Bay Area Skeptics

The San Francisco Bay Area's skeptical organization since 1982

San Mateo psychic charged with theft

Janet Adams' booking photoJanet Adams, a self-described psychic, was arrested for bilking an 85-year-old woman out of $80,330. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Adams told the victim “that her husband would die of a heart attack if she didn’t immediately pay $13,000 for ‘special prayers,’ the prosecutor said.”

On subsequent visits, the purported psychic extracted more and more money from the elderly victim, until her (still-healthy) husband noticed the odd transactions.

The Chronicle explains that:

Adams has victimized numerous women in San Mateo County in the past and was sent to state prison in 2004 for two years on a theft conviction, authorities said. At that time, Adams worked as a palm reader at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival.

My crystal ball tells me that the victim, who visited Adams the first time “on a lark,” has learned her lesson. Hopefully Adams will learn hers, too.

The photograph of Adams is from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, via the Chronicle.


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