Email: "Chris DooFrane" and Money-Cleansing Scheme
A woman loses her money to someone posing as Sylvia Browne's son, in a classic phony psychic scam.
Important Note
To my knowledge, this story does not directly involve either Sylvia Browne or her son Chris DuFresne.
I include it on this site in hopes it will help prevent other people from falling for this same scam.
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Background
The "Cursed Money Scheme" (sometimes called the "Money-Cleansing Scheme") is a con-game which has been used by phony psychics and fortune-tellers for decades, if not for centuries.
In it, the phony psychic tells the "mark" (the victim of the scheme) that all of their troubles are being caused by a curse on their money. Of course, the only way the curse can be removed is by bringing the money to the "psychic".
There are several variations on what happens next. Some examples:
- The "psychic" takes the money, promising to bury it.
- The "psychic" pretends to burn the money in front of the mark, using sleight-of-hand to burn worthless paper instead
- The "psychic" tells the mark to come back later, and the money will be cleansed of the curse. When the mark returns, the "psychic" has skipped town
There are other variations on the theme. In some, it is valuable jewelry rather than cash which needs to be "cleansed."
But in all variations, the "cursed" money or jewelry ends up in the hands of the "psychic," and the only "cleansing" is of the poor mark, who gets taken to the cleaners.
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The Email
I recently received an email from a woman who was furious, saying that Sylvia Browne's son Chris DuFresne had "ripped her off".
As it turns out, she had good reason to be furious. But was it really Browne's son who did the scamming?
Here is the email, with my own thoughts inserted. All emphasis mine.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
RE; Sylvia Browne/Chris Dufresne
First, here is a little background on me. I am 51, Female and I work with MR/DD adults. I am a resonably intelleget person, most of the time. I recently went through a bad break up of 9 years and have been having a hard time dealing with it and letting go. I am currently living in Western New York, but I am originally from Pennsylvania and as a result of the break up, am moving back to be with family.
After over 6 months of friendly advice, some good, some bad, I was taken to a PSYCHIC Fair, and though I was not interested, I was talked into a "reading" and was amazed at what this person knew, I was hooked. My ex and I had talked off and on, and things looked promising, but they seemed to flip flop and I was just not able to handle the pain anymore. Someone suggested that I try calling a psychic that specialized in returning couples.
Normally, I am the type of person that wouldn't even consider this, but I was desparate to get this resolved, and in a weak moment, I made the call. As it turned out, it was Sylvia Browne's son, Chris Dufresne. I was told that I would be charged $129.00 and no more, and I was told that he was 110 % sure that this would be resolved in 45 minutes. They set me up to pay over the phone and I was on my way to getting back together with my "soul mate" After a few more conversations, and some bullshit, Chris told me that his Mother would be helping him in this, to be sure that it would be resolved.
I found this odd. I had never seen any claims on Browne's site that she or her son specialized in getting couples back together. Nor was the $129 figure anything I had seen mentioned (Dufresne's phone readings cost $450).
Back to the email:
I was told several times that the only charge would be the $129.00, NO MORE. Well, I didn't hear from them in 45 minutes, or even 24 hours, so I was pissed. I attempted to contact them severl times during the next day, and with every call I got more pissed, which was reflected in the voice mail I left each and every time. After about 5 of them, I got a call back from the "helper" Tammy. I was told that Chris and his mother were working on my case because there was so much negative energy, and that they were both in meditation, and could not be called out. They did, however, manage to send out a note to Tammy asking her to contact me and let me know how hard this was.
I was told that there were 2 people that didn't want this to happen, and they really needed to be in deep meditation to get this resolved. After about 30 minutes, Tammy called me back to let me know that Chris had something that he needed to tell me. He was so worried about me and had to come out of meditation to talk to me personally, and to pray with me to break the negative energy that was all around me. After he talked with me and told me how much he wanted this for me, and that his mother was going to devote her time to me and me alone until this was resolved, I was put back on with TAMMY.
Odder still. I had never heard of Browne or DuFresne charging for meditating on something.
Tammy begins to explain to me that Chris and Sylvia have done so much work and are so close but the negative energy is around money. They say that "money is the root of all evil" and this needs to be cleansed. They ask how much money you have and how many bills you have to pay. I found this to be a little odd, and certainly wasn't THAT stupid. I came up with an amount and I was told that I had about 30 minutes to get $1,200.00 to them, or nothing would work. Tammy said that Chris needed to go back into meditation and would not be able to come out until this was done, even if it took all night.
Here we go. This is the classic "Cursed Money" scheme, dressed up in New Age talk of "negative energy."
At this point, I became fairly certain that it was not DuFresne and Browne behind the scam. This particular type of fraud is easily exposed, and can only be done successfully if the person running the scam can disappear on a moment's notice before the "marks" catch on, and before the law shows up. Browne is too well-known to do that.
I also noticed that the supposed "Sylvia" was never on the phone, just "Chris." Sylvia Browne's distinctive voice would be hard to fake, and few people know what DuFresne sounds like. The most likely scenario was that someone was posing as DuFresne in order to reel in the marks.
On a side note: the often-misquoted old saying is actually "The is the root of all evil."
At this point, I began to ask questions, many many questions. They said that they only needed the money for 30 minutes, because Chris and Sylvia needed to PRAY over it and cleanse it, but the "spirits" would release it shortly thereafter. Ok, OK, I was weak, I was stupid....I was scared...I was trapped...I was desparate....I couldn't NOT go through with this.....so off to the bank I went. As it turned out, I wasn't able to get that amount ( I wouldn't have anyway) I called Tammy back and told her that I could only get $600.00 and she said that she would slip Chris a note and ask him if he could work with that. As luck would have it, he could NOT, but Tammy was going to borrow the rest from the church.
It should be noted that in this modern version of the scheme, the supposedly cursed money never even gets to the "psychic"! The woman, as she explained to me later, Just how this was supposed to work, I don't know.
Note also the old "We need more, but we'll see what we can do with only this much" ruse. It is used to make the mark feel as though the "psychic" is doing their very best to help them.
You can imagine what happens next...
I was notified the next day and told that this did not work because the money needed to come from ME, my money needed to be cleansed and it would not work with 1/2 of the church's money. I was told that I needed to get more money to them as soon as possible, and was told again that this money would be returned to me within 30 minutes of Chris coming out of meditation. I kept her at bay for a little while and she would call me like I was a long lost relative. She was worried about me, Chris was worried and most of all Sylvia was worried sick and really wanted me to be happy. I was told at this point that Sylvia herself would be calling me when this was over, to talk and tell me how happy she was for me.
I told Tammy that I could not get any more money out of my bank due to me having to close my account prior to moving. She said that I really needed to get this money and send it to Chris so that he can get this done. I told her that I would need to borrow it, but I was scared......she was so concerned about me and told me that I would get it back in 30 minutes, that was a promise, then she added that Chris doesn't need the money and Sylvia certainly didn't need it, they have their own money and they are too famous for this. Ok, Ok, I'll do it. I sent them another $400.00
But then...
The next day, I was told that the $400.00 did not work because I borrowed it from a friend, which was bullshit, and I would think THEY would know that.....if not Chris, SYLVIA. Later on that evening, I was contacted again by Tammy who had some really important news to tell me from Sylvia. At this point I was told that I needed to light 3 candles, and under these candles I needed to place the names of my ex's sisters and mother......these were the ones that were causing the problems, and the candles would do some such shit that I don't even remember at this point.
This candle/picture scenario is also an old part of this and other phony psychic schemes.
In fact, in one account I've read, after the mark brought the money, they were told to go out and bring back candles and pictures for the "money blessing" ceremony, returning later only to find the "psychic" - and the "cursed" money - long gone.
Ok, having been told this, Chris was back on the phone telling me that he and his mother would get this done OVER NIGHT, without fail......this was it, I would be moving back to PA with my ex because Sylvia Browne was on the case and she was NOT going to stop until I got what I wanted. I was also instructed at this time to go to the bank, take out at least 1/2 of what I told her I had, wrap the names around the money and place it in my bra!
Chris then asked to talk with me again so he could pray before he went back into meditation. I was told that Tammy would be calling me back in 30 minutes to return my money. Tammy did call me back in 30 minutes, but it wasn't to return my money, it was to ask me if I closed my account and did what Chris and Sylvia asked. I was then told to go to Western Union and send them $2,000.00 within the next 30 minutes or everything that Chris and Sylvia had just done would be lost. At this point I was just pissed off, I have alot to do in the next few days to get moved, I have alot on my mind and just don't have time for this anymore, to get rid of her I said that I would go right to Western Union and do it. She asked me to call her when I was leaving the house so she could go to the Western Union in TX and wait for the money.
I left the house but did not call her. I got 5 calls from her in 30 minutes! I didn't answer. After the 6th call, I answered. She was so concerned about me....asking if I was ok, if I had the money in my bra........GOOD GOD, if I could fit 2 grand in my bra I sure as hell wouldn't need these people for shit....ya know? Anyway, I was tired of the bullshit, and started to question everything she said.....she was very cool with it all, telling me that Sylvia really wanted to see me happy and that she was going to call me as soon as this was over. Sylvia told her to tell me that within 1 hour, my ex would be calling me and he would ask me to marry him.......I began asking questions that she couldn't answer.
I acted like I was really upset and that I just couldn't seem to get out of my car to send the 2,000.00. I told her that this was all the money I had and that I needed this to start my life over....she was so sweet on the phone, telling me that I HAD to do this so we could be happy, it was not only for love , but for my new job and for more money and for better health.......I was about to have it all, and at the end of the day, I was going to be talking to SYLVIA BROWNE to thank her personally for all of her help. I messed with her for about 30 minutes more, then I just simply had to "p" and just had enough. I would tell her that I was going in to wire the money and I would wait 10 minutes or so and say that I was so affraid that I just didn't know what to do. She was talking very softly, telling me tat I really needed to do this, not for Chris, not for Sylvia but for me......blah, blah, blah, blah......
As she talked, I began to change...she began pushing harder and harder and said that if I wasn't going to do this in the next 15 minutes, she would have to call Chris out so that he wouldn't be in danger, and she needed to get Sylvia out as well. THEN, I HEAR CHRIS TALKING...so I say, I thought he was in meditation.....she started to get pissed and I just kept saying things that she didn't want to hear.... I said to stop right here because I just could not afford to do this........she did a complete change in attitude and began yelling at me. She said that I needed to hold on to the $2,000.00 really tight because I would never have any more money. She said that I didn't know what I was doing because Chris and Sylvia were the ONLY ones that could help me and now I can never EVER go to anyone else......I couldn't believe it!
You might notice that this sounds very much like the same kind of pressure and hype used by boiler-room phone salesmen.
I told her that it was all bullshit because I was told 5 days ago that this would be done in 45 minutes and THAT was a lie.....she actually hung up on me. I called her back to ask her when I would get the money she said Chris and Sylvia didn't need...she said after 4PM and I hung up. In less than 5 minutes Tammy called me back to tell me that Chris came out and told her that if I sent $1,200.00 right now, he could get this done. That REALLY pissed me off. I asked her why the hell he didn't just say that to start with........what a crock of shit! I didn't bother checking with Western Union, I knew she wouldn't send it back, so I guess I learned a very expensive lesson. This afternoon (around 4PM) I got a call from Tammy. She said that she got sick after she talked to me but would get my money sent out to me first thing monday. She asked if I was ok and if I was still hanging in there, I simply said...yeah, I'm ok. So I guess I have to wait and see if I hear anything on monday, I hope so, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
The past few days I have been looking around on line for information and other people who got screwed by this scam. That is how I found your site. I have sent Montel Williams an email, and plan on sending Larry King and anyone else that I can think of an email about this. All they have to do is call the number and give a bullshit story and see what they say, if they don't want to do that, then they just don't want to know. I need to get in touch with Jeraldo......he might be able to check it out.
Thanks for letting me vent. Here is alittle more info in case you need it.
the # I called for Chris Dufresne was 1-800-
the numbers Tammy calls me from 1-713- / 1-713-
She asks that you send cash through Western Union to / HOUSTON, TX or RICHMOND,TX (same person) she also mentioned that if asked, you are to say that is you neice......I sure hope people are looking into this, wouldn't you think they could do a sting type of situation or something?
AGAIN, Thank you for letting me vent. If there is anything I can do to help stop this woman and her son, please let me know. You have my email and if you need more information, feel free to contact me...
maybe we can start a STOPSYLVIABROWNE fan club.....*hehehehehehehe*
Good luck to you,
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Analysis
Was this Sylvia Browne's son, Chris DuFresne?
I am obviously no fan of either one, but I highly doubt this was them.
Aside from what I mentioned earlier, this doesn't seem "their style"
In fact, Browne's site has a warning on this page which states:
Other "psychics" tell people that their problems are caused by the person's own negative blocks, curses, evil entities, demons, or karmic retribution. They do not exist. Only a fraud will tell you such things.
And there were other indications that Browne and DuFresne were probably not involved.
The phone numbers were not those on Browne's web site. In fact, the 713 area code is in Texas, as was the Western Union office where the money was wired. Browne's offices are in Campbell, California and Seattle, Washington.
I called the toll-free 800 number the woman had given me, and heard the following message, from "Tammy":
Click here to listen to the audio. (.wav format, 769kb)
"Hi, you have reached the offices of Chris DuFresne, the world-renowned soulmate psychic that performs miracles daily, returns lovers and overpowers impossible problems. Chris DuFresne is on another line or away from his desk. Please leave your name, area code and phone number, and Chris will get back to you with his complimentary consultation. Thank you for calling and have a nice day. Happy holidays."
I asked the woman where she had originally gotten DuFresne's number, and she said it was in "some rag". Later, she said that it was in the current editions of the Sun, the Globe, and the National Enquirer.
I obtained a copy of the current edition of the Enquirer (Vol. 82, No 3, "Stars With Cellulite" on the cover), and on page 52, among the "Astrologer" advertisements was a small personal ad (see image at top of this page) which read:
CHRIS DOOFRANE 1-800-
Returns lovers passion permanently. Results 30 minutes.
They did not even spell "DuFresne" correctly, probably intentionally. They spelled it phonetically, the hope evidently being that those of Browne's fans who have heard her mention DuFresne on the air, but who have never seen the name in print, might assume it was DuFresne.
Evidently, it sometimes works.
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Conclusion
I have explained all of this to the woman who wrote the email, and urged her to notify law enforcement immediately. There is a slim chance that she will get her money back, but I would not hold out much hope for it.
As I said at the top of the article, this has, to my knowledge, no direct connection to either Browne or DuFresne.
So, why am I including it on this site?
Primarily to help people who might otherwise fall for this scam. This woman lost a fair amount of money, but the "Cursed Money" scam has been known to clean people out of their life savings. See the Related Links section at the end of this article for some examples.
As of this writing, anyone doing a web search for "chris doofrane" comes up blank. I hope that by putting this article on the site, anyone doing such a search will find this page, learn from it, and keep their money in the bank.
I have also notified Browne's office of all of this, and recommended that they add a warning about this scam to a prominent place on their web site.
But it must be noted that it is belief in Browne and her ilk, promoted week after week on the Montel Williams show, which allows cons like this one to flourish.
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Related Links
Clicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page.
StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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