Bad karma: how scammers speculate on the topic of AI esotericism
Fraudsters can use various schemes to deceive Russians on the subject of AI-esotericism, experts have warned about this. According to analysts, the turnover of chatbots in messengers for obtaining fortune-telling, birth charts and fortune predictions can reach 50 million rubles, which makes such services very attractive to intruders. For more information about how scammers speculate on the topic of AI esotericism, what are the dangers of such tricks and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article.
What is known about the growing demand for AI esotericism
Information has appeared on social networks that Russians are increasingly using chatbots in messengers to receive fortune-telling, birth charts and fortune predictions. The monthly turnover of such services, according to analysts of the KoinKit AML platform, can reach 50 million rubles.
Automated "astrobots" that work without human intervention have replaced traditional tarologists and astrologers. Users of such chatbots just need to select the cards for the layout, after which they immediately receive a forecast. As for the birth charts, they are generated by the program in a matter of seconds.
Express layouts, predictions and horoscopes worth several hundred rubles are most in demand. At the same time, some clients order VIP consultations, the cost of which can exceed 8.5 thousand rubles, which is two to three times higher than the price of a full-fledged appointment with a psychologist. The popularity of such services is growing due to the proliferation of fast digital solutions and the desire of users to receive answers without prolonged communication with fortune tellers and astrologers.
Why online AI esotericism is interesting to scammers
Esotericism presupposes trust, and scammers always seek to use it to deceive people, says Maria Sinitsyna, senior analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department at F6, in an interview with Izvestia. In addition, in the field of esotericism, it is impossible in any way to verify the "reliability" of information, which allows attackers to manipulate their victims as they please, the expert notes.
"AI fortune—telling is a real treasure trove for hackers working with social engineering," adds Elena Zavodova, head of the Audit and Compliance Department at the Ural Center for Security Systems (UCSB). — Usually, for a targeted attack, an attacker needs a lot of time to explore open data sources, but in the case of AI fortune-telling, the victim himself comes, pays and, without a shadow of doubt, lays out any requested facts about himself.
According to the interlocutor of Izvestia, an attacker can collect basic information with an AI-based "oracle bot" already at the first step. In addition, such services are often accessed by people who are in a state of anxiety or uncertainty, which reduces their natural caution and makes them more vulnerable to manipulation.
Fans of esotericism are in most cases extremely gullible people with a weak level of critical thinking, says Alexander Vurasko, Director of Development at the Solar AURA External Digital Threat Monitoring Center at Solar Group. If a person is willing to entrust his fate to Tarot cards or a crystal ball, then he will most likely trust scammers.
What schemes on the subject of AI esotericism should be expected in 2026
In 2026, fraudsters may use several vectors of cyber attacks on the topic of AI esotericism at once, says Yakov Filevsky, an expert on sociotechnical testing at Angara Security. Here are just a few of them:
Widespread adoption of the subscription model
A person shares all the secrets and secrets with a chatbot (which means he gradually gets involved in communication, establishes parasocial contact). The bot helpfully offers him a slightly more advanced analysis, but for money, the amount of deductions increases with each request. It's a familiar infobusiness, but automated.
Collecting compromising information
The user comes to find out the fate, and lays out family conflicts, sexual problems, fears, debts, illnesses and worries to the bot. For a scammer, this is a gold mine. People tell the oracle what they don't tell their relatives.
Romantic cults around AI
Even today, there are people who consider chatbots to be spiritual mentors, guardian angels, or higher beings. Perhaps tomorrow there will be projects where AI is supposedly "chosen" by the cosmos and gathers a community of followers around itself. An esoteric cult, but with a digital interface.
Pseudodiagnostics of health
"The neural network identified the energy block in the liver," "the AI saw the damage in the photo," "the digital shaman discovered the ancestral curse." Further, it is possible to sell dietary supplements, informational materials, and conduct web rituals. This is fraught with a person's refusal of real medical care.
Investment esotericism
"AI analyzed market vibrations", "astrological neural network predicted the growth of cryptocurrencies", "quantum oracle recommends investing in ...". The moment a person loses money, it turns out that "the stars didn't come together in retrograde" is a convenient position for scammers.
What schemes on the subject of esotericism were previously found on the Web
Meanwhile, fraudsters have tried to use various esoteric schemes to deceive Russians before. In particular, fake tarologists and psychics took an advance payment and disappeared, says Artem Beley, senior analyst at Positive Technologies, in an interview with Izvestia.
— The scammers on the Web actively offered various esoteric services, and after the first scenario they were persuaded to buy additional ones, — says the expert. — They created fake pages of famous experts and sold amulets, kits and various ingredients for all kinds of problems under their name.
In fact, artificial intelligence in this area does not create a fundamentally new type of fraud, but makes old schemes scalable for fraudsters, while the scenarios themselves become more widespread and convincing, notes Artem Beley. At the same time, according to Irina Mezheneva, a leading analytical engineer at the laboratory of artificial intelligence technologies at the Gazinformservice Analytical center for cybersecurity, the danger of "esoteric" fraud schemes goes beyond financial losses.
According to the source, esoteric bots are an effective tool for collecting sensitive data. Users voluntarily provide them with full dates of birth, time and place, names of loved ones, and most importantly, their fears and internal conflicts. This data set is critically important for subsequent social engineering and targeted attacks.
— In addition, psychological dependence is formed: a person begins to delegate decision—making to an algorithm, which by its nature is a probabilistic system prone to hallucinations and not responsible for its conclusions, - warns the specialist.
How to protect yourself from "esoteric" fraud schemes
To protect yourself from esoteric fraud schemes, Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity expert Vladimir Dashchenko advises to remain vigilant and not trust anyone online. Any information and requests that come online or by phone should be double-checked.
— Always keep in mind that any content that you receive or send to bots in instant messengers may be available to the developers or administrators of these bots, or to those who may gain unauthorized access to these bots, — says the specialist.
According to him, it is important not to transfer confidential information to such services, including financial data, documents, medical information, logins, passwords or other private information about yourself and your loved ones.
"If AI promises to predict the future, find love, cure illness, or make you rich, you're either looking at an obvious fraudster or a person who believes in his own advertising, which is sometimes more dangerous than intruders,— concludes Yakov Filevsky.
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