‘Psychic’ German raked in $13 million in mail scam based in New Jersey

🔮 Fake “psychic” scam tied to New Jersey businesses stole millions.

🔮 Victims received lottery promises and then threats.

🔮 Fugitive mastermind was finally caught in Italy.

A psychic fraud has to pay back more than $13 million after spending years on the run in Europe, according to authorities.

Georg Ingenbleek, 59, was arrested in Bolzano, Italy, in 2024 and was extradited to the United States last year. An indictment had been filed against him in July 2020. Now, the German citizen has been sentenced in Newark federal court to 70 months behind bars on two counts of mail fraud.

New Jersey mail companies tied to massive psychic scam

Ingenbleek hinged his mastermind scheme on mail marketing services companies based in New Jersey, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.

He used one business in Piscataway to mass-produce solicitations that he would then send to victims. Those mailers were sent to hundreds of thousands of victims throughout the U.S. from at least 2011 through 2016, according to a criminal complaint. The letters claimed that they were from world-renowned psychics, not Ingenbleek.

Get our free mobile app

Supposedly, the psychics had seen visions of the victims receiving good fortune and large amounts of money. The letters said that these psychic services were provided free of charge, according to authorities. Many of the mailers said the recipient would "achieve with 100 percent certainty this one maximum win in the lottery" and win "over a million dollars!!!!!!"

Fake invoices and threats used to pressure payments

Then, Ingenbleek went to a second New Jersey company that provided mass mailing services. In this round, he sent mailers to the same addresses as before that were labeled as invoices and collection notices.

Federal prosecutors said Ingenbleek intended to deceive the victims into thinking they owed the psychics $46 and an $8.30 late fee. Other mailers labeled "Final Notice" said the victims would face criminal prosecution if they didn't pay.

Thousands of victims fell for the psychic scam. In total, Ingenbleek's mailer scheme made him more than $13 million. A federal judge has ordered him to pay $13,618,921.19 in restitution.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom