Hope for Sale: Social Media Fortune-Tellers Face Fraud Claims

Social media platforms in Turkey are seeing an explosion of fortune-teller accounts, drawing thousands of curious followers and paying clients. What once belonged to smoky cafés and private living rooms has migrated online, with many “modern seers” now charging ₺500 for a 15-minute session and up to ₺2,000 for an hour.

The questions asked in these pricey digital consultations reveal a striking mix of personal anxiety and financial despair. Among the most common:

• “Will I pass my exam?”

• “When will I be able to pay my debts?”

• “Will my ex come back to me?”

For many, these questions highlight how economic stress and emotional uncertainty have created fertile ground for fortune-telling businesses to thrive.

From Coffee Grounds to Smartphones

While fortune-telling has deep cultural roots in Turkey, apps and social media accounts have given it a profitable new stage. Platforms like Faladdin, once popular for their coffee-cup readings, showed how technology can monetize curiosity and vulnerability. Now, hundreds of smaller operators are imitating the model — often with little accountability.

Sessions are marketed with slick visuals, Instagram Lives, and TikTok videos. The promise is always the same: clarity in a time of confusion. The price tag, however, is climbing fast.

The Legal Grey Zone

Yet behind the glossy advertising lies a legal minefield. Lawyer Aylin Esra Eren warns that these fortune-telling services are not just unregulated but potentially criminal.

“These individuals exploit people’s emotions, and they do not pay taxes on their earnings,” Eren told Türkiye newspaper. “The apps and accounts they launch can also be used to launder money obtained from crime. This offense carries sentences of three to ten years in prison, along with judicial fines of up to 5,000 days.”

Her remarks underscore how what may look like harmless entertainment can fall into the category of fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering under Turkish law.

Emotional Exploitation at a High Cost

Sociologists note that fortune-telling spikes in times of economic hardship and social instability. When young people ask whether they will pass their university entrance exams, or when indebted clients ask if they will ever pay off their loans, it highlights a society grappling with insecurity.

For the fortune-tellers, this translates into a steady income stream. For the clients, it often means paying hundreds of liras for reassurance rather than solutions.

Why Social Media Makes It Worse

Unlike traditional fortune-telling, which often carried a small fee, the social media model scales rapidly. Accounts can attract thousands of viewers in one livestream, upselling private readings and paid subscriptions. The result: a multi-million-lira underground industry largely invisible to tax authorities.

Lawyers argue that because transactions often take place via online wallets or international payment processors, tracking revenue is nearly impossible. This creates ideal conditions for illicit financial activity.

Cultural Fascination vs. Legal Reality

Fortune-telling has long been defended as part of Turkey’s cultural fabric, often dismissed as lighthearted fun. But when services cost more than the average monthly student budget, the debate shifts. Is it cultural tradition, or is it organized exploitation disguised as entertainment?

With sessions priced at ₺2,000 per hour — higher than many professional consultancy rates — fortune-telling is now positioned less as folklore and more as a luxury pseudo-service.

What’s Next?

Experts say the government faces a dilemma: regulate and tax the industry, or treat it as outright fraud. If left unchecked, the risk is twofold: vulnerable people being drained of money, and criminal groups using apps and platforms to launder illegal income.

As Turkey struggles with rising inflation, debt stress, and social insecurity, the boom in fortune-telling is less about mysticism and more about desperation. For many, these psychic sessions are not about belief but about grasping for hope at any cost.