Aussies are down $3.5 million since 2020 as psychic scams skyrocket

Australians are losing millions of dollars to fake psychics with social media scammers exploiting vulnerable people. See how the money is being lost.

Aussies have been swindled out of a staggering $3.5 million by psychic and clairvoyant fraudsters since 2020, with scammers using social media to create a “perfect storm” to target the vulnerable.

Romance scams, fake employment offers, and investment fraud remain a top threat, but sinister spiritual scams are creeping up in popularity.

The financial damage is concentrated in New South Wales, where residents have been conned out of nearly $2 million – more than half the national total – Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Scamwatch data reveals.

Millions of dollars have been lost to psychic scams, according to an ACCC Scamwatch report. Picture: iStock.

With 232 reports filed in the state since January 2020, NSW has become the epicentre of this evolving fraud crisis.

During the same time period, more than $806,000 was spent in Victoria, and $206,000 was lost in Queensland.

WA and SA both saw con artists pocket more than $260,000 from residents, and the Northern Territory saw nearly $33,000 disappear.

Tasmania were the least impacted by this type of con with only $1460 spent on fake psychics.

While many are sceptical of the spirituality industry itself, there remains a difference between those actually offering a service and completely fake traders, with both clients and psychics losing out.

These sinister spiritual scams are moving from tarot card tables to the toxic glare of platforms like TikTok, making it harder for Aussies to distinguish genuine services from outright imitation.

Medium, Rhiannon Rose has described TikTok as a ‘cesspit’ of scammers. Picture: Supplied

In-person Medium, Rhiannon Rose, has had her account duplicated multiple times by con artists who have been using her picture and a variation of her name to steal from clients who think they’re talking to her.

“My profile gets ripped off all the time,” Rhiannon said.

“It doesn’t matter how many videos I do across all platforms, there will always be a message in my inbox saying, you know, did I pay you for a reading? And I’m like, no, you absolutely did not pay me for a reading.”

Rhiannon, who has made a living through live medium events, finds that her potential customers have lost hundreds of dollars to phony accounts that never end up responding.

She made it clear that people making a living in this industry would never reach out to potential clients first – and that the tell-tale of a scammer is if a “tacky-sounding” message drops in your inbox.

Rhiannon said TikTok, a short-form video platform boasting billions of profiles, as the worst offender.

“TikTok is a bit of a cesspit for scammers.”

Many TikTok users have reached out to Rhiannon to warn her that her profile has been duplicated. Picture: Supplied

Scammers have reached out to potential customers using Rhiannon’s image. Picture: Supplied

Other types of psychic scams include the “curse removal”, where scammers are paid to remove dark forces, “guaranteed outcomes” when readers promise certain events will play out, or information phishing – requesting financial details.

Spiritualist Medium Cameran Quin, who speaks to clients through Zoom, said the industry’s rapid digital expansion has created a disaster zone.

“This rapid expansion has created what I call a “perfect storm” of opportunity for both legitimate practitioners and predatory scammers.”

He said clients are often “already in emotional distress, being financially exploited at their must vulnerable moments.”

With more than 70 per cent of psychic and clairvoyant scams taking place online, according to ACCC Scamwatch, Aussies are being urged to carefully verify the credentials of anyone requesting money, as funds transferred to these phony accounts are rarely recovered.

Originally published as Aussies are down $3.5 million since 2020 as psychic scams skyrocket