Psychic Zoe, whose real name is Ann Thompson, had a difficult week when the New York Police Department arrested her on May 9 for allegedly defrauding clients of over $800,000. Despite her supposed clairvoyant abilities, it seems she didn’t foresee her arrest coming.
The police were tipped off by two of Thompson’s victims, who reached out to private investigator Bob Nygaard, a specialist in psychic scams. One victim, a mother from Canada in her late 40s, was scammed out of at least $740,000, while the second victim, a professional man in his 30s from the Midwest, lost $72,000 after meeting Thompson during a business trip to Manhattan.
Psychic scams, often involving deceptive fortune-telling, can result in significant financial loss. Thompson’s Canadian victim initially sought help for relationship problems and was lured in by a $5 fortune reading. However, the situation escalated as Thompson manipulated the woman, claiming she needed to buy a 9.2-carat diamond ring and fund the construction of a fictitious “golden pyramid” to rid her life of bad energy. Over time, the psychic drained her life savings.
Thompson is currently awaiting sentencing, but thanks to Nygaard’s efforts, numerous fraudulent psychics have already been brought to justice. He has helped prosecute 30 scammers and recover over $3.5 million for his clients. Despite his successes, Nygaard still finds it challenging to get law enforcement to take psychic fraud seriously, although he did receive excellent cooperation from the NYPD in this case.
Nygaard emphasizes that psychic scams, often targeting vulnerable individuals, are widespread and part of organized criminal activity. “The prevalence with which these psychic scams are occurring, and the exorbitant amounts of money of which vulnerable people are being defrauded… is absolutely astonishing,” Nygaard said. He calls for greater awareness and action from police and prosecutors across the U.S. to combat these scams.