# Miss Cleo in the pokey?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670 "2001-08-09T21:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dasceder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3d9bf3/32.png) [@dasceder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasceder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/1 "2001-08-09T21:18:01Z")
I read recently that Miss Cleo (Carribean-accented TV psychic found here: [http://www.callmisscleo.com](http://www.callmisscleo.com)) was sued for fraud. Obviously she and her colleagues are snake-oil salesman, but criminals? Is the “for entertainment use only” disclaimer not enough to absolve themselves of criminal/fraudulant intent? Should TV physics be prosecuted for criminal activity? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/2 "2001-08-09T21:34:36Z")
I believe Miss Cleo & Co. are being taken to court not for pretending to be psychic, but for misleading customers about their charges. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/3 "2001-08-09T21:40:05Z")
I read somewhere (and I can’t remember where, I was in three different states last week) that Miss Cleo is actually a guy named Steve. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/4 "2001-08-09T21:56:09Z")
I bet she or he, as the case may be, saw it coming. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_dupont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@andrew\_dupont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrew_dupont)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/5 "2001-08-09T22:00:35Z")
As I remember, the controversy is that they advertise “first 3 minutes free” or something, but Miss Cleo’s “psychic friends” intentionally draw out the conversation so that it always lasts much longer than that. When I heard it it sounded shifty, but I don’t know if it’s illegal _per se_. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/6 "2001-08-09T23:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dascender \* > \*\*Should TV physics be prosecuted for criminal activity?. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andrew dupont \* > \*\*…I don’t know if it’s illegal _per se_. \*\* That’s the differfence between a civil suit as the OP states as opposed to being charged with a crime. You can choose to bring suit for whatever you want but you’ve got to convince a judge and jury that it has merit. Crimes can only be charged when a specific law is broken. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/7 "2001-08-09T23:44:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > \*\*I read somewhere (and I can’t remember where, I was in three different states last week) that Miss Cleo is actually a guy named Steve. \*\* Does Art Bell know about this? (Art used to say that all Steve’s were in a conspiracy to overthrow the world.) Actually, I think that the fine print in Miss Cleo’s announcements is that the first 3 minutes are free _if_ you talk longer than X amount of time. So you could call up and have a 10 minute conversation with someone, but you wouldn’t get the first 3 minutes free because you had to talk to one of their psychotics — er, I mean psychics — for at least 30 minutes! Some deal :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![schief2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@schief2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schief2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/8 "2001-08-10T01:31:27Z")
I believe you probably heard about [this](http://archive.showmenews.com/2001/jul/20010725news031.asp). The Missouri state attorney general is suing Miss Cleo (and her corporation) for fraud and violating the state’s “no-call list” - basically, an opt-in, ‘keep away’ list of phone numbers that telemarketers are supposed to consult before making their calls. They can get in big doo-doo for calling numbers on the list, which apparently Miss Cleo and her cronies did. > [@](#): > > JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Missouri’s attorney general has filed lawsuits against a television psychic hot line for allegedly violating the state’s no-call law and consumer fraud. > > “Miss Cleo should have seen this coming,” attorney general Jay Nixon said. “It doesn’t take a crystal ball to realize that ripping off consumers isn’t without consequences.” > […] > The lawsuits filed in St. Louis Circuit Court allege 94 violations of the state’s no-call list. The company faces fines of up to $5,000 per violation if found liable for calling people who requested privacy. > […] > Nixon said Missourians were billed for free services and that the company misrepresented reduced rates and waiver fees. For example, customers spent three minutes on the phone providing information including a name, address and phone number then were charged for time spent on hold waiting to speak with a psychic. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/9 "2001-08-10T02:40:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Should TV physics be prosecuted for criminal activity? “TV physics” is what causes people to fly backwards through the air when they get shot; what allows cars to go on wild chases through crowded city streets and bash dozens of other cars, fire hydrants, fruit stands, etc. out of the way, without actually harming innocent bystanders and without grinding to a halt in the first fifty feet; but under other circumstances causes ordinary automobiles to explode in huge fireballs; allows sound waves to be propagated through a vacuum; and is what allows the Starship _Enterprise_™ to exceed the speed of light. It’s pretty silly stuff, but I don’t think anyone should actually go to jail for it. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/10 "2001-08-10T03:36:25Z")
Here’s my question If she’s so damn pyschic, why doesn’t SHE call ME!!?? ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-cleo-in-the-pokey/75670/11 "2001-08-11T04:10:13Z")
She HAS been calling people, Miss Creant… hence the lawsuit. They started making calls TO people’s houses. Pretty disgusting IMO, but I guess they are all disgusting. Personally, I’d sue them for fraud simply because the commercial implies when you call you’ll talk to Miss Cleo personally (“Call me now for yer free readin’”) which is false advertising. I never thought I’d say this but god do I miss Dionne Warwick right about now.