Fortune Telling

[Zeno]

This may sound a little strange but I have my reasons for asking.

Is fortune telling (or whatever they call it these days) for want of a better word, legal? I mean if I who up until this moment have no known psychic powers set up as a fortune teller tomorrow telling people that their dead granny was frail before she died etc (She's alive? Must have been Grandad. Great Grandad then? Ahh, See...) and charged them £50 for the privilege would this contravene any law?

 

[Kezz]

Fortune telling would be tarot cards, palm reading, etc, what you are describing is mediumship, (Clairvoyance, Clairaudience etc) and I think you'd have to be a part of a spiritualist church to be able to do it (maybe, not sure on that one) but it's certainly morally wrong to accept any money for lying to people about dead relatives, not sure about the legal standpoint.

 

[estwig]

This may sound a little strange but I have my reasons for asking.

Is fortune telling (or whatever they call it these days) for want of a better word, legal? I mean if I who up until this moment have no known psychic powers set up as a fortune teller tomorrow telling people that their dead granny was frail before she died etc (She's alive? Must have been Grandad. Great Grandad then? Ahh, See...) and charged them £50 for the privilege would this contravene any law?

Don't know about £50.00, but I'd buy you a pint for making me laugh!!

 

[The Resolver]

There is nothing illegal in seeking payment in return for claiming to be in contact with the departed. The reason is that no-one can prove you do not have the powers that you claim.

However, you may have noticed some statements now appearing on ads and also whenever mediums come on local radio programs to the effect ' Nothing has been proven and this is just for entertainment'. This is all thanks to the recent Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations (sadly, and despite the equivocal grammar, its the 'trading', of course, from which you are intended to be protected not the 'trading regulations' themselves although some might say it should be the latter!)

These are the Regs that make it illegal to have false testimonials on your website/promotional material as well as dubious trading offers etc.

I judge mediumship by the comment from Groucho Marx who said he and Harpo came to an agreement that the first to go would make contact with the other. 'My brother died years ago and I am still waiting to hear. Brothers!'

 

[homeriscool]

well i think your scum if you even think about doing that. my mother several years ago had a clairavoyant come to the house, and it was tape recorded so i listened afterwards, and it was very very creepy. he said things that no one on the face of the earth would know exept for our family. so dont be a fraud because a lot of people including myself find inner peace talking to REAL clairvoyants.

 

[Zeno]

Just to clarify, I am not thinking of doing this. I am just interested to see what the legal position is.