MYSTIC MUGGED
Online frauds offer tarot readings then vanish
religion doesn’t hack it any more. All the same, lots of people think what we do is nonsense anyway, that we’re crooks, charlatans, frauds. But these real crooks are making it much worse.”
Tarot cards are one of several tools used for fortune telling and in certain cases readings can be done over email or messaging – making it easy for scammers to hijack the service.
Accounts impersonating Alexa message her followers claiming their “ancestors are trying to get in touch with them” offering readings for £70 – but they go silent and block their account as soon as money is received.
More than 70,000 people in England and Wales identified as pagan in the 2011 census, but academics say there could be as many as 250,000 – roughly the size of the population of Portsmouth.
Popular in the 90s, boosted by TV shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the past three years have seen a witchy boom online. Ex-english teacher Crow Dewhurst, 52, of Cornwall, said she was initiated into a Wiccan coven more than 30 years ago and teaches her own techniques to followers. She said: “It’s so cynical to use people’s beliefs against them. The world is a scary place at the moment and people are turning to witchcraft and paganism as they look for answers.
“Instagram is making money out of the popularity of witchcraft but they aren’t prepared to protect us. It’s a dismissive thing from both the scammers and the platform.”
Witch influencer Wren Harris, 41, built a keen following under her web handle the Cemetery Witch – a nod to her unusual home above a graveyard. She said: “These scammers come along and impersonate my account – even sharing pictures of my dead grandmother. It’s upsetting.
“They steal my photos and my logo and when I report it to Instagram all they say is we’ve reviewed it and as far I can see they’re not breaking guidelines. It’s like banging your head against a wall – all we want to do is provide education.
“Scammers are just playing on people’s vulnerabilities after a difficult couple of years.”
Stars like Richard Branson and Cliff Richard have had their name and pics used by cheats. Instagram was approached for comment.