Dorine

Covina, CA

Rosalyn of Riverside CA (8/27/03):
I had gotten a reading with a friend who had wanted to get one for some circumstances in my life, and didn't think much of spending a couple of dollars on some fortune telling. So we drove down to this place that my friend had been to before. I up to this point had no knowledge of how fradulent psychic services could be so when the reader (Dorine) looked at me and claimed something was very wrong with my aura, playing up emotional issues I had at the time, I fell for it.

Initially, I gave her 300 bucks for a consultation, and since I had some savings at the time didn't think much of it. Eventually, she claimed I had a curse on me and tried to say that if I did not give her the money to lift this curse by doing all these meditations and rituals that my mother would fall to harm and so would the rest of my family, and basically implied I would go insane. She was so manipulative and seemed to sympathetic I fell for it.

After a month or so of her and I meeting for appointments, of which she missed several with very odd excuses, she said that I had a soulmate coming into my life and that she wanted to do a "special" thing for me to aid me to accept him. I was very reluctant but she bargained me into giving her half the money for that "special" meditation. After this I did not hear from her even though we were supposed to meet. I tried to call several times and never got an answer. I finally tried calling under a phone number that she did not know about and someone answered.

Dorine spoke to me and tried to act nicely and set up a meeting, which she flaked on. I finally confronted her again a few months later threatening legal action. She finally replied and when I got her on the phone she tried to talk her way out of the accusations. She even left messages on my cell phone claiming I was acting like a "child" and that I was behaving "immaturely" because I was threatening legal action.

I have attempted to talk to the police within her area but they claim there are no laws protecting me, however I have researched online and found that police HAVE prosecuted similar "psychics" for similar swindles in other areas and there is even legislation for regulation in San Francisco. This seems odd that the police are reluctant to help me but I am currently seeing if I can try again.

She basically got $3500 out of me, not counting the $45 for my reading. I want a refund back for the amount and have contacted the better business bureau.

Psychics -- and anyone else, for that matter -- can be prosecuted if they have broken specific laws. We're not sure what law Rosalyn thinks Dorine violated. Once a client buys into the idea that psychics exist, who's to say that one is more legit than another? We don't see anything in Rosalyn's report that indicates Dorine violated any consumer protection laws.

By the way, this would not be a police matter. Rosalyn should contact the District Attorney's office if she thinks fraud was perpetrated.

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