A Perth mum has become the latest victim of a pretend psychic who breaks into conversation with people by telling them, ‘Excuse me! You have a lucky face.’
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous told SBS Punjabi that she was approached by the ‘charming’ man at a store she owns, earlier this month.
She said the man claimed to be a ‘yogi’ from India and preyed on her ‘vulnerabilities’ by convincing her he had solutions to all her problems.
“He was in our store for a couple of hours, he appeared to know things about me that he shouldn't have - right down to names of people in my life. On reflection - some of this information would have been fairly easy to find on social media, but he would have needed to search further than social media to obtain some other information.
Hear an interview with an alleged victim
Alleged 'lucky face scam' victim speaks up
The victim said that the 'yogi' then delved into an elaborate hoax, using "classic mentalist techniques" that at the time seemed to her like a genuine example of supernatural insight.
“He did tricks like asking me to write my favourite colour, flower, number etc. on a piece of paper, he had his back to me and was writing on a piece of paper also.
“A few moments later, he handed me his piece of paper all screwed up, I opened it to find he had written my exact answers. He performed several of these kinds of tricks many people would have seen mentalists perform in shows,” said the victim.
The alleged scammer also reportedly pretended to read her palms and eventually convinced her to cough-up money in return for a promise of curing her 'health issues'.
“He told me he could cure me, but if I didn't let him I would die within the year. He also showed me photos of children in the 'apparent' orphanage he ran back in India."
The suspected scammer then allegedly threatened the victim if she failed to give her the sum he was demanding.
A photo of the alleged scammer taken by the victim who spoke to SBS Punjabi Source: Supplied
“He took products for his 'orphanage' and he was demanding $230 to rid me of my health conditions or he would 'make' me sicker and I would be dead this time next year,” added the victim.
The victim’s ordeal didn’t end there, as the alleged scammer returned to her store the next day, coaxing her into paying more money.
But this time around, the woman was quick to act and she called the police. However, he managed to get away.
“Things turned bad when he realised I wasn't alone and we had to call the police. Unfortunately, he got away, leaving behind [what is believed to be] a fake UK licence that looked incredibly legitimate - it even had the police unsure."
"The police even ran a check on his ID whilst with us, even via Customers/Border Control, and no one listed with the details on the card was found," she added.
When approached, the West Australian police confirmed to SBS Punjabi that the incident was reported, however, no one was charged.
“At this time I am not aware of any other police reports relating to this person but we advise the community to remain vigilant and to regularly check WAScamNet at www.scamnet.wa.gov.au.
“The more people report these incidents, the more information is collected and more warnings can be posted on the page about specific scams,” said the police spokesperson.
The victim who has been left 'exhausted' by the whole experience said she'd like to warn people to remain vigilant and guarded as "no one is immune to these scammers."
Another photo of the alleged scammer taken by the victim who spoke to SBS Punjabi Source: Supplied
"They are very clever and manipulative and use covert hypnosis. All it takes is a dose of exhaustion or a vulnerable moment when your guard is down, and you suddenly feel powerless to their techniques. It is cruel and it needs to stop."
However, she isn’t the only one.
Siddharth Joshi, a Melbourne-based student claimed that he was approached by a 'similar-looking man' who said he was a psychic from India. The incident took place at Flinders Street in Melbourne CBD, a few months ago.
The 25-year-old says that he experienced the exact same things as the Perth woman.
“All of a sudden this guy just stopped me and said hey you have got such a lucky face. He talked about my future and said if you could sit down with me for some time, I might be able to help you out.
"He was pretty persistent so I obliged. He asked me for my full name, date of birth, visa status and passport. He was pretty charming, used the same mentalist techniques as the man in Perth incident, did the whole flower thing with me too and at the end demanded $150 for his orphanage in India," said Mr Joshi.
But before the suspected scammer could persuade him to pay him money, Mr Joshi walked away, albeit with an "unsettling feeling" that he said, "would last for a long time."
"Although I walked away, its an unsettling feeling that he now has my details. So I'd like to tell people to be aware because everyone has a past and have seen things that are not pleasant and this man was pretty good at exploiting just that," added Mr Joshi.
The third victim, Simmy * also from Melbourne.
Another photo of the alleged scammer taken by the victim who spoke to SBS Punjabi Source: Supplied
She says she was accosted by an alleged scammer while she was waiting for her train at the South Yarra station on her way home from work, last month.
"He told me that I had a lucky face and a very bright future ahead. He pretended to read my forehead. But even before he could take the conversation further, my train arrived, and I just ran from there, without looking back.
"I knew that the man was trouble from the word go," said Simmy.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch website says that in 2019, Australian victims of psychic and clairvoyant scams lost $387,787. And a majority of the complaints received came from women.
But Australia is not the only country where these conmen, who may or may not be operating in groups, are targeting innocent people.
Media reports and tourist blogs indicate that similar incidents were also reported in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Thailand.
If you feel you have been scammed, you can report the matter to the ACCC via the report a scam page.
*Simmy is not her real name.
