Is Sylvia Browne a fraud?

[Amadeus]

Who on here believes that Syliva Browne is a fraud and why?

Personally, I think she is. I've watched her several times on the Montel Williams Show and have made several observations.

1. When someone asks a simple generic question to her for example, "how about my love life or how about my job", Montel steps in real quick and says, "you have to be specific". I find that strange. Shouldn't Syliva know what they are specifically referring to. I am assuming Syliva has this prearranged.

2. On one particualar show someone asked who was haunting her house, Syliva said some unusual name like Thadeus. Then 2 minutes later, someone in the audience asked her their guardian angel was. Sylvia quickly said Thadeus. Well, that is just too much of a coincidence in my opinion. She had Thadeus on the tip of her tongue so that is what she spit out. I'm sure she realized what she said afterwards.

3. The worst was when she was on the AM program Coast to Coast with George Noory during the Sago Mine deaths in West VA. Of course it was first reported that every miner was alive. She said to George, "I knew they would be found alive". Then the news started to come in that all but one were dead. Then she said "nope, they are all dead". Then to find out one did survive.

4. If you go to her article on Wikipedia you'll see several case after case predictions that she got wrong on the Montel Show. One woman was missing and she claimed that she was taken into prostitution only to find out that dental records prove that she was an unindentified body found years before.

5. She claims that the World will end in 95 years, however she also states that she is a Christian. Didn't the Bible mention that "no one" knows when Christ will come again?

6. Her ex husband claims that Sylvia has no psychic ability. Maybe if she did she would have never married a husband she knew she was going to divorce.

7. Something else really bothers me. People come on the Montel Show and are practically drooling over Sylvia, like she is God or something. They'll ask her a question and Sylvia will say something very generic to them and they'll act like she just laid hands on them and gave them wings. It really is silly.

8. She claimed that Al Gore would win the election in 2000. Then she later comes on and said she got that wrong because she was thinking of terms of popular votes. No, no no, I don't think so Syliva, if you were psychic you would have read through that. You can't have it both ways. There are 10s of examples in pop culture that she gets wrong every year.

If I'm honest, I use to be someone who really admired her ability and what she had to say. However, the longer I studied her predictions and how she goes about things, the more I realized that she is just a person who wants to be psychic.

Any thoughts?

[Amadeus]

Wow, this is a video of Sylvia telling a woman who lost her loved one during 911 at the trade towers that they will never find him because he is in water. Woops!

YouTube - Psychic gets busted!

Oh my God. Look at this one.

YouTube - Sylvia Browne on Exploring Psychic Powers Live

[Old Soul]

i thik she is a fraud for a couple of reasons ..... Motive, and effect


I believe real pyschic experiences, are quite powerful and even in some cases traumatising, effecting you deeply Sylvia Brown acts like it is no big deal..........

Secondly , I think a real physcic is too busy working with the police, (behind) the scenes, to worry about getting famous,

[Erin Pavlina]

For the record I am not here to argue about whether sylvia is real or a fraud. But your proof that she is a fraud is pretty one-sided and not proof at all. It's easy to discern from your post that you are feeling anger at Sylvia because she is rich, famous, and psychic and you once believed in her and you feel she broke that trust. Now you must find evidence that she is fake to assuage your self esteem.

To briefly address each of your points:

1. Psychics are not mind readers. Any more than a doctor is a mind reader. Read my blog entry Psychics are like Doctors for more info on that.

2. I totally agree with you that that is very suspicious. I sometimes think Sylvia is trying so hard to put on a show and come across as very confident that she doesn't really give the information time to come through. I would have to hear the show to really comment though.

3. Agree with you on this one.

4. Psychics do sometimes misinterpret information they receive. But are you looking at ONLY the predictions she got wrong and failing to look at all the ones she got right? If we are to be open minded and skeptical but not cynical then you have to look at her entire track record and not just pick out the ones she got wrong. It's like if you watch the news you figure the whole world is in a state of murder, rape, robbery, and war. They never report the good news and likewise where are the statistics on the predictions she got right?

5. You're assuming that the world will end when Christ comes again. That's not at all provable nor is it universally believed.

6. Her husband? Yeah, what do you expect from a guy who lost out on millions of dollars when they got divorced. You expect him to sing her praises? Not a credible witness in my opinion but certainly someone with a possible grudge.

7. This is where you reveal how angry you are at Sylvia. I agree that no one should idolize anyone. People idolize movie stars, physicians, politicians, etc. It's not Sylvia's fault. she can't control how people view her.

8. Same as before. I think she needs to stop making predictions about global things. It's extremely hard to predict something when there are that many consciousnesses involved. But again I would want to see her entire track record. Doctors sometimes make mistakes, even mistakes that kill people, but they are still doctors the next day.

The videos... have you looked around for any videos that show her making accurate predictions? Have you gone to her for a reading yourself? If you are wanting to be open minded, you should do some due diligence and test her for yourself. Don't rely on what you hear or see on tv when you're not seeing the whole thing.

I agree that she has made some very bad predictions. Other than that, I'm not seeing a problem with her. But I have not tested her myself so I cannot say for certain. She did a mini reading for Steve that was accurate and definitely seemed specific to him. But other than that I don't have enough information on this woman to claim she is a fraud.

[Amadeus]

Erin, why would I be angry at Syliva because she is rich and famous? I'm not mad at Bill Gates, Oprah, Donald Trump, The Pavlinas, etc. I just don't think she is a psychic. There is more evidence that she is not one than that she is one. The Montel Show is a controlled environment with people who have a great emotional attachment to paranormal and so called psychic powers. They really really want to believe what they are hearing. Maybe I wanted to believe in something more at one time. I guess the older and more mature I get the more I realized that she is a charlatan.
She is in a controlled environment with Montel Williams protecting what is said. She has an anxious and believing crowd that are huge fans of hers. She is sitting there like Yoda or some kind of witch. Nothing much can go wrong, but sometimes it does. If you look at that one video in 1989 when she is with a crowd that doesn't necessarily have a psychological need for something more than science, she bombs big time.
As for her husband, I wouldn't be so sure if he is too bitter about not being with her. Money is certainly not a reason to stay with anyone.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Personally I just get a weird vibe from her, but that just means I wouldn't go to her for a reading. I don't know if she's a fraud. I can see your point, Amadues, but I can also see what Erin's saying.

[twinkie]

I have thought this myself. I used to go back and forth. I watch Montel, I have listened to a number of her books on tape, I have read all the complaints on the stop sylvia website. I pretty much believe she is psychic but not one of the better ones. But she is good at using her ability to make a really good living. I think as Erin said she gets some right and some wrong but the focus is most often on what she gets wrong. I also agree she does not seem to give time for the information to come through. Odd comparison here but I have horses. I have read books written by big well known trainers who are not the best trainers out there. I have also worked with some of the most amazing horse people who will never be known outside circle of clients and have no interest to be famous.

[Amadeus]

Just watch her sometimes. She gives her self huge margins of error to bounce in and out of. Like the first video I posted about the fireman. The grieving wife said he was never found. Sylvia said that he is in a huge body of water. 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water, so the odds are in her favor. Then the lady says that it was during 911 Twin Towers. Then Sylvia says that they used water to put the fires out. I mean, how could you go wrong?
When people ask her what profession they should go into. Sylvia looks at their clothing, posture, etc. to make the guess. If they have tatoos she'll tell them to go into art. If it is an African American woman with glasses, she'll tell them to do something in social services (not my stereotype, hers).
When she talks about people's dead love ones she make obvious physical descriptions. If the audience member is short and chunky, Sylvia will tell that person that someone short with a round face is near by them. Well, no duh. Sylvia tells them that their passed away love one "loves them". Well no crap. That is simple genetics and common sense.

As far as Syliva's "wealth". She is not the most honest person. She was convicted in 1992 of taking money from a couple to use for her own Psychic business even though she told them that the money was going to operational cost of a gold mining business. She was convicted of fraud and grand larceny.

(On a side note, I guess to reply to Erin's assumption that I am "angry", honestly I would say that there may be a bit of anger. No, I'm not angry that she has money or is famous. What angers me is that she is praying upon people who have lost loved ones. Yes, sometimes these people seek Sylvia's help, but sometimes the Montel show calls them up and asked them on the show. If you had a loved one that was missing, would you go? I would. If there was a slim chance that she could be right. Then to tell a a family that their child, mother, or father is DEAD, when they actually might be alive is wrong. Then to tell someone that their daughter is sold into slavery in Japan when they are actually a corpse here in the US, is just plain wrong. Sylvia knows that she is not 100 percent accurate or even close, so why the heck does she state it as fact? No, grieving families don't have to take her to heart, but in my opinion it is just cruel and taking advantage for publicity sake....................................but she sells books and has lots of money, so that is all that matters.)

[Erin Pavlina]

I agree with a lot of what people say about Sylvia. I don't get a good vibe from her. I don't like her method or her delivery. I think she is not heart-centered. I think she has psychic ability but I am not sure she is always using it.

But before I call her a fraud I would do some serious investigating.

The montel show is not the only place she does readings. she does a lot of private readings. If I were truly interested in checking her out I would try talking to the people she gave great readings to and try to see if she gave them specific info or just generic stuff.

I also agree that on the Montel show she seems awfully vague, or she gives specific answers that no one can check. But still, fair is fair... you gotta work both sides to get to the truth.

[The David]

I'm suspicious about her, just like I'm suspicious of a lot of people. However, some of your reasons are kind of sketchy:

1. You seem to have the popular misconception that 'psychic' means 'omniscient', or even 'mind-reader'. It simply does not.

2. Mistakes and failed predictions are definitely signs of a fake. They are also signs of being human. Do her failed predictions outweigh her successes?

3. Not all Christians believe the Bible 100%.

4. Number 7 has nothing to do with Sylvia.

Just some thoughts.

Edit: I guess everyone else beat me to it.

[Angela]

I think it's fair to call Sylvia Browne a fraud. She was indicted on a charge of grand larceny and fraud, which she did not contest, and she pled to a lesser charge. Her crime? Lying to people in order to bilk them for money. So, yes, she is a fraud. I've never seen any evidence of her contrition for that, have you?

What about her psychic abilities? After reading transcripts of many of her readings, hearing first-hand accounts of people who have received readings, searching in vain for accounts of convincing, specific readings (Steve's is the first one I've heard of, and the only reason I'm convinced about that one is that I trust Steve and Erin), and seeing the many, many documents and videos which show Ms. Browne to be making stuff up, well, I've made up my mind about whether or not her psychic services are worth paying for.

But since there are people who take her on faith and are willing to pay her, she certainly has the right to peddle her wares. Matters of faith can't really be regulated, can they? If they could, then folks in the religious money-making machine would be the next to be examined, and I don't believe they will allow that to happen!

So, on any faith-based commodity, let the buyer beware.

[Erin Pavlina]

I heard Sylvia talk about her fraud charge but I can't remember now where I heard it. I can't remember what she said about it but I do remember her discussing it on camera with someone. Maybe larry king. Not sure.

I'm not sure that we can conclude she is a fraud based on one conviction. hear me out...

My sister had her wisdom tooth pulled by her regular dentist. He accidentally severed the nerve to one side of her tongue in the process. she sued him and he was convicted of malpractice as he should have seen from the x-rays that her case was too complicated for him and he should have referred her to an oral surgeon. He is still a dentist. Still a good one in fact. But he is convicted of malpractice.

Believe me.... I am very open to the idea that Sylvia may not be a very good psychic. I am open to the idea that she is careless with her predictions and abilities. She has given thousands of readings. Unless and until we hear from people who got graet readings I think we have to say the jury is still out.

I will say that I don't own any books by her, nor would I ever use her as a guide to my own psychic development. She does not resonate with me at all.

Pleading to a lesser charge... we don't know everything involved there. Maybe she copped a plea to avoid legal fees. Maybe the case was going to drag out and she wanted it to be over. How about all those cases where a large company like procter and gamble will pay out a settlement rather than go to court. ARe they admitting guilt when they do that or are they just looking at the bottom line in terms of time and money? I don't know.

Again all I caution is that some serious research be done by people who are skeptical but open minded still. Seek truth.

[Angela]

Well, Erin, I commend the fairness of your approach. I just don't think it's warranted in Browne's case.

For the psychic part of it, again, if people are willing to pay her, based on their own choice, then more power to her.

As for the legal issue, I think that even if she was pleading down for a reason we don't know about (although I think I can make a pretty safe guess), as a person who makes her living on the trust of others, and who puts herself forward as a force for the greater good, if she were innocent of the fraud charges it seems likely to me that she'd say so, good and loud, and show some evidence to her buying public that she has integrity. Instead she said, nolo contendere! (which I respect as much as I do people who invoke the fifth amendment during a murder trial.) She's not a corporation trying to protect it's shareholders, she's a human being who did what she had to do to minimize the damage to herself and her pocketbook.

I know that intuitively.

[Erin Pavlina]

I think you are probably right, Angela... but I don't know it. So I have to reserve judgment. I remember when I was on the jury in this robbery case. The guy was caught with stolen property and he was on trial for stealing the items from a car and also possession of stolen property. He was caught red handed by cops with the stuff, but they coudln't provide a single witness that saw him take the stuff.

We, the jury, felt he probably and in all liklihood stole the stuff because otherwise how did he get possession of it. But in the end, me and a few others helped the rest of the jury see that we could not find him guilty of stealing the items because there was no proof, just a lot of circumstantial evidence. We found him guilty of possession though because there was much proof. I think sometimes we have to be careful not to assume that just because a person commits a crime in one area they are guilty of another.

I don't know... I just don't like seeing people judged without a fair chance at defending themselves. That's how I would want to be treated so I have to extend that same treatment to others.

[Angela]

Yes, I see what you mean, Erin, and I can see that I am far less likely to give her the benefit of the doubt than you are.

I'm willing to trust my incomplete knowledge that she's legally fraudulent because she did not refute it in court, which would have been the perfect opportunity to do so.

And I'm willing to trust my incomplete judgement of her psychic ability because, well, she gives me the heebie-jeebies. (Note: I am not judging her as a fraud in this matter. Rather, I'm using my judgement of whether or not it would be worth paying her my money for her psychic services. I actually was tempted at one point and did my due diligence before I made up my mind; this is not a new inquiry for me.)

You, on the other hand, Erin, do not give me the heebie-jeebies. I would go willingly and open-heartedly into a reading with you, anytime. In either direction!

[Erin Pavlina]

Yes I agree with you there. There are many other psychics out there I would rather go to than Sylvia.

And thanks for the compliments. Sincerity and being genuine are extremely important to me.

[Amadeus]

A great deal of Christians including me do not believe in seeing psychics. I think the more Christians study the Bible the more they realize it is not for them. They should only have faith in God (Christ) to lead their future. The future is not set in stone. I really think psychic readings and Christianity seriously conflict with each other. I also think someone attempting to tell you your future can mess with your mind and is not healthy. Maybe this is the reason I started to stop believing in Syliva. I started to read the Word and realized that she was not for me. She also sells necklaces on her website which reminds me of idols.

Isaiah 41:21-23; 42:8,9 - God challenged the idols to prove they are gods by predicting the future. He rests His claim to Deity on His ability to predict the future. He clearly affirms that no one but the true God can predict the future.

Hence, God says no power but His can really predict the future. Men who claim to be able to do it, are claiming the power of God (regardless of their intent).

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 - God did miracles in the age when His written word was not complete. By God's supernatural power, men revealed His will and confirmed by miracles that it was His word (Mk. 16:20; Acts 14:3; Heb. 2:3,4). Since the written word (that which is perfect - Jas. 1:25) has come, God no longer gives men the power of prophecy.

Hence, no one today can predict the future by the power of God. Anyone who claims to do it, is not doing it by God's power. If he claims to do it by some supernatural, spirit force, that power must not be God's power. It must be a form of occult divination, condemned by God. [Cf. Acts 8:14ff; 1:22; Jude 3; etc.]

[Old Soul]

But since there are people who take her on faith and are willing to pay her, she certainly has the right to peddle her wares. Matters of faith can't really be regulated, can they? If they could, then folks in the religious money-making machine would be the next to be examined, and I don't believe they will allow that to happen!

The thing with deception is, that it is not always obvious, that is why we should examine for ourselves, I think it is our responibility, this goes for pyscics as well as those who have claims to heal , in areas of the faith based religions, And I did a little research on a couple of Faith healers in the christian community " Benny Hinn and Peter Popoff", and I say with no apology* and full convinction based on my knowledge and research that I believe they are frauds, I also beliieve Sylvia Brown is a fraud, who has a huge cult following who want to know so badly that their Aunt so and so is ok, or that their parent has indeed forgiven them, , that they will overlook, ignore all warning signs , good questioning and reasoning ability to get that answer fromt he people who hold they answers...... ie) Faith healers, same thing, If God is going to heal you, you will be healed regardless of the men drawing people unto "themselves" in Gods name

A false prophet or a false medium is not going to stand up and say :
" Hey Don't listen to a word I have to say, because I am a false prophet in your church, or I am a false pyschic.... they just don't operate that way

I also believe that people like Hinn, , Popoff and on a smaller scale, all religiious leaders should be accountable to the public , financially, they ask for love* offerings , they should be forced to show the congregations exactly where the money is spent..........

The above are my views based on my own research and I do not apologise for my opinions

[Old Soul]

She also sells necklaces on her website which reminds me of idols.

There are just as many "Gold plated trinkets" coming from the Holy lands , being offered to christians in churches for a "generous love offering"- How is that any different? are they not making money "in Gods name"

The Billboard Jesus

There stands a billboard Jesus
With his eyes turned to the sky's
Crying to his father
whose truth rejected for a lie
The man in the pulpit
incased in his stone tower
Shouts and screams of damnation
with a mighty fist of power
The family's who believe in God
and want to live his ways
have left the congregations
dissolusioned and led astray
The gold plated trinkets
that come form the holy lands
will never be found in these sinners hands
These families come under labels
or are they welcomed in
hearts heavy burdened
and hands steeped in sin
They don't know this Jesus
the tv preacher portrays
or do they know this Jesus
found in most churches today
although they may not know this Jesus
they know who he is not
The Jesus these families believe in
has been rejected and forgot


The Compliemtary Con Man
There is a complimentary con man
Standing outside my door
Offering me fringe benefits
hoping to make a score
He has all this knowledge
the vulnerable do not see
Inside his little bag of tricks
he calls compliementary
He knows you have lost a spouse
While browsing through newspaper adds
But it's a secret he won't tell you
Shhh!
Because he knows it will make you sad
The complimentary con man
wears a multiple pocket suit
but he hides his true motive
inside the soul* of a boot
And it doesn't really matter folks
which pocket he will chose
He offers a deception friend
and you are pegged to lose
He might offer free tickets to your favorite game
Or hearing from the deceased
pyramids and winfalls
or salvation sold real cheap
so when this complimentary con man
comes slithering across your path
just give him your complimentary kick in the ***!

[Old Soul]

They really really want to believe what they are hearing.

My brother in law is blind and handi capped, he is 50 yrs of age but has mental handi caps, he was frequenting this one particular church , where the minister was telling him he would get his eye sight back if he just trusted God, to go up to the alter and pray for his eye sight , that God would give it back to him

well he did just that..... he trusted God and he went up to the alter, each sunday etc.... years later he is still blind , only know he is mad at God

is this minister not acting as a prophet?

[Amadeus]

Well his minister is a man and not God. If I told your brother n law the same thing, it would hold as much truth as what the minister said. This is between your brother and God. We all fall so short from God in every way. In my opinion if you are following God you do truly see. Does God not provide your brother n law everything he needs to day. Does he go hungry or not able to love without seeing?

[AndreaHess]

I just need to draw a distinction between "psychics" and "fortune tellers" here. As a professional psychic, I actually spend very, very little time predicting future outcomes. The future is determined by our choices - remember, we are the creators of our experience here! At all times, one can see pathways of possibility and probability, and usually one is more probable than others. But the future is determined by free will and free choice.

The work I personally do as a professional psychic is to give my clients the Soul perspective on what they are experiencing - resolving negative influences that may be affecting them, telling them about the history of their Soul, and so forth. The work is profound and creates tremendous shifts in consciousness. My goal is to help my clients truly identify as spiritual beings having a human experience. Now, how in the world could that possibly conflict with any religion? We are, after all, Divinely created Souls - how can getting to know ourselves as such possibly not serve us or serve our Creator?

Regarding Sylvia Browne ... not really a fan. My biggest problem was a segment I watched on Montel. She told a woman to move out of her house because it was hauted and had bad spirits in it. Are you kidding me? We should run away from negative influences? Hello, we are way more powerful! It is fear that makes negativity powerful. All that poor woman needed was a good property clearing. Bad advice, in my book.

There's my two cents worth ... Erin, I really appreciate your non-judgmental stance. Thank you!

[Old Soul]

Well his minister is a man and not God. If I told your brother n law the same thing, it would hold as much truth as what the minister said. This is between your brother and God. We all fall so short from God in every way. In my opinion if you are following God you do truly see. Does God not provide your brother n law everything he needs to day. Does he go hungry or not able to love without seeing?

well this man is in a leadership position and accountable for what he says, while he may very well be a man and not diety, he "is" speaking for God, when he says God will heal you....... that to me is speaking for God, which puts him in the category of prophet, at least by my deffenition of prophet

Does God not provide your brother n law everything he needs to day. Does he go hungry or not able to love without seeing?

With all do respect, I fail to see what the above has to do with this minister telling my BIL , that God would give him back his sight? the issue here is what the minister told him, not what my brother in law did not realise or see

perhaps the minister failed to see this himself?

[Peter Filis]

Everybody is psychic to some extent, so to ask is Sylvia Browne really Psychic is a little misguided.

Is she more Psychic than most other professional Psychics? That's a much better question.

I don't think she's more psychic than other professional psychics.

I don't think she's even as good as most professional psychics.

As a psychic she's very average.

Being a celebrity psychic does not make her a better psychic. However, it does make her a target for Skeptics and Cynics, who highlight her misses in the media and youtube, and ignore her hits.

Regards
Peter Filis

[Andrew Brunelle]

She could be psychic, but she is not one that I would ever go to. She does not seem authentic to me. She seems like she's pulling all those answers out of her @$$ and just being as vague as possible on that Montel show. How many families did she tell their child who was missing is dead, only to see them come back alive? Well, she may be partially psychic, but she is no way in the top echelon of psychics. I don't know who is.

[DaveTyler]

haaahahahahaa Sylvia Brown same as Rose Marry IS a fraud any one saying different is too.

I remember readin her predictions for 2006/2007 it was worse than a nonpsychic

[greeneyes]

The thing I really do not like about Sylvia is how rude she is when people ask her questions. She acts like they are total idiots half of the time. She is always like well yea honey that's what I said. The tone she uses is what I don't like. I TIVO Montel's show everyday because I like his show and I sometimes watch her on there. I saw the one where she said the guys body was in water and the wife said he was killed during 9/11. I have to say I thought it was totally fraudulent. She may be a psychic, but no one is right 100% of the time and no one knows everything. She acts like she does. Also she charges $700 per hour I think for one on one readings. I think that is extremely ridiculous and greedy.

[Livgivare]

I get a bad vibe out of Sylvia Browne each time I see her. She pops out of the screen like some person who is too full of herself for others good and probobly to her own good too...then I also feel like if you met her she would smell of cigarettes and booze...but that is just me I guess...but every time I see her I feel like she is some kind of strange woman that I do not trust...

Love Leelene

[cdn2wheeler]

Sylvia, like most so-called psychics, is very good at a process called cold reading. With practice, someone - even me! - can create an aura of psychic behaviour that borders on the spooky. The trick, which obviously Browne hasn't quite mastered, is to stay away from specifics and only speak in generalities.

Of course, this doesn't mean that ALL psychics are using the cold reading technique. There may be something to it, but in Browne's case it's pretty clear that her so-called "powers" leave much to be desired. And for $700 an hour, I'd want pretty hard proof.

[mysterygal]

Sylvia Brown is fraud. I can't believe she has become as famous as she has. She has no talent what so ever. She once told a family that their abducted son was dead. They had a funeral for him, but a few weeks later found out that he was still alive. Lies like that are wrong and hurtful. I've watched her many times on Montel Williams, and it just makes me laugh. "is there someone in your life, who is heavy set?" Person: "Yes, yes there is!" "He is warning you about a peticiular venture you're about to take part in".....come on comments like that are way too vague. Sorry Erin, but she is a shame to real psychics. I think that she should be exposed soon, before she gives other psychics bad reps. I don't know how you could defend someone like that.