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b'Susan Gerbic says that psychics are grief vampires\\u2014taking advantage of our broken hearts.\\n\\nShe asks, \\u201cWhy isn\\u2019t anybody doing something about this?\\u201d Susan Gerbic is just like you and me. She has a normal job working as a baby photographer. But at night, she is a badass vigilante hunting psychics. Susan says, \\u201cOne of my favorite things to do is try to expose people we call grief vampires. People who claim to speak to the dead.\\u201d\\n\\nHer motivation is not to settle a vendetta. In fact, she says she\\u2019s never really been the target of a psychic. Susan simply doesn\\u2019t like them and the way they profit off of people\\u2019s grief. The US market for psychic services is worth about $2 billion annually according to IBIS World, a market research firm based in Los Angeles California.\\n\\nOn this episode of Pretend, Susan attempts to capture psychics lying on tape. These psychic hunters spent months setting up fake Facebook pages, hoping that a so-called psychic uses the falsified information during a psychic reading. It took a few tries, but she finally got one on tape.\\n\\n\\nLinks:\\nSilvia Browne gets punked by skeptic Mark Edward\\n\\nTim Braun (psychic)\\n\\nChip Coffey (psychic)\\n\\nThomas John (psychic)\\n\\nNew York Times article:\\n\\nInside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics - The ...https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.html\\n\\n\\n\\nSupport for this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.\\n\\nIs there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment.\\n\\nSign up today with discount code \\u201cPRETEND\\u201d to get 10% off your first month.\\n\\nBetterhelp.com/pretend\\n\\n\\n-------\\nStory idea? \\nIf you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.\\n\\nFor more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.\\n\\nTo get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate\\n\\n\\nThis episode was written and produced by Javier Leiva\\n\\nTheme music by Joe Basile with thechicken.net\\n\\nAdditional music by Glad Rags\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'