When Paranormal Investigators Harm Each Other

Paranormal Unity, if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been a ghost hunter, it would have been his dream. Maybe it would have gone a little something like this:"I have a dream that one day in the halls of Waverly the sons of TAPS fans and the sons of PRS fans will be able to hunt ghosts together......And when this happens, when we allow Unity to occur, when we let it ring from every cemetery and every haunted house, from every asylum and every lighthouse, we will be able to speed up that day when all of the paranormal community, ghost hunters and psychics, scientists and clergy, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Ray Parker Jr Song, "I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts!" But the sad reality is that Paranormal Unity is a long way away. Right now simple respect and human decency needs to be the call. I recently talked about how some were trespassing and destroying property in the so-called name of ghost hunting. But there is an even more disgusting trend. While many are reaching out to others in an effort to build relationships, share information, and advance the field; there are predators among them. Predators who prey on the trust and civility of others. The stories you are about to read are true, identifying information has been omitted to protect the innocent, but they are all true, as told to me by the victims themselves: - One paranormal team had worked very hard to gain permission to investigate a site. Excited about the opportunity, they shared the information of their upcoming adventure. When they arrived the night of the investigation, they were shocked to discover that there was another team already there. A team claiming to be them. Impostors had shown up to essentially steal their investigation. Things got heated and the team that belonged there decided to be the better people and left. They figured it was better to give up the investigation than start a brawl on the property. (They were allowed in at a later time)- Paranormal Enthusiasts from around the country were excited about an upcoming convention. They pre-paid for tickets and did not bother to read the fine print that said no refunds under any circumstances. When the promoter, a paranormal enthusiast, canceled the event with no notice hundreds of people were out the ticket price. (luckily many paid for the tickets with credit cards or through PayPal and were able to file fraud claims and received their money back)- And the icing on the cake, recently at a paranormal convention, numerous investigators were robbed. The total of the take is unknown at this point but it is estimated to be near $20,000. Some were completely wiped out, left with no gear whatsoever. It appears the thieves knew exactly what they were looking for, so somewhere out there is a team that magically became very well equipped- and to them I say Karma is a B*tch, because you will be found out* In addition to the blatant cases of fraud, identity-theft and robbery, hundreds of investigators find their reputations and personal happiness on the line due to cyber-bullying, or self-professed paranormal police who have made it their personal mission to air the dirty laundry of anyone they feel is unworthy. Some have been driven from the field they love because of the constant badgering. It is done for many reasons, sometimes out of jealousy, sometimes it is a misguided person who believes they are bettering the field by crushing those who they feel aren't good enough, and some are just mean people who have nothing better to do than create drama. But why are paranormal investigators, those who spend their lives trying to be skeptical, logical, and observant become the victims of these predators? Jason Sullivan of Midwest Haunts and Ghost Hunting 101 explains, "There is a common bond in the paranormal field, the love of the paranormal, and this bond fosters an immediate level of trust" This creates a conundrum. We want to work together, share information and ideas, and network with each other. But how can we do this when we find ourselves in a position in which we need to protect ourselves? In part two of this series, I will discuss some tips to protect yourself from paranormal predators. *There is an on-going police investigation and perhaps legal action pending therefore I can not divulge any other information about this situation, but if you happen to come across an eBay or Craigslist ad for paranormal gear, please forward it to me at cheri@naparanormal.org so I may provide the information to victims who can see if it is any of their equipment.