Warren May Pass Fortune Teller Ordinance

WARREN, Mich. - A new ordinance is close to passing in Warren, and the crystal ball says the unknown future is about to be tamed. We're talking about criminal background checks for people who set up shop as fortune tellers.

Gina Marie Marks -- her last name says it all. She would find gullible marks to victimize with phony fortune telling.

Warren Police Detective Matt Nichols says it happens a lot.

"You see a lot of wedding rings taken. You see a lot of sentimental jewelry handed down, heirlooms, things like that because this psychic or fortune teller or reader is supposed to pray over it or do some magical thing," said Nichols.

Detective Nichols hopes the city passes a new ordinance cracking down on mis-fortune tellers like Marks.

"This is to regulate the people who find a vulnerable person, put the hooks in them and take them for every penny they have," Nichols said. We asked him how often that happens, and he answered, "More than we know. We don't even know where to begin. For every one there's a hundred that aren't reported. For every one there's a thousand that aren't reported."

Steven Stanley's wife, Angelina, is a psychic reader based in Warren.

"It's for entertainment purposes," said Stanley.

He says their business is legit, ready to pass inspection, licensing, everything.

"It's... something that needs to be regulated, which I agree with... what's going on right now with the laws," Stanley said. "Keep it decent."

Detective Nichols says whatever you do, don't fall victim to a Gina Marie Marks.

"These typical scams are very embarrassing for the victims. They're very traumatizing for the victims, and when you talk about vulnerable people, sometimes that's all they have left is their financial independence," said Nichols.

Then I had a premonition that most of the fortune tellers we called for comment would not call us back. It was almost as if they knew it was us calling.