Archive Episode: The Hidden World of Psychic Scams, Part 2
The Perfect Scam
AARP
4.5 • 980 Ratings
🗓️ 28 July 2023
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In Part 2 of this 2019 episode, after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend in the same day, a distraught Debra pays a visit to a psychic. Little does Debra know that the shop is part of a larger criminal organization, and psychic Sylvia Mitchell is a scammer who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients. A series of readings leads to Sylvia stealing $28,000 of Debra’s money and cutting off communication. Debra enlists the help of Bob Nygaard, a private investigator and retired police officer who specializes in psychic scams. Together, they bring Sylvia Mitchell to justice.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to the perfect scam. I'm your host Bob Sullivan. |
| 0:07.0 | Once again, this week we're digging into the archives and replaying one of our favorite episodes for you. |
| 0:12.0 | It's part two of the hidden world of psychic |
| 0:15.3 | scams. |
| 0:16.9 | Last week we met Deborah, who was at a low point in life and visited a psychic, but instead |
| 0:22.4 | of finding answers, she found herself in the middle of a crime scene. |
| 0:26.8 | The psychic stole $28,000 from Deborah, similar amounts from other victims. |
| 0:33.0 | When we left the story, Deborah had enlisted the help of Bob Nygaard, |
| 0:37.0 | a retired police officer who has spent years chasing psychics and their scams. |
| 0:42.0 | Nygaard knows every psychic's tactics, and he'll share them with you in this |
| 0:46.1 | episode. |
| 0:47.1 | But does he help Deborah get her money back and get justice? |
| 0:51.1 | Here's host Will Johnson with the conclusion of this story. |
| 0:57.6 | Last week we told you about Deborah, newly single and out of work. She went to see a |
| 1:01.8 | psychic and on her third visit ended up |
| 1:04.7 | giving her 28,000 dollars. The psychic told Deborah that all her issues had to do |
| 1:09.6 | with money or at least her attachment to money if she could just hand over the check for one night |
| 1:15.2 | She'd get it back the next day |
| 1:17.3 | That didn't happen |
| 1:18.9 | Desperate to get her money back she reaches out to police didn't get much help until she got a |
| 1:24.2 | recommendation. I need I need help from the police and do you have anyone that you can |
| 1:30.4 | recommend that I talk to you about this and so this gentleman in the police department said actually I do and he referred me to Bob Nygaard. |
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