Fake Psychic - investigations by the BBC and others

Understand the implication of twisting the faith and belief of others by reviewing how psychics and mediums have worked their "magic" to fleece and distort the beliefs of folks.

The true-believer syndrome merits study by science. What is it that compels a person, past all reason, to believe the unbelievable. How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it's exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it — indeed, clings to it all the harder?… No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie. 

        — M. Lamar Keene and Allen Spraggett

Full BBC investigation podcast as "Fake Psychic" 

M Lamar Keene. Photograph: 1878 Press

Wikipedia Notes on Lamar here 

Guardian Article "Scam the bereaved, defraud the dead: the shocking crimes of America’s greatest psychic conman"  Here


See also about Camp Chesterfield scamming punters since 1891 and still at it in the 2000s.

Camp Chesterfield as founded in 1891 and is the home of the Indiana Association of Spiritualists, located in Chesterfield, Indiana. Camp Chesterfield offers Spiritualist Church services, seminary, and mediumship, faith healing, and spiritual development classes, as well as psychic readings for patrons.

As recent at 2002 Filed at centerforinquiry.org "Undercover Among the Spirits: Investigating Camp Chesterfield " 

See also Randi, James (1982), Flim-Flam!, Prometheus Books, ISBN 0-87975-198-3

and How to spot a fake psychic.

See also "How to cheat at everything" by Simon Lovell

Why asking the over 75s to start paying for TV licences is a really really bad idea.

November 2019 The free TV licence for all over 75s is set to be withdrawn in 2020 under plans announced by TV Licensing and described by the BBC here.

This is a really bad idea for the following reasons:

1) The costs of doing business with this demographic will be high and is unlikely to return the expected value to BBC.  The plan announcement above already lists extra costs with the need for extra call centre staff and "outreach programme delivered by specially trained customer care field staff."

2) The decision to charge for the TVL will be based knowing if the customer is "in receipt" of pension credit. This will involve the delving into the finances of old folks, a notorious area for confusion and uncertainty.

3) Asking someone to pay for something that used to be free is a very tough ask especially when done without showing extra value.  Saying that the TVL supports iPlayer, Sounds and lots of websites is not a convincing sell to the over 75s.

4) There is a banner on the TVL  announcement page that says

"Watch out for scam emails and phone calls asking you to provide 

your bank, card or personal details. 

For more information, please check our  help and advice on scams.

Financial organisations world wide have a pitiful record of protecting elderly customers from financial cons, frauds and abuse even when large sums are involved. The chances of preventing cold calls about "You have not paid your TVL - pay by card now." will be the fraud challenge of 2020.

5) Recovery of non-payment of £157 + fine from over 75s via the courts will be a legal challenge too far. Any widespread attempts to take frail pensioners through the courts system for non-payments of TVL, a cause for which there is little public support, is just going to create noise and repetitional damage to the BBC. Remember the poll tax riots of the 80' ? An unpopular and badly thought out tax that eventually factored in the downfall of a government. Remember the RIAA suing downloaders ?

6) The outsourcing business partners who implement the TV Licensing collections will hide behind the skirts of the BBC transferring all the noise and upset potentially changing the BBC reputation from a "much loved auntie" into a rapacious beast.

7) The justification for scrapping the free licence scheme was based on a result of

"The BBC's consultation was announced in 

November last year. Nearly half of respondents (48%) 

said they were in favour of continuing concessions to over-75s."

This type of result is not consensus for scrapping something that will financially impact up to 3.7 million over 75s. The Brexit question has a similar result and look how divisive the fallout from that has been.

What comes next

TVLicence gift cards.