Feds Bust Faux French Psychics Who Scammed the Elderly Out of Millions Through Mail

Well, there was no check for $7,800, there was no psychic-summoned $31,790.00, and no, there was no sacred ruby owned by Indian royalty, either.The letters were sent by three French residents running an international psychic mailscheme in which tens of thousands of people were duped into forking over millions of dollars with the expectation that they would receive good fortune and various riches in return. The scheme was stymied by the U.S.

The complaint alleges that Robert Lhez, Mireille Dayer, and Julie Poulleau sent hundreds of thousands of mailers across the United States. The letters would purport to be from individuals with psychic powers. The alluring woman with the subtle, knowing smile, for instance, was Laura Vivian, the “Star of Distance Clairvoyance.” To burnish Vivian’s bonafides for those who might have been skeptical, the fraudsters noted that she offered the “Best Predictions of the Year” for 2016 and 2017.

Vivian promised a $7,800 check if the recipient replied with urgency, with time sensitivity being a hallmark of the solicitations, as is the sense that the reader has been cosmically selected to receive the good fortune being offered. Those who paid the $45 requested did not receive a check, of course, but when the letter promised a valuable talisman, like the ruby, the faux-Led by Lhez, according to the DOJ, the fraudsters had been operating since as early as 2012.

If you’re wondering who these tens of thousands of people who fell victim to what seems like an obvious scam were, they were primarily the elderly. Seniors are ripe targets for scam artists, withto some type of confidence scheme every year, according to the FBI. “Beyond financial losses, predatory fraud schemes like this one lead to immense emotional suffering for victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida. “We urge the public to question promotions that seem too good to be true and immediately report suspected fraud to law enforcement.”

At just $45 they got off cheap. I know many who sent fraudsters tens of thousands.

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