Compiled by SALMA FAIRUS, R. ARAVINTHAN and C. ARUNO

A WOMAN in China claiming to be a “spirit medium” for pets has scammed more than a hundred grieving pet owners for thousands of yuan, reported China Press.

The medium claimed that she was able to identify the bodies in which dead pets have reincar­nated. She charged a minimum of 128 yuan (RM75) per session and customers could choose to buy a discounted package for multiple sessions at between 899 yuan (RM529) and 1,899 yuan (RM1,117).

One of the medium’s victims was Anran (not her real name) who lost her 15-year-old dog last year.

After her post about how sad she was online, she was invited to join a chat group with other purported grieving pet owners.

This was when Anran was bombarded with testimonials from “owners” who successfully contacted their dead pets through the medium. She paid around 1,000 yuan (RM588) to try and reach out to her beloved pet.

Anran was told to recite a spell, keep a dream journal and try to find her pet in her dream.

The medium blocked Anran when she complained that the spell did not work.

According to other victims, the scam began as early as June 2024.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.