Psychics and mediums: history, law and scams
A protective shelf: the history, how claims have been tested, what the law says, and how to spot a scam. We don’t list or recommend readers.
In brief
Psychics and mediums have drawn public interest and public doubt for a long time; in the 1920s the magician Harry Houdini campaigned against fraudulent mediums by reproducing their effects on stage, and he willed his magic and spiritualism collection to the Library of Congress.1
This section covers that history, how claims have been tested, what the law says, and how to recognize scams such as paid offers to lift a curse, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns can escalate into repeated demands for money.2
On this shelf
Down the midway
Sources for this page
- Library of Congress: Great Escapes, Library of Congress Information Bulletin (24 February 1997). Read on · Library
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Psychic. Read on · Government
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