THE $1000 PSYCHIC CHALLENGE
In April 2016 my mother died, 8 years before that in 2008 she wrote something to me, and separately to my brother specifically to be used after her death as a “secret code” for her to try and contact us after her passing. The items that the codes are written on were both sealed and dated without myself or my brother seeing what the secret codes were. I will pay a $1,000 to any psychic that can tell me what one of these codes is, or I can donate the amount to the charity of your choice. If required proof of funds can be provided. In addition, I will have a cake made with the words “psychics aren’t real” on it and I will eat every piece. Literally eating my own words.
There is now only one living person that knows what these codes are, and it’s not me. This makes this psychic challenge one of the most unique in the world. The reason I did this is because if I knew what these messages were then hypothetically a psychic could be reading my mind in order to find out what they are and not be communicating directly with my mother. Although reading the mind of a living person would be impressive in itself, that wouldn’t prove that the psychic had contacted someone that was deceased. I also have several dated legal documents in which my mother’s hand writing can be analysed against that of the secret codes. So I cannot change their wording after the fact.
There is a third party that knows what these codes are and they will be anonymously monitoring this page and my social media accounts (under an assumed name) on a regular basis. I will also be in touch with them directly when someone make an attempt at the challenge. For security reasons I will not be disclosing how I contact the third party but it will not be by any means I regularly use. This is to avoid the possibility of information being disclosed by hacking. However even if my website or Facebook page is hacked there will be no traces of communication between myself or any clues to the identity of this third party. Having been an I.T professional for over the last 20 years I believe I have sufficient knowledge to guard against cyber-attacks.
Before taking this challenge please be aware that I am VERY well versed in critical thinking and the tricks and tactics that fraudulent psychics can use to make the gullible and uninformed believe in their ability. In addition to this article please familiarize yourself with my Case Closed section in particular all 5 articles relating to psychics, Psychic Scams , Psychics And Paranormal Investigation , Sensitives , Psychic Detectives , Psychic Artists
Over the years I have been to dozens of psychics and not one of them has provided any information that could be considered proof of their so called “gift” apart from the gift of cold-reading. I am not your average client. I conducted my first paranormal investigation over 40 years ago and I have well over 30 years in the field of paranormal research. However for a genuine psychic with nothing to hide this should be seen as a positive. Which is going to make them appear more credible, passing a test created by someone with an extensive knowledge of the deceptive practices that psychics can use to make their abilities appear genuine, or someone that can be easily fooled? Although I don’t refer to myself as a skeptic, I am skeptical of all claims made about the paranormal. But being skeptical doesn’t mean I am biased against psychic claims it just means I require proof of them. Do not confuse a skeptic with a cynic they are two different things. Unlike the majority of skeptics I also claim to have seen a ghost. If referring to me as a skeptic is the only defense of your abilities, all this means is that your claims are so weak that they won’t stand up to any scrutiny. However for the record my mother was a 100 percent believer in psychics.
I am open to suggestions on how I can make this challenge fairer. But not for making it easy. Making it easy, would be pointless and defeat the purpose. That being said, if you are a genuine psychic completing the challenge shouldn’t be difficult as you claim to communicate with the dead on a regular basis.
Below are some questions that are going arise about this challenge.
Is this challenge fool-proof? Can I insure that the testing process is a 100 percent scientific ?
No, while I believe I have taken every precaution I can to ensure its legitimacy it is going to be impossible to follow a 100 percent scientific process due to part of it depending on human intervention, not being able to make the test repeatable and 
also not being able to conduct it under a completely controlled environment. However despite this the test is still vastly more credible then the normal psychic proof of claim which is that “someone came for a reading, they said I was “spot-on” and they became a repeat client”. This actually proves nothing except the person having the reading is ignorant of the techniques that a phony psychic can use to fool people into thinking they have any genuine abilities.
Will I be providing any clues or guidance as to how close you got to the correct answer?
No, that would just enable fake psychics use cold-reading techniques. They just keep asking questions to find out more information about you, and then feed it back as if they found it out using their claimed psychic ability. And keep in mind that I don’t know what the correct answers are, only the third party does, so I couldn’t give you any pointers even if I wanted to.
What is to stop me having a psychic correctly identify the messages, and then not telling them so I get the benefit of their abilities but don’t have to pay them?
I could do this. But aside from the fact that this would be committing fraud, I have devoted a good portion of my life trying to find evidence of the paranormal, and if I ever achieve this why would I hide the fact that I have achieved my goal. In regard to the money, while $1000 is a significant amount. It will not be a major life changing event if I have to give it away. The money was left to me by my mother, it was not something I worked for, it isn’t money that was budgeted for something else. And $1000 is really a small price to pay for confirmation of genuine contact with a dead person. Also because this amount is less than the more famous psychic challenges, the criteria for winning it is much, much less stringent. As part of my job as an I.T contractor I am regularly subject to Criminal Records Background Checks. If I were to be convicted of committing fraud this would severely limit my employment opportunity’s and in the long-term cost me considerably more then a $1000. Note: If required I can provide you with a copy of a recent bank statement verifying that I have the funds to cover the test if you wish to attempt it.
You’re only doing this to publicize your website?
Someone passing this challenge would undoubtedly generate publicity for my website as would just issuing this challenge. However I have no adverts on my website (apart from the direct links to my own products of which I have minimal sales via the site) so extra web traffic wouldn’t actually generate any add revenue. If the purpose of this challenge was just to generate sales I would be far better off spending the $1000 on targeted social media advertising. In fact it will cost me additional money in band width if I go over my allotted quota. However I should imagine finding what I consider to be a genuine psychic after being publicly skeptical about them would generate a huge amount of free publicity for the psychic themselves in addition to the money that they received for passing the challenge. I would also be more than happy to endorse them and their ability which is something someone with a track record of being skeptical about paranormal claims rarely does.
What about the third party, couldn’t they get someone else to pose as a psychic, feed them the information and then work out a deal to split the money with them?
Yes, they could. Invariably the third party is going to be the weakest link as with any process that involves human intervention. However I am confident that this person would not do that. Can I guarantee that? No, but there are several reasons I chose them. Firstly they are very financially secure and really don’t need the money. Another of the reasons I chose this person is because they are not involved in any way in the paranormal, but their occupation is completely dependent on their integrity and objectivity. I also believe they will just look at the facts based on evidence and not on belief or wishful thinking. By feeding this information to a psychic for financial gain would also mean that the third party would be committing a criminal act and regardless of the legal implications this would put their entire career in jeopardy.
I have read your case closed section about psychics and you seem to believe all psychics are frauds or delusional which makes you biased against them?
No, I have merely illustrated the techniques that phony psychics use to claim abilities they don’t actually have. Being a fraudulent psychic you may not like that these techniques have been made public but surely if you are a genuine psychic you would be happy that I have trying to expose those that are discrediting your profession. The mechanics of this challenge are such that it’s irrelevant what my opinion is. As long you provide me with the correct answers to the test it doesn’t matter how prejudiced or biased you want to think I am. And surely there is no greater way to silence a critic then to prove them wrong. If you went to a garage to have your car fixed, would you expect that the mechanic could only fix your car if you believed he could? Of course not. His proof of ability would not depend on what your opinion of him is. As an added bonus in addition to the $1000 when it comes to my criticism of psychics I will literally eat my words. I will have a cake baked with the words “psychics aren’t real” on it and I will eat every piece of it. From a publicity perspective whoever completes the challenge should be able to capitalize on this. It is one thing to convince someone that is already a believer that you are a psychic but it is far more of an accomplishment to prove to someone that is on record as being skeptical that you do have the psychic abilities you claim.
What are the rules?
Do I have to get both secret codes correct to be awarded the $1000?
No, I will pay out for just one of them.
What if I get most of the message correct but not all of it? Will you still pay out?
One issue is that I personally don’t know what the messages are or how many words are in them. But I am not going to expect you to be 100 percent. If for instance someone misses out a comma (if there is one) then I’m not going to refuse payment. What I am looking for is 90 percent accuracy in terms of percentage of actual words or numbers of letters and correct order. I have communicated the criteria to the third party involved and I feel I have given them sufficient information to comprehend what standards need to be met.
Will I get any money for correctly just telling you details about what these secret codes were written on?
No, however in the event that the codes are correctly revealed by someone else I will give you full public credit for having revealed what these items were and I would think that this would enable you to benefit from it financially in terms of publicity.
What happens if I post the correct answer to the challenge and someone copies it?
On the website and social media everything is time stamped so whoever posts first will take priority. In the extremely unlikely event that two or more people post the correct answer at exactly the same time on different platforms the prize money will be split equally among them. I am also fully aware that by participants posting on a public forum that this will enable them to eliminate any wrong answers and narrow down what the right answers may be without the use of any psychic ability. But as stated I will not be giving any clues as to how close someone was to getting the secret code, I will only be say if they have successfully identified the code to the point they have won the challenge, and if so I will contact you directly via the website or social media. You also have the option of e mailing me at info@chasingmidnight.com
How many attempts can I have?
In the interests of objectivity I am not going to allow unlimited attempts. It will be limited to 3 per person. Each attempt can’t consist of no more than 20 words. This is so that someone can’t put every word in the dictionary and call it one attempt. And no I don’t know if the secret code is 20 words, for all I know it could just be two words. As I have stated I have no idea what it is. In the event that it is more than 20 words then I am still expecting 90 percent accuracy in regards to the words that you have provided and the order that they are in. If someone was to post 10,000 guesses to answer just one question, that wouldn’t be proof of psychic ability. That would be like a soccer player taking 10,000 shots at goal and after finally scoring then proclaiming themselves to ready for the world cup final. This is why I am going to limit any attempts to a maximum of 3 per person. And yes I do realize that people could create multiple e mail or social media accounts in order to take more than 3 goes, but not only is this fraud but it will also invalidate any claims to the prize money if it is discovered that this has been done.
How quickly can I receive the money, and how will payment be made ?
The funds are immediately available. I can make payment by whichever method is most convenient for you. An electronic transfer to your account can be made within a few days of the challenge being successfully completed.
If no one gets the answer will I ever reveal what the messages were?
Yes, but it won’t be for a very long time. It will be April 10th 2036, the 20th anniversary of my mother’s death. Hopefully I will still be around by then. If not I will make sure that provisions are made to ensure someone else makes the announcement. Procedures are also in place that in the event of the death of the third party involved in the challenge someone else will take their position.
The excuses
“The abilities I have cannot be tested by conventional methods”
Yes it can, claims of spirit guides, and seeing spirits that no one else can see, cannot currently be tested by conventional methods. But what can be tested is the information that psychics claim to have received solely as a result of their claimed abilities.
“I don’t do this for money.”
That’s fine I am quite happy for you to take the psychic challenge and not pay you anything, whatever the outcome.
“There are so many spirits out there that the messages don’t always come through clearly”.
So you actually claim to provide a service and in many instances charge a great deal of money for something that you can’t do consistently. That’s like going to a mechanic and have him only sometimes being able to fix your brakes, but still charging you full price. You are welcome to retake this test as many times as you wish until the spirit messages do come through clearly. Psychics often compare contacting the dead to “communicating through a crackly telephone line”. But in a real life scenario of this nature people wouldn’t usually try and make “small talk”, what they would actually do is attempt to pass on any important information first, and if they couldn’t do it on the first attempt, keep trying until they could. And likewise if you were to ask them a important question and you don’t get a immediate response you would keep asking the same question until you did get one. So why is it that so much general information is conveyed, and yet very little that is specific or important.
“The spirit may be passing on incorrect information”
If the excuse a psychic uses for their mistakes is that the spirit is passing them incorrect information, then we are all psychics. Everyone can claim they are receiving messages from the dead, and if the information is incorrect or irrelevant it can be blamed on the spirit not the fact that the person has no psychic ability. This is one of the most commonly used general purpose excuses made by a psychic, but a completely illogical one. A spirit could only prove its existence by passing on relevant and factual information through a medium or psychic, incorrect information would immediately invalidate such proof, so there is no reason at all that it would deliberately do this, the only possible reason is that the psychic isn’t psychic at all and using this as an excuse to hide their lack of ability.
“I don’t have to prove myself to anyone, I know what abiltys I have”
If you had a genuine ability you would have no objection to proving it by taking the psychic challenge , by not proving it, it simply allows you to maintain your own delusion. Based on the premise that you know your psychic so you don’t have to prove it to anyone, including yourself, you could also call yourself a brain surgeon and you could actually believe it, until of course you had to perform an operation.
“But if you go to anyone else that provides a service you don’t ask them to take a test”
If I go to a Doctor or a car mechanic their proof is in their results, I won’t be cured if I am ill or my car won’t work. Both these and almost every other industry are heavily regulated to ensure their representatives are qualified to perform the job they claim, psychics are not. Other industry’s also have several avenues both government and private to peruse complaints, should the service not live up to expectations.
“If you don’t believe, it wont work”.
Actually what this statement means is if I don’t believe that you are psychic, despite there being no evidence to support your claim, it wont work. When I take my car to the mechanics he doesn’t say that I must believe that he can fix the brakes.
Not up to the $1000 psychic challenge then try the $100 challenge
THE $100 PSYCHIC CHALLENGE
I will pay you $100.00, or donate it to any charity you nominate if you can prove the following under simple test conditions.
Medium or psychic, sensitive, or clairvoyant
If you are a medium or psychic and can demonstrate that you can communicate with the dead, read someone’s future, or give specific information about a haunted location under controlled test conditions, you are eligible to take the $100.00 psychic challenge. All genuine psychics and mediums are welcome on this site.
I believe most psychics are not frauds they are delusional. This means that they have an un-waiving belief that they have genuine abilities. With frauds their only belief is that they can make money from the gullible. But all psychics are frauds when they charge money for a service that they don’t in reality provide, and they should be treated like the petty criminals that they are.
Why is this challenge different from the others made to psychics
It is different because this test is offered by a site dedicated to the paranormal; it is not a skeptic site. I believe in ghosts, UFOs, the Loch Ness monster, and that Lee Harvey-Oswald didn’t act alone, these are not the views of a cynic.
Why mediums and psychics
Because I believe that many mediums and psychics, including the most well known are at best deluding themselves and at worst nothing more then frauds. Using deception, psychology and standard cold reading techniques, many of their claims can be duplicated by anyone using the same methods that have long been practiced by magicians and illusionists. Many so called psychics and 
mediums will read this article and self righteously point the finger at others, when they should be pointing the finger at themselves. In their world it seems that it is always the other person that is bringing their community into disrepute. I also believe employing them as part of a paranormal investigation when they are unproven, and then allowing them to prove themselves without imposing adequate test conditions, does nothing at all to further paranormal research. It simply fulfills the need and false expectation to regularly experience something “paranormal”, when statistically this is unlikely to happen and would not happen if a higher standard of proof was required then using a medium or psychic. Unless Psychics are used under strict control conditions, and held to some sort of accountability it’s simply wish fulfillment, and if people don’t question their use, it’s just another step down the same unproven path. I don’t believe that challenging psychics to be tested is damaging to those with genuine abilities. In the conventional world there are many vocations that have had their credibility increased by having them tested; this includes anyone from car mechanics to Doctors. Test and constant evaluation not only enhances the reputation of those with abilities but more importantly it weeds out those that don’t have them. Not one of the famous T.V psychics has proved they can talk to the dead. The reason for that is, they are nothing more then frauds, offering people false hope to in order to profit from their Venerability. Sylvia Brown, Chip Coffey, John Edwards, Derek Acorah, none of them have proved their claimed ability’s under controlled test conditions. None of them have taken a psychic challenge and passed it.
The excuse that because of the nature of the “gift” they have, that it can’t be tested, is a fallacy. Its not that they can’t be tested it’s that they don’t want to be. Most people are not aware of the techniques some of these fraudulent mediums and psychics use and so believe that they have genuine abilities. And why is it that they can’t predict lottery numbers, “because they are not supposed to use their gift for personal gain”, but they can still charge you money for a reading that unlike predicting the lottery numbers doesn’t prove they have a “gift” at all. Having repeat clientele doesn’t mean you are a good psychic, it just means there are a lot of ignorant and misinformed people out there to take advantage of.
Next time you see a medium or psychic on television or attend one of their readings, compare what they say, with what can be attained through entirely non spiritual means. Being able to duplicate something is not always an indication that it’s fake, but if they don’t offer any information outside of these perimeters there is a high probability that it is.
General test conditions
Psychics/mediums will not be permitted to talk to, or see their subject. They can however be in close proximity to them if requested. If communication with the subject is necessary this will be done either via a third party or in written form depending on the agreed circumstances. Predictions must be beyond the laws of mere chance. Generalisations are not acceptable.
You can apply to take the test by phone.
Names, dates, address, and locations must be validated with at least one point of reference. For example a name, date or address must have a specific event linked to it.
I do not expect 100% accuracy. 30% is sufficient providing the information is not just generalization or something that you could have researched on Google, or social media. I am fully aware of what information can be found about me online, and that includes those numerous sites that for a fee will provide information on my previous address and work history. I am also aware that via Facebook you could contact someone that knows me and work out some sort of scam that would benefit you both financially. What I am looking for is information that you couldn’t possibly find out through conventional means. After all, that’s what people are paying you for, isn’t it ?
If contact is made with a relevant “spirit”, questions to be asked will include those specific to a hobby or job they may of had while they were alive. These questions will be of a technical nature that only someone that had extensive real world experience of these subjects could answer.
In the event of multiple predictions, those that are made and are wrong will be taken into account.
In the event of psychics visiting a haunted location I will take steps to ensure they have no prior knowledge of, or no ability to cold read it.
Only information that is verifiable will be accepted as evidence of ability.
These are just a general overview of the testing and some requirements will remain confidential to ensure accuracy of the tests.
I will even work with you to develop an entirely new set of testing protocols provided they are sufficient to eliminate the possibility of fraud or deception, either subconscious or deliberate. The fact that after literally hundreds of thousands of visitors to the site some of which must claim to have psychic abilities still no one has taken the challenge, this speaks volumes.
Why ?
Research into the paranormal should also be about testing its existence, and by eliminating that which is fraudulent should surely enhance the credibility of those people and occurrences that are genuine. Of course a genuine psychic may actually tell you some of the same things that another psychic may have done through cold reading, but if that’s all they can do and they cant provide you with any specific information beyond the laws of chance and generalization, they have no psychic ability.
It is the responsibility of the legitimate psychic community to prove themselves, if they wish to receive credibility and respect it is not a right, it is something that must be earned.
I have visited over 20 different psychics throughout the world over the course of several years; none of them have demonstrated any ability beyond that of being a cold reader. And while I acknowledge that this percentage is small in comparison to the total number of actual “psychics”, if you compare the failure rate to the results of any other service industry this is a high indication that the vast majority of psychics are fraudulent. What if you took your car to 20 different mechanics to have the brakes fixed, do you realistically believe that you would have a 100% failure rate?
Are these tests unfair ?
No, what are unfair is fraudulent psychics making money from people by deception. Most professions have some sort of tests to prove competence, why should those that claim some sort of psychic ability be any different. McDonalds have a Hamburger University, if its graduates can prove something as trivial as knowing how much salt to put on French fries, then surely people that claim they can talk to the dead should be able to prove their abilities.
Why $100.00 ?
While $100.00 is still a significant amount of money, it also means that the test will not be as stringent as if the amount offered was a million dollars. Psychics are always claiming that they don’t do it for the money; I will happily donate it to charity instead.
What’s in it for the practitioner aside from the $100.00
If you prove you have the ability you say you have then your credibility is going to be enhanced far more with the support of a skeptic then with someone who is a serial believer. I will make sure I get the $100 back many times over in terms of publicity should I test someone that turns out to be genuine. The publicity will of course also be of great benefit to the successful psychic. Unlike many I believe a psychic with genuine abilities should be able to charge money for their service. Of course if you fail the test I will make sure that this also gets publicized.
But if you’re a cynic then your going to be biased
I’m not a cynic, I run a site devoted to the paranormal, I have spent most of my life visiting places and researching claims regarding it. Psychics will always claim that whatever test they are given someone will always find a fault with the results, so it is impossible for them to prove their abilities. Why is it that car mechanics, students or Doctors never make these same excuses?
I would be happy to give away $100.00 to someone I believe can demonstrate some sort of psychic ability. This challenge is ultimately about proving the paranormal not the opposite.
“No one can be right a 100% of the time “
I don’t expect 100% accuracy, 30% is acceptable. It is not the amount of information that proves ability it is the nature of it. I will accept 1% accuracy if I am convinced the information provided could not have been obtained through any other method apart from a psychic one.
“But isn’t this site supposed to be about the paranormal”
No, it’s about finding proof of the paranormal. Taking the psychic challenge would help to provide this proof.
Terms and conditions
I will work with you to agree test conditions
I will not be liable for any expenses you occur
The applicant agrees that the results of the tests whether in their favour or not will be made public
I will make every effort to accommodate all applicants applying to be tested, but reserve the right to limit testing at my discretion
Tony Hart-Wilden
Million Dollar Psychic Challenge – Skeptics Dictionary
Tests And Games – Psychic Experiences
Testing Psychics – Darren Brown
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