NYC man says tele-psychotherapist ran a ‘cult’ — and duped him out of $200K
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A New York City man claims he was scammed by a Romanian national posing as a psychotherapist, who was able to “effectively brainwash” him into believing his soul — and those of his relatives — would be doomed to eternal damnation if he didn’t obey his ongoing demands for six-figure cash payments and thousands of dollars in pricey electronics.
Over the course of four years, Bucharest psychology student Robert George Buliga was able to dupe Octavian Mihai from afar, conducting one-on-one sessions via Zoom and phone during which he “claimed to be providing medical care, but in reality stealthily analyzed Mr. Mihai’s disclosed vulnerabilities and exploited them,” according to a lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
“Buliga deceitfully inserted himself into Mr. Mihai’s life as a psychotherapist, and then capitalized on this position of intimate trust to exploit Mr. Mihai’s emotional openness and steal his money,” states the complaint, which was filed December 13 in New York State Supreme Court. “Mr. Mihai sought Buliga’s counsel to navigate his emotions, mistakenly confiding in someone who was not a licensed professional.”
The complaint describes Buliga as a “charlatan” who ran not a legitimate practice, but “in fact, a cult.” It says he insisted on absolute compliance with his directives and isolating him from friends and family while threatening “dire emotional and spiritual consequences” if he ever left his care.
Content retrieved from: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-york-cult-scam-psychotherapy-b2665197.html.
