Hi Lyn,
Every psychic works a little differently and different psychics have different skills and modalities.
Read this article for more info on that:
Psychics Are Like Doctors
When you are too skeptical it's like putting a shield up. Can you read a book? Sure. Can you read it in the dark? No. Aha! That means you can't read! no, it means you need to turn the light back on so I can see the words on the page. If you go into a reading with the lights turned off, the psychic may not pick up anything. For me it comes through like static. it's like hearing every other word to a song. sure I can get the gist of the song, but when I read for someone who is open and interested then it's like hearing the whole song in stereo with the volume turned up.
As for getting conned, your best bet is to go with a psychic who has good referrals and charges based on their skill and their demand. Some frauds will charge a small amount like $10 or $15 and then scare you into thinking you're cursed and for an extra $200 they can remove the curse. That's a scam.
Some psychics are good at getting names. Some aren't. Some are good at reading your past events, some are better at picking up on the present. Figure out what sort of information you want from a psychic and find a psychic who specializes in what you need.
For example, most of my clients aren't interested in connecting with their deceased relatives. I'm not the best medium out there, but when a deceased person comes through I can get some pretty good information. But if connecting with a deceased relative is your primary purpose for a reading, don't book with me. Book with someone who only does medium readings.
My clients prefer to get advice in the area of career, relationships, health, family, financnes, and spirituality. Sometimes I can tell exactly what a person does fo ra living and sometimes I can't. I'm at the mercy of what the person's spirit guides want me to know.
If you're hesitant or don't believe, I would start with someone who is lower in price or doing readings for free to build up their clientele base. Get referrals first.
bottom line though, you'll get exactly what you give. If you close off your energy to test the psychic, you'll get very little in return.