Being told you’re cursed is the most common scam out there in the spirituality world.

If you’re new to witchcraft, spirituality, or divination such as Tarot and Astrology, you may not be aware of how easy it is to get scammed.

For every sincere witch, reader or psychic out there, there are at least 10 scammers. I hate this because it gives the good witches and readers a bad name and keeps people skeptical of the benefits of a great reader and/or witch.

So how do you avoid being the next victim of a scam?

Here’s what to watch out for:

This is the most common scam and scammers use fear to prey on people, especially people who are new to this world.

It can happen one of two ways.

• You may actually seek out a reader on your own either online or in person.

The reader will pull cards and begin to tell you about all of this dark energy surrounding you or following you. They may say you have a dark entity attached to you or evil spirit. They will go in-depth and use all the fear tactics they can to really scare you into believing that you are cursed or in real spiritual danger.

They’ve got this down to an art form. You’ll believe them because it sounds so real and true. You’ll inadvertantly give away details about your life that they will then use as proof of this curse. Remember, these people are scammers and are very good at what they do.

They will then tell you that they can remove this curse for money. The amount can vary but it’s usually upwards in the hundreds of dollars range. They’ll say they need this money to buy supplies to remove the curse. There’s no curse that requires hundreds of dollars worth of supplies to remove.

They will scare into believing that if you don’t pay them bad things will happen to you and those you love.

They are lying to you.

They do this to every single person. You are not cursed. Period. They just want to use your fear to fleece you out of your hard earned money. They are heartless and cruel. Please do not fall for this.

It’s shameful and gives good, honest readers a bad reputation. If someone tries this with you, call them out. Tell them it’s bullshit and they should be ashamed of themselves.

If you are truly cursed, which is very rare, you can easily cleanse yourself for free or consult an honest reader or witch to help you.

• A second way this can play out is online though social media.

A reader may message you saying they were drawn to you or that the spirits have an urgent message. They’ll start out by giving you a few tidbits for free to draw you in. They may use pet names and call you sweetie or honey. They’ll seem sincere and full of concern for you.

They will either give you a more in-depth reading without you asking or pull the you’re cursed BS.

When they give you the more in-depth reading without asking, they will then demand money from you even though you didn't ask for the reading. If you refuse, they may harass you or threaten to curse you. They’ll play into your fears hoping you’ll give them money to go away.

Again, this is shameful bullshit. They are lying to you and trying to use fear to extort you for money.

You are not cursed and you can ignore anyone that claims they are going to curse you for not paying. They’re just shameless, lying scam artists.

You have nothing to fear.

Always be very wary of anyone showing up in your DM’s unsolicited. They are 99% of the time super scammers.

Most reputable readers don’t do this. They build a business and let the business come to them.

If someone does show up, alway ask if this is a free reading right off the bat. If they say no or donations are accepted, be wary.

They will lie and say it’s free then try and guilt you after the reading for money.

I never pay for a reading unless I’m the one who sought out the reader. Period.

This is the best way to protect yourself but not fool proof.

If this does happen to you, report the person and then block them. I try and warn others of this person if possible.

When looking for a reader, do some research. Look for someone with good reviews and better yet, find someone that has been recommended to you.

~Rachael