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Celebrity psychic Cael O'Donnell has built an extraordinary audience on social media with claims he can channel spirits and forecast the future.
Key points:
- Scamwatch has received 63 reports of clairvoyant scams this year
- Rachel Butland was scammed by an impersonator on social media
- Scamwatch warns there may be hidden costs when seeing a psychic
But his huge following has led to an issue hurting him and his fans.
Scammers have used Mr O'Donnell's identity to trick people out of money ranging from $70 to $1,000.
"I've counted 50 fake accounts across social media that are pretending to be me," Mr O'Donnell said.
"I've even got people pretending to be my talent manager and taking fees to book me to fake events."
So-called psychic fraud is on the rise in Australia, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Watchdog.
Scamwatch has this year received 63 reports of clairvoyant scams totalling more than $260,000 – a 219 per cent increase on last year's losses.
"Scammers are increasingly opportunistic, often connecting with victims through social media platforms," a Scamwatch spokeswoman said.
"Scamwatch advice is not to send money to anyone claiming to be a clairvoyant. Personal information and credit card details disclosed in one scam can also be used as part of other scams."
Rachel Butland, a mother of four, fell prey to a scammer impersonating Mr O'Donnell on social media.
She was unwinding after a hard day at work when she received a message on TikTok from an account that was using Mr O'Donnell's name and photograph and offering a reading — as long she donated to a "temple".
She transferred $70 to the account provided before realising she had been scammed.
"A lot of people can think, you know, you could have done other things with that [money], but for me, it was just some self-care for myself, and it is very rarely that I do that," Ms Butland said.
"A lot has happened in my life that has made it a bit tough, and I thought my luck has changed … so when I realised this definitely is not the real Cael I got really upset."
Fortune-telling and the law
University of Southern Queensland senior lecturer Jeremy Patrick has written a book exploring the tension between fortune telling and the law.
In his view, intention, consumer expectation and cost are crucial.
"If I go to a fortune teller, and I give them $50 or $75 for an hour's consultation, and I walk away happy, to my mind that's perfectly legitimate," Dr Patrick said.
"On the other hand, if I go to a fortune teller, and they develop a relationship with me and tell me that I'm cursed, and the only way that I can get rid of this curse … is to give them jewellery and access to my bank account, then that reaches a point where I think it's exploitative."
The Scamwatch website warns against psychic scammers who predict oncoming troubles but offer costly solutions.
"If you want to use the services of a psychic or clairvoyant, make sure you know the total cost and exactly what you will receive," the website said.
"Ask if there are any conditions and ongoing or hidden costs."
Australian Skeptics' chief investigator Richard Saunders has overseen an unclaimed $100,000 cash prize for anyone who can demonstrate psychic or paranormal abilities.
He also tracked 21 years of public psychic predictions and found an accuracy rate of about 11 per cent.
"People would think that the sceptics would say all psychics are scammers," Mr Saunders said.
"No, I think a lot of them are genuine, honest, sincere people simply deluded into thinking they have special magical powers."
Mr O'Donnell acknowledges some people might think all psychics are scammers, and he agrees the industry is riddled with frauds.
"I think that it's normal to believe that psychics are frauds and scams, and I think that's very good and safe to start from that perspective and allow the psychic to change your mind," he said.
Ms Butland – a psychiatric nurse – gets emotional when speaking about being scammed by an impersonator.
She fears for people without a support network, or who might transfer more money.
"I hope someone who is a scammer sees this [and] hopefully something in them is like, OK, maybe I'm really hurting people a lot more than their bank account," she said.
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