Be careful if someone leaves you a voicemail about an important event that will change your life! Do not call the number again, it’s a new scam that can cost you dearly.
“I’m calling you a little urgently because the tarot cards have shown that there is someone close to you who is hiding something from you.” Perhaps you have already received a message like this on your voicemail. A surprising request, which is enough to raise an eyebrow! This may make you laugh but, as long as you are in a period of great vulnerability, a simple phone call can quickly cost thousands of euros.
The RMC Conso teams investigated a clairvoyance firm which relentlessly targets vulnerable people by telephone. The scam starts this way: you receive a phone call which does not ring your mobile and a light asks you on your voicemail to dial an emergency number so that he can tell you more and help you. This may concern the return of an ex-partner, a new professional opportunity to come, a major upheaval in your life, a loved one in danger, etc.
Above all, don’t listen to him or you risk finding yourself in a scam that you will have difficulty getting rid of and which could cost you dearly! As you might suspect, the number to call back is a premium rate. Sometimes, the psychic also asks you to enter your bank card number on the keyboard of your smartphone in order to pay for the upcoming session (100 euros for 1 hour!) And the rest of the events can lead to abusive bank charges and harassment telephone…
This clairvoyance firm does not attack just anyone, it targets people with a very specific profile. This was the case for Sandra, who was suffering from severe depression when she was approached. One day, she was contacted by her bank, and what was her surprise! “She called me to warn me of a charge of 500 euros […] When I called back (the office, editor’s note) they told me ‘it’s normal, these are all the clairvoyances you have done’. I got it for over 2,000 euros.” she testifies. She will subsequently continue to be harassed by the agency into paying more money.
The methods of these clairvoyants are well established. They are perfectly aware that their “predictions” are completely false, they just want to make the communication last as long as possible in order to extract money from the victims. “To keep people online for a long time, you have to talk a lot, make announcements, tell stories… It’s a lot of chatter”admits a former employee of the company.
This clairvoyance office is called Stardust (stardust in French) and is not new to scams. The INAD, the National Institute of Divinatory Arts, has been warning about its practices for years. By searching a little on the Internet, there are plenty of testimonies from people who have been fooled.
Behind the Stardust firm is the Even Media Interactive company, located in Marseille, which is used to dealing with premium rate number scams. She had already been highlighted by the newspaper The Dispatchin 2022, following scams with fake numbers, calls and SMS posing as CPAM.
Also, we can only advise you to never call back after receiving such a message, especially if the number begins with 089. Better, never call back a number you do not know if the person has not left a message on your voicemail. You can even install an application on your mobile to block unwanted numbers so you can really have peace of mind.