Fortune telling is a profitable business in Slovakia

Fortune-tellers in Slovakia charge hundreds or even thousands of euro for putting a curse on someone or lifting it, the SME daily newspaper reported on Monday. It is considered a legal business in Slovakia, with the condition that fortune-tellers issue a receipt for services rendered. Mostly people who have lost their jobs, are navigating through hurdles in relationships or are afflicted by some illness become clients of fortune-tellers. Such individuals often wish to find a way to lift their curse. "There's a group of people who are very impressionable and fall for any nonsense," said psychologist František Skokan. Police prosecute them only when they pull a disappearing act with the money they were supposed to return to their client. The newspaper points to the case of a fortune-teller from the village of Hajske (Nitra region), who scammed more than €6,000 from a man under the promise of helping him and his son get rid of a curse. She is now facing charges of fraud. According to fortune tellers approached by the SME daily, such cases give a bad reputation to the entire business.