By Tim Binnall
Japanese authorities arrested a group of faux fortune tellers who allegedly bilked their victims out of more than $350,000. The eight men and women were reportedly taken into custody by Tokyo Metropolitan Police earlier this month following an investigation into a purported 'psychic website' that they had been operating. According to authorities, they were tipped off by an elderly woman who began patronizing the service last May and, over 10 months, paid the group over $50,000 by way of a whopping 350 money transfers.
Not unlike when a misbehaving mystic runs afoul of the law in the United States, the online response to the arrests in Japan featured more than a few residents roasting the self-declared psychics for the implausible nature of their scheme wherein they repeatedly assured their victims that "you will definitely win the lottery today." To that end, many wondered why a group of fortune tellers who claimed such a financially beneficial ability would bother operating such a website rather than simply purchasing a ticket for themselves. The situation is, of course, no laughing matter to the police and their alleged victims, which number at least 10 in total.