Story Outline

Permits to Prevent Fortune-Telling Scams From a news story by CNN San Francisco Reporter Rusty Dornin June 2003

I. A woman comes into a New Age bookshop

A. She is there for a raking treatment.
B. She hopes her energy will feel stronger afterwards.
C. In the past she's been tricked by so-called "spiritual advisors."
D. They scared her by talking about curses and wanted money to remove them.

II. The city of San Francisco wants to protect people from spiritual advisor scams.

A. Spiritual advisors include foretune-tellers, psychics, palm readers, card readers.
B. They would be required to get finger-printed and buy a permit.
C. Then it would be easier to identify the ones who are ripping people off.

III. Psychics rip desperate people off by playing on their fears.

A. One woman paid $17,000 to a psychic who said her daughter would die if she didn't pay the money.
B. Another trick is to show a piece of grapefruit with blood or a little skull in it.
C. If a client is poor, the psychic might say she will remove a curse if the client uses her credit card to take her on an expensive shopping trip.

IV. Anjelique Royce says the company she manages, Psychic Eye, offers legitimate services

A. Her psychics don't practice curse removal.
B. They offer one-time services for a set fee.

V. One tarot card-reader, Patricia Carroll, says she doesn't think the new law will stop the scams

A. She thinks the swindlers will just go underground
B. She thinks it will still be very difficult to stop them.

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