The internet like with most things just makes it quicker and easier.

As opposed to the traditional fortune tellers?

[blind biker]

Every and all fortune teller is committing fraud - these were just higher-tech than the rest.

Re:superstition and religion

[Barsteward]

There us no need to separate Superstition and religion, they are the same thing.

Re:Romania ...

[hvm2hvm]

I know I'm only feeding the troll but why not try a wikipedia search for Romania first?

Also, it pains me that they call those fortune tellers Romanian since they're actually gypsies. This is a huge problem for us, the gypsies go in other countries, pull shit like this and worse (stealing, beating people up) and then they say they're Romanian. Everyone thinks Romania is a gypsy country or something.

Re:My favourite part of the article...

[bruce_the_loon]

Any equipment of a better quality than what the government is using. In Romania, that's probably a satchel VHS camera with a stage microphone taped to the window.