As you meet new people you'll always have people that will prop up their resume to seem like they've been doing it longer or done different events, etc. The problem with the paranormal field is that there really is not a way to verify what someone is actually claiming. Its not like you can call to check references really, even if you get a number to call the reason for that person leaving may illicit a bad response from the previous organizations. The result of this is people who have been claiming to be in the field for 10, 20, 30 years, when it may actually be 5. Now is that a continuous time, or did you do an investigation 10 years ago and now you're claiming 10 years? Now there are those that say these amounts of time and are completely honest about that, the.unfortunate thing is some people ruin it for everyone else.
Then we come to those like Aron Houdini, or Brian Harnois and a host of others (some will not be named) who choose to rip off supporters and fans. People who are frauds and steal from others is what gives the paranormal field often a bad reputation. I am not going to go into details about these two as everything I have read about them may or may not be true, they are just the ones in the headlines. The key to anything is just to be honest about your experience and your intentions. If someone is expecting you to do something or be somewhere especially if you have been payed for it, be there! This is also why there are places that won't let teams book, or wont unless they jump through hoops just because these places have been burned by these frauds. Even events like the one that happened in Tombstone not too long ago, where a big group of people were supposedly duped for a lot of money when the event planner failed to show for the event.
We can also talk about those who are on TV, or write books and articles. Those on TV that fake evidence or spice it up just for entertainment purposes are just as bad. They fool everyone into thinking that what they do is real, which in turn makes everyone think that's what investigating the paranormal is really like. They then become celebrities and can sell their crappy merchandise, and get payed to attend conventions, and other appearances. Not saying they are fake, but it calls into question shows like Ghost Hunters, Mountain Monsters, Haunted Collector, Ghost Adventures, Deep South Paranormal, Ghost Hunters International and many other shows of the same nature. Even if they are real everyone automatically assumes its fake, including myself.
Next would be those who sensationalize what happens on their own cases just to sell their stories. This tends to happen a lot, due to people wanting to "cash in" on the paranormal hype in society at the moment. As stated earlier, it makes it hard to know who is telling the truth, and people who are telling the truth are often looked at as liars.
What is the public to do? For one, don't tolerate it, let the person or people know that we will not stand for fraud to be perpetrated on unsuspecting people anymore!
We can also talk about those who are on TV, or write books and articles. Those on TV that fake evidence or spice it up just for entertainment purposes are just as bad. They fool everyone into thinking that what they do is real, which in turn makes everyone think that's what investigating the paranormal is really like. They then become celebrities and can sell their crappy merchandise, and get payed to attend conventions, and other appearances. Not saying they are fake, but it calls into question shows like Ghost Hunters, Mountain Monsters, Haunted Collector, Ghost Adventures, Deep South Paranormal, Ghost Hunters International and many other shows of the same nature. Even if they are real everyone automatically assumes its fake, including myself.
Next would be those who sensationalize what happens on their own cases just to sell their stories. This tends to happen a lot, due to people wanting to "cash in" on the paranormal hype in society at the moment. As stated earlier, it makes it hard to know who is telling the truth, and people who are telling the truth are often looked at as liars.
What is the public to do? For one, don't tolerate it, let the person or people know that we will not stand for fraud to be perpetrated on unsuspecting people anymore!
