How to Debunk Paranormal Hoaxes
Phony “Psychics,” Haunting Scams and Charlatan “Investigators” Exist
© Jill Stefko
Debunking: exposing scams, hoaxes and frauds usually intended to make money, not the lack of paranormal activity in investigations as some pseudo-experts' websites aver.
Some people want investigations because inexplicable events happen and/or they see ghosts or they want to join a ghost hunting group. There are those who desire a psychic reading, to contact with deceased loved ones or communicate with a pet. People attend lectures and read books to learn about the paranormal. When to get help? It’s like trying to find a good handy or cleaning person. Companies offering these services aren’t available in all geographic locations. What does one do after finding a potential person or organization? Using debunking principles is an excellent tool for identifying bona fide people and organizations.
Ferdinand Waldo Demara was a real life con man the movie, The Great Imposter, was based on. During Demara's "careers," he was, among other things, a surgeon, mental health professional who used applied psychology principles to resolve issues in other psychological disciplines, cancer researcher, hospital orderly, child care expert and lawyer. Imagine being one of his patients or clients! Why be the victim of people in the paranormal field? There is documentation of emotional stress caused by paranormal frauds.
Debunking Imposters Posing as Paranormal Investigators and Exposing Paranormal Hoaxes
Warning signals:
Websites featuring their self-created false definitions. Cross reference their definitions using the American Society for Psychic Research’s and the Parapsychological Association’s glossaries. Some definitions may differ because parapsychology is a primarily theoretical science.
Feature their investigations that are to incredible to be true, like the debunked Amityville: Scamityville!
Answers to valid questions. What makes you qualified to investigate? “I’m psychic,” “I like ghost hunting” and “Ghosts are interesting.” If there are other credentials such as doing it for research, experience and the desire to prevent people from being scammed coupled with the listed answers, no problem. Be very wary of those who claim to have ghost hunting certifications. Google search websites they claim they got their certificates from. There appears to be no accredited paranormal organizations offering these.
Question “Why do you offer free investigations?” “For the experience, as part of our research and to help people avoid hoaxes” are the answers to look for.
Members of paranormal groups who claim to have accredited ghost hunting certificates. A Google search for “accredited ghost hunting certification” lists approximately 58,700 websites. There none on the first 50 sites, some of which don’t even mention ghost hunting.
Base their “claim to fame” on involvement with sites featuring ”cases” debunked as hoaxes and/or scams.
Con Artist Writers and Lecturers Unmasked
Red flare and warning siren:
Writers and lecturers who admitted to changing significant details and embellish on them to make the hauntings more interesting and scarier. One scamster wrote an article that appears on a legitimate website admitting he was a story teller who wrote books and gave lectures because he “likes to scare people.” Didn't he realize he was debunking himself by such a confession?
“Psychic” Scamsters Debunked
These scamsters have their tricks:
Miss Cleo, née Youree Dell Harris, is the perfect “poster child” for con artist psychics, as Ted Bundy is for serial killers. She performed on “infomercials” for several psychic lines, cheating innocent people for money by offering free readings, then keeping them on the line as long as the scammers could, past the “free time”, to make $5 a minute! Another trick they used was to give callers an 809 area code number to call. While other Caribbean Islands share the area code, the Bahama-based one are “pay per call,” like 900 numbers. Many people aren’t aware of this, so they call and pay dearly. Miss Cleo and her co-conspirators were sued by the FTC and some states for fraud and other crimes. The defendants lost. All were banned from having websites and paid damages. They no longer exist, so innocent people are safe from this “psychic” and her partners in crime unless they opened other lines under new fictitious names and the contact had a different name….
Related Articles:
How to Find Genuine Ghost Hunters
Paranormal Investigators: Who to Call?
Sources:
ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists, Loyd Auerbach, (Warner Books, 1986)
Michelle Burg
