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How to Spot a Spiritual Scam Artist

  • Writer: Sam Wise
    Sam Wise
  • Sep 19, 2025
  • 8 min read

If you spend enough time in witchy spaces, at some point you will likely come into contact with other alternative spirituality and/or alternative healing practitioners. You may choose to study some of these healing practices, or you may run into them accidentally. As you meet and mingle with different spiritual practitioners, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with common scams so you can avoid them.


Learning to spot a scam artist now will save you a lot of trouble as you navigate different spiritual spaces. By developing a strong bullshit detector, you can protect yourself and other people from being drawn in by grifters.


In this post, we'll go over several common red flags that indicate a spiritual or wellness scam. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are some of the scams you're most likely to run into. 


Red Flag #1: They use titles they haven't earned, such as master, guru, priest/priestess, etc. 


If someone uses a special title, don't be afraid to ask them how they got it! For example, a Reiki master/teacher is someone who has completed the highest level of Reiki training, and any legitimate master/teacher will have a certificate to prove that they are properly trained. Likewise, if someone uses a religious title like “High Priestess” or “Reverend,” they should be able to provide proof of their ordination. 


This also goes for people who use secular titles. If someone goes by “Dr. So-and-So,” don't be afraid to ask what their doctorate is in! You'd be surprised how often people in wellness spaces pretend to be doctors because it makes them sound more authoritative. 


Red Flag #2: They can't or won't tell you where they got their information and training. 


This is similar to the previous red flag. A spiritual practitioner should be able to tell you who their teachers are, what their training was like, and what books and other resources they get their information from. This goes for witches, tarot readers, energy healers, yoga teachers, herbalists, and anyone else claiming to have some kind of authority or training.


If someone refuses to tell you where they got their information, there's probably a reason – maybe they don't have a source (i.e., they're making stuff up), or maybe they know their source won't hold up to scrutiny. Either way, these people are wasting your time. 


Red Flag #3: They advise you to stop conventional medical treatments, stop taking prescription medications, and/or stop going to therapy. 


This one should be self-explanatory, but just in case, let me remind you that spiritual practitioners are not medical professionals. No one except your physician should be telling you what medical treatment you should or shouldn't use. Even if it is framed as “just friendly advice,” a spiritual practitioner telling you what to do for your physical health is overstepping a boundary.


A trend I see a lot in spiritual spaces is the claim that psychiatric medication interferes with psychic abilities or makes it harder to work with energy. This is 1.) false, and 2.) ableist. 


Taking medication to treat medical issues, including mental illness, does not have any negative spiritual effects. In fact, you may find your ability to work with energy is actually improved when your symptoms are properly treated. 


Suddenly stopping a medication can have serious health consequences, such as withdrawal or worsening of symptoms. You should never stop taking your prescribed medication without talking to your doctor first. 


On a similar note, spiritual practitioners are not therapists. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you should seek services from a licensed counselor. It is inappropriate for a spiritual practitioner to give mental health advice.


Red Flag #4: They diagnose people with medical conditions or give medical advice when they aren't a medical professional. 


This is related to the previous red flag. Once again, spiritual practitioners are not medical professionals. Unless this person is also a licensed medical doctor, they should not be trying to diagnose you with medical conditions. (And even then, they would need to perform a medical exam to give a diagnosis.)


Some spiritual practitioners claim to be “medical psychics” or otherwise able to sense medical issues. This is not a valid medical diagnosis and is not a replacement for conventional medical care. 


Red Flag #5: They give diet and exercise advice when they aren't a dietician.


Spiritual practitioners are not nutrition experts or physical therapists and are not qualified to give diet or exercise advice. There is no reason for a spiritual practitioner to be telling you what to eat or how to move your body.


Be especially wary of people who claim that you need to lose weight to advance spiritually or who tell you that your weight is a sign of spiritual issues. This is fatphobia, plain and simple. Weight and body size are caused by genetic and environmental factors, not by a lack of spiritual development. A person's spirituality has nothing to do with their size. 


Red Flag #6: They insist that you only work with them and/or claim to be the only one who can help you. 


This is almost always a sure sign of a scam. There is no reason you can't work with more than one teacher or healer, and no reason you can't combine multiple wisdom traditions or healing practices. Any spiritual practitioner who claims only they can fix your problems is trying to scare you into giving them more money. 


Red Flag #7: They require you to sign up for multiple paid services with them. 


Even the most ethical, well-trained, down-to-earth teacher, reader, or healer won't be a good fit for everyone. Many healing practitioners offer free or low-cost consultations before you receive any services, which can help you get to know the practitioner and decide whether they are right for you. At the very least, you should be able to book a single healing session to see if you like them before committing to multiple sessions. 


If someone only lets clients book services in a series of multiple sessions, this is a red flag. This goes double if the sessions have to be paid for upon booking, especially if the payment is non-refundable. 


(Please note that this is not the same as a teacher asking students to pay for a class up front. If you are taking a multi-week class, it is normal and reasonable for the teacher to ask for payment up front to cover costs and materials.)


Red Flag #8: Their prices are unreasonably high. 


Prices for spiritual services vary from place to place and from service to service. For example, energy healing is usually more expensive than divination, and in-person services are usually more expensive than online services. Price can also be affected by the cost of living in the area.  


When considering whether someone's prices are reasonable, look at what other practitioners are charging for similar services in the same area. For example, if most tarot readers in an area charge between $50 and $100 for a reading, but one is charging $400, that just doesn't add up. What justification are they giving for charging so much more than their competitors? In most cases, these expensive services are scams (or at least way overpriced). 


Red Flag #9: They try to sell you expensive products.


You do not need crystals, essential oils, herbal supplements, or any other tools to make your magic (or any spiritual practice) work. Anyone who insists that you absolutely need such-and-such crystal or such-and-such herbal tea is trying to make money off you. 


Be especially wary of multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses. These products are usually overpriced and their business models are predatory.


Red Flag #10: They can't handle criticism. 


How someone responds to questions and criticism can tell us a lot. How does this person respond to negative reviews or to having their methods questioned?


If someone gets defensive or aggressive when questioned, that can be a sign that they have something to hide. They may be trying to make you uncomfortable so you stop asking questions. 


Red Flag #11: They claim to be a reincarnated deity or spiritual leader OR they claim to speak for such a being.


Speaking from personal exprience as a former social worker, these claims ofen come from people who are in psychosis and need medical help. (Remember, psychosis just means someone is having experiences that are disconnected from reality. It does not mean that person is crazy, evil, or dangerous. Psychosis is a common medical condition and, like most medical conditions, it can be managed with medication and social support. That being said, psychosis is often accompanied by mental and emotional distress, which is why it's important to get help.) 


We also sometimes see these types of claims used to mythologize the leaders of high-demand groups, a.k.a. cults. Whether the cult leader truly believes these claims or not is often unclear. (See the story of the “Love Has Won” cult for a fairly recent, high-profile example of this.)


Let me be clear: Lots of people have spiritual practices that involve working with gods, angels, saints, or other spirits, and many people feel that they receive messages from these spirits. That on its own is not necessarily a red flag. I'm also not really talking about therians or otherkin here – those identities can be totally healthy. What IS a red flag is if someone claims to speak for a supernatural being, epecialy if they claim to be that being's only earthly representative.


Red Flag #12: They claim to be “chosen” by a higher power and on a divine mission.


Like the previous red flag, this one is less about someone feeling like they have a spiritual calling and more about them claiming to have spiritual authority. A spiritual practitioner who feels like their life's purpose is to heal people is not necessarily a red flag. A spiritual practitioner who feels like their life's purpose is to be a world leader or otherwise control people is a red flag. 


Red Flag #13: They are inappropriately sexual. 


This includes anyone who touches you inappropriately, asks you to pay for spiritual or wellness services with sexual favors, or makes unprompted sexual comments. Not only should you immediately leave if this happens, but you may want to report this person to anyone they are held accountable to, especially if they are representing a religious or spiritual organization. 


No one should ever ask you to remove clothing for any ritual or energy healing. Some energy healers may ask clients to remove jewelry, glasses, and/or shoes, but your actual clothes should stay on during the session. There is no reason any spiritual practitioner should ever ask you to disrobe.


Likewise, no spiritual practitioner should ever touch a client’s or student's genitals, rear end, or breasts. During energy healing, hovering the hands several inches away from these areas is more than sufficient. 


Red Flag #14: They subscribe to conspiracy theories or revisionist history. 


Unfortunately, spiritual spaces can sometimes become an onramp to harmful conspiracies. Be wary of anyone who makes claims that are obviously out of touch with reality, even if you think they genuinely believe it. 


Many conspiracies are closely tied to racist and/or antisemitic hate movements. Even conspiracy theories that seem silly at first glance, like the idea that the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, are based on racist ideas and can be a slippery slope into hateful thinking.


Red Flag #15: They try to push their religious or spiritual beliefs on you. 


Obviously, if you ask someone to teach you about a spiritual practice, you are going to hear a little about their spiritual beliefs. In a class on witchcraft, I have to talk about witchcraft. But it would be inappropriate for me to use a witchcraft class to talk about my religious beliefs. It would also be inappropriate for me to invite my witchcraft students to a worship service or to pray over them without their consent. The same goes for other spiritual and wellness practices. 


If you are interested in learning more about these topics, I recommend the following resources: 

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