We're kicking off this podcast with a billion-dollar scam that only old-school kids will recall! Miss Cleo and the Psychic Readers Network’s case is so full of questions and hilarious highlights that we decided to cover it for our pilot episode. Are big-time fraudsters sociopaths or psychopaths? Did Miss Cleo take off her false identity veil at some point? We explain how her phone scams worked and why her Jamaican accent and identity were totally fake. We also take a look at Miss Cleo’s last interview on The Gabby Bendel Show and why she couldn’t use her classic alias anymore.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:47) - An epic introduction to the show: Is fraud essentially a human problem? Is this podcast going to help at all?

(4:30) - Get to know our very first featured fraudster! Are you old enough to know who Miss Cleo is? If not, here’s her complete bio.

(9:36) - ‘Keep these people on the line for as long as possible': This is how the Psychic Readers Network scam worked.

(15:03) - Discussing what might be the most insidious thing about this billion dollar hoax and if real psychics really exist.

(23:14) - Where did Miss Cleo's motivations arised? Life before phone scamming, nonprofits and acting.

(30:50) - Psychic readers, assemble! How Miss Cleo joined the Psychic Readers Network in Florida.

(35:54) - On Miss Cleo’s last interview on The Gabby Bendel Show and why she couldn’t use her classic alias anymore.

(38:51) - Going over Miss Cleo’s book Keepin' It Real - A Practical Guide for Spiritual Living, her political comments and fake Jamaican roots.

(47:50) - How Miss Cleo mastered the art of taking advantage of systematic vulnerabilities to sell stuff.

(52:58) - Taking a look at Comedy Central’s branded content with Miss Cleo for a cosmetic company.

(58:07) - The alternate reality idea that some people can create around them, Miss Cleo’s last attempt to profit and this episode’s conclusions.

RESOURCES

Miss Cleo’s last interview on The Gabby Bendel Show (video)

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In this second part of the Psychic Readers Network series we go deep into how the Federal Trade Commission addressed these phone frauds with an expert guest who joins the show to detail PRN’s false advertising and abusive marketing practices. We also invited a retired phone actor who wanted to be a phone psychic as a summer job in 2001. He actually wrote an article for the New York Times about it. He shares everything about the wonderful work environment and why it’s almost like being a cheap therapist. Why did people call in? What is behind the power of attraction behind charming characters like Miss Cleo? Listen and find out, we promise we won’t charge you a single penny (for the first three minutes).

TIMESTAMPS

(0:47) - Miss Cleo’s case recap: The right to work in the spirit-psychic world and lie to yourself ad-nauseam.

(8:40) - The FTC’s verdict: PRN abusive marketing techniques and how the State manages expenses and penalties

(16:03) - What was it like to be a psychic for the PRN? A retired phone psychic’s testimony of how easy it is to get in this world.

(25:04) - A long time before the first call: How a day in the office for a new phone physic looks like.

(32:44) - Fake voices, made-up personas, the moral consequences of making harm and how to actually make money out of this hoax.

(42:17) - Why did people call in? What is behind the power of attraction behind charming characters like Miss Cleo?

(49:00) - Episode conclusions: Ms. Santa’s Hotline, classic psychic tricks and final Miss Cleo clips on broke callers and legal implications.

RESOURCES

I Was a Hotline Psychic for Miss Cleo (read)

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This is the third and final part of the infamous Miss Cleo's case and to do that with a flourish, J. Michael Skiba, AKA. Dr. Fraud (trademark) tells us that 70% of the population is prone to being dishonest -but there are levels- and, spoiler alert, 30% of them are shitty persons; nice data, right? Find out with us if Miss Cleo is innocent and knows the real scammers out there. Also, Miami Vice, yes! the famous 80's series, is featured in this episode and it is clear to us that a fraudster will always be a fraudster.

TIMESTAMPS

(00:07) That the system is screwed up, justifies robbing a bank?: 70% of people believe that robbing or defrauding a bank is okay.

(8:30) Dr. Fraud (trademark) tells us how big corporations normalize fraud: it is not attacked, is not prevented and is not punished.

(12:13) Miss Cleo is innocent (?). Let's meet the three real fraudsters: Steve Feder, Peter Slotz and Lou Thomas.

(15:22) Feder and the fraud of houses and pizza boxes: This is America! and justice is just a business.

(27:33) Feder, Slotz and Thomas: The juicy business of the psychic hotlines.

(32:19) Miami Vice and a psychic hotlines in the same sentence: Oh! Thank you Philip Michael Thomas!

(40:30) Tutorial to make your fraud profitable: Bye, bye Miami Vice and welcome to New York City.

(47:14) This is how the fraudster ends up: A fraudster will always be a fraudster. Hey! If you are looking for a sugar daddy we tell you where to find him.

RESOURCES

Learn more about Dr. Fraud (trademark) here
The Philip Michael Thomas International Psychic Network 1994 commercial
Do you have a story? Send us an email

Special thanks to Joshua Sutherland for composing music for this episode.

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