Police in Jing'an District are cracking down on illegal fortune tellers around the Jing'an Temple in Shanghai.

Several have been taken into custody for periods ranging from five to 15 days.

Police did not say how many suspects they had caught or how much money had been paid to them.

Officers said the fortune tellers used various tricks to persuade people to part with their money.

One suspect, a 35-year-old woman identified as Wang Li, told police they usually targeted middle-aged women, especially those around 50 years old, who were thought to have many problems and confusions in life.

"I am an illiterate," the woman told police. "I can't write my name. This scheme to tell other's fortunes was learnt from my friends.

"Sometimes, victims are suspicious about our identity. So I provided my certificate, which was a counterfeit, to prove I had been a practising Buddhist in a temple for years and an expert in telling fortunes."

To gain the victim's trust, the suspects don't ask for money but usually start a conversation with complimentary phrases such as "your appearance is really good." If the victims seem to be unhappy with the words, suspects will quickly say something like, "even so, there will be some ups and downs in your life."

Then, victims were asked to draw a bamboo slip from a tube, on which there would be some writing and a price.

"They were told to pay the sum if the fortune was good. Those who bargained would pay 30 yuan (US$4.1) to 50 yuan," the woman said.

Victims were persuaded to show their respect to Buddha in order to get lucky directions by paying 200 yuan to 500 yuan.

(Shanghai Daily January 28, 2008)