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‘Black magic’: sham fortune-tellers arrested in China after woman pays US$1,870 for love spells to win boyfriend back

A Shanghai woman desperate to win back her boyfriend turned to “black magic” and was conned by a group of fake Chinese fortune-tellers into handing over 13,000 yuan (US$1,870).

The woman reported the crime to Shanghai police, who arrested a group of con artists who targeted desperate singles selling them love spells and rituals. They had netted 800,000 yuan (US$115,000) before they were caught.

The woman, surnamed Mai, met the scammers through a horoscope video that claimed to tell people’s fortunes on Douyin in October.

Mai initially paid 599 yuan (US$86) to have her fortune told and became excited after it was predicted she might get back with her boyfriend. The fortune-tellers then convinced her to purchase a series of magic rituals they promised would bring him back to her.

These included a “reunion ritual”, completed by sending her a video of two burning candles – one suggesting her boyfriend’s luck in new relationships had “burned out”, and the other moulded into a heart shape, promising her good luck in love.

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