Issue Date:  -  Tuesday, 24 September 2002

Scam clairvoyant's final vision.

There is one less scam artist for consumers to look out for thanks to the efforts of consumer protection agencies in WA, Victoria and Queensland.

Maria Duval a supposed clairvoyant is out of business and has ceased trading following an enforceable undertaking being issued.

Maria Duval and Marie France, both of which are assumed names, are connected to a company called Health Tips Limited whose lawyers have advised Consumer Protection that the business was ceasing to trade in Australia.

"We are very pleased to have this charlatan out of circulation as vulnerable people seeking comfort and reassurance were not only being ripped off financially, they were receiving false hopes as well.

In addition to the action taken against Maria Duval, fellow clairvoyant Marie France was served with three warrants that resulted in thousands of dollars being returned to duped consumers.

Our online scam reporting and tracking system WA ScamNet has logged over 2,000 scams received by consumers since its inception in April this year.

We are very grateful to the people of WA for their help in getting vital information on scams to us so quickly, enabling us to profile offenders and issue warnings to the community", Western Australia's Consumer Protection Commissioner Patrick Walker said.