Scammers Are Everywhere
Cloned Accounts On Social Media
The simplest and quickest way to scam people. It’s so simple to copy and clone a genuine Medium’s account on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It’ll feature the same images as the real account, and use similar colours and themes. The scam is simple, the cloned account will contact you. and suggest you need to book an online or telephone reading, as the Spirit Realm has a message for you.
Never send any money, credit card or other personal details to these scammers, and never by email. Responding for any reason only indicates you’re interested and you could end up with many more potential scam messages and emails in the future.
And the scammers will target people who have liked or followed a particular Medium on social media, making it all seem very plausible. Once you’ve paid for your session, that’s the last you’ll see of your money, and your reading. The nature of this kind of scam means that the criminals set up dozens of fake accounts, take a few payments on each, then shut the accounts down.
But there have been cases where scammers have managed to run long term frauds on vulnerable victims, cheating them out of thousands of pounds.
As an example, here are two images from Instagram. One is the genuine account belonging to one of our members, David Hale, the other is a clone. Can you spot the fake?
They both look pretty similar, and it’s easy to be fooled. In this case, the first image is the fake.
Red Flags To Look For On Social Media
So here are some simple warning signs:
- Did the Medium contact you ? It’s something that no reputable Medium would do !
- Is the content of the message odd, and the language used not in very good English ?
- Does the account look brand new ? Is there very little content ? And is it all posted up on the same day ?
- Are there any reviews ?
- Does the account list a UK landline number or a UK mobile ( with the prefix +44) ? Scammers are never keen to talk to their victims.
- Does the account list a website ? Scammers rarely go to the time or expense of creating a website.
- Does the Medium display any of the Spiritualists National Union qualifications after their name ? Like CSNU or DSNU. You can contact the SNU here.
Some Simple Safety Tips
- Only ever contact Mediums using a reputable source like the excellent Find Me A Medium website, or via a Spiritualist Church.
- Be wary of contacting Mediums via social media, and ask for a verification video call before handing over any money.
- Initiate contact through the Medium’s website, if they have one.
- Have your reading done at a Spiritualist Church or centre in person.
- If you feel threatened or harassed by an unsolicited approach, you should ask a friend or relative for support.
- Report the contact to the social media media platform.
- Never ever hand over any personal details, like your date of birth or your home address.
- Report any suspected frauds to Action Fraud UK,