PYSCHICS and tarot card readers can do more harm than good when 'helping out' in missing person cases, writes Tory Shepherd.

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A SURPRISINGLY honest tarot reader at "Psychic Tarot Insights" has tried to locate Jill Meagher.



Here's the surprisingly honest (if understated) bit: "Tarot is not considered 100 per cent accurate by law and I cannot claim to solve issues, only show what I have in the cards."



They go on to say: "Something must have happened quickly; that there was a male person, stronger than her; there might be a car, something, something, rural area, something, something, eight weeks, something, something, sex and weapons and southeast and someone tall and strong. And a horse. Maybe a church. A dog."



Other possible links are: "Deserts, woods, obscure valleys, caves, dens, holes, mountains, churchyards, ruined buildings, coalmines, muddy places, wells, houses, offices.



"Perhaps some of this information will help, can't be sure until information comes in to verify it," they conclude.



It won't help. It's just random information that could only befuddle a believer, impart false hope, or infuriate someone trying their best to see through the storm of information and misinformation surrounding Ms Meagher's disappearance.



The Australian reports that a vagueness of psychics (is that the collective noun? Other suggestions include a "fraud", or a "divination") have claimed to "have insight" into the missing woman's case.



When people go missing or are murdered, the psychic detectives move in. They approach the police or families to offer their "help". Sometimes for money.



Some are probably deluded, some are outright frauds, all of them are wrong. If something matches, it's a fluke.



Some people are very skilled "mentalists". They may be good at reading tiny facial twitches or cues, they may have good intuition. That's as good as it gets, unfortunately.



In an excellent example of trickery, a Belgian "mind reader" has revealed his secrets. He hauled in unsuspecting marks, revealed all sorts of information about them down to what should be very personal private information.



"Scary," says one of his victims. And it is scary, especially when the mind reader dramatically pulls back curtains to show that a group of researchers (hackers?) using computers are responsible for gathering the information.



"Your entire life is online," the ad warns. "Be vigilant".



Well that's one cat out of the bag psychics use the internet.



Most probably they aren't smart enough to work out your bank account number but most of them would be able to Google the hell out of you and find out the name of your beloved hamster.



Plenty of stage psychics have been busted doing "hot readings", sneakily gathering information before the session.



Most of them do "cold readings", a scattergun approach where they rapidly fire guesses and a hopeful audience clings to the strikes.



"M, I'm getting an M, do you know someone who's passed over who has an M in their name? No, maybe it's my hearing, maybe it's an N."



It's a performance; it's entertaining; it's bull ... .



Psychics may well think they have something to contribute.



But if they think they have the right to approach a family that is bewildered, traumatised, or mourning, it's clear they don't have some extraordinary brain thing going on.



It's clear they don't even have the basics of understanding.



- David Penberthy is on leave this week.





Originally published as Shepherd: Stacked deck of psychic insight