Overview
- Several criminal investigations are underway into alleged scams by women posing as aura readers or healers who approach targets in upscale areas, parks, markets, and near churches, yoga studios, and hospitals.
- Victims are mainly women in vulnerable phases of life or with interest in spirituality, often first engaged over casual conversations that praise a supposed special aura.
- Perpetrators follow a scripted pattern that shifts from flattery to claims of a dark side or blocked chakras, then stages rituals with candles, baths, and religious items to build pressure.
- Money is rarely requested outright, with questions like “what is it worth to you” escalating over repeat contacts to large sums framed as offerings or to cleanse a supposed inheritance.
- Police say many cases likely go unreported due to fear or shame, and they cite a separate case of a so‑called healer sought on an international warrant and linked to major losses including in Munich.