Bob Nygaard

Robert "Bob" Nygaard (born c. 1961) is an American private investigator (PI) and member of the National Association of Bunco Investigators; he specializes in the investigation of psychic fraud. Nygaard is sympathetic to psychic fraud victims who, he says, law enforcement authorities often fail to take seriously. He is also an outspoken critic of the inconsistent prosecution of this type of crime across the United States, and advocates for prison terms for convicted psychics, rather than merely forced restitution to their victims.

Quotes

 * When the veil drops, victims face financial wreckage... A lot of people call me, and they just want to talk, tell me what happened. But they don't want to go forward. They're too embarrassed. They don't want to see their name in the papers.
 * How Modern Fortunetellers Pull Off Their Scams, Broward Palm Beach New Times (6 June 2013)


 * People are very embarrassed by this. They say, "How could I have fallen for this?" ... [But] it doesn’t matter if you’re a college professor. It doesn’t matter if you’re a lawyer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor. You’re on their territory. And they know how to take advantage of that.
 * Private Investigator Helped Recover Over $2M for Psychic Fraud Victims, ABC News (17 April 2014)


 * It's not a crime to be gullible. But it is a crime to steal from a gullible person.
 * ABC7 investigation: Self-proclaimed psychics bilk thousands from vulnerable clients, ABC News (4 May 2017)


 * This is organized crime and there is a network all over the country. It's been going on for centuries and is passed down from generation to generation. The mothers teach their daughters... The psychics you see in the storefront who are dressed kind of shabby and don't have that much money actually are the same people who when they drive away go live in a million dollar house on the Intracoastal and they're driving around in a Maserati... It leaves the victims penniless and emotionally broken.
 * Bob Nygaard: Boca Raton private investigator says south Florida is a hotbed for fake fortune tellers, WPTV West Palm Beach (14 April 2016)


 * No other victims are more maligned than victims of psychic fraud. The embarrassment of being swindled plays right into the hands of phony psychics.
 * Psychic Scams Steal Millions From Unwitting Victims, Miami New Times (6 June 2017)


 * They [the psychics] find someone that's at a vulnerable point in their life. They create a sense of dependency. They create a pseudo-world. They will tell people, "I'm doing God's work. I'm taking the money to the altar". The amount of money that these people are defrauded of by these so-called psychics is astronomical. We're talking in the billions of dollars.
 * This Ex-Cop Has Locked Up 28 ‘Psychic’ Scammers, Returned $3.2M to Victims, patheos.com (21 August 2017)


 * These cases are all psychological manipulation under the guise of assistance. They sell false hope. That's a very powerful product when you’re a person that's desperate.
 * Psychic Freed in Florida Caught Chasing Seattle Spirits, newsmax.com (2 November 2017)


 * No one has ever proved that they have psychic abilities since the beginning of time. And James Randi, from the James Randi Foundation, put up a $1 million challenge to any psychic who could prove their abilities. No one has ever collected.
 * ''This Ex-Cop Has Locked Up 28 ‘Psychic’ Scammers, Returned $3.2M to Victims, Patheos (21 August 2017)


 * I would like to stress how ruthless these self-proclaimed psychics are. They have absolutely no regard for their fellow human beings.
 * ''Introducing Psychic-Busting Private Eye Bob Nygaard (Part 2), CSI Online (22 August 2018)


 * I’ve never come across a case where an atheist got taken by a psychic. I’ve never had a case like that. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but I haven’t seen it.
 * ''Introducing Psychic-Busting Private Eye Bob Nygaard (Part 2), CSI Online (22 August 2018)