Psychic medium accused of disappearing with customers’ money
The customers had paid to be spooked. A ghost tour of their own neighbourhoods, a fun night out.
Instead, they were left out in the cold: no tour, no ghosts, no refund.
Alicia Cartwright calls herself an international psychic medium, a white witch and a spiritual mentor. Nine
The woman responsible is a so-called psychic medium who took their money and then did her signature move: a disappearing act.
Alicia Cartwright calls herself an international psychic medium, a white witch and a spiritual mentor.
Jackie had booked and paid for three tickets to go on one of Cartwright’s Mystery Haunted Spirit Bus tours of Geelong in Victoria, after seeing the three-hour, hop-on hop-off experience advertised online.
“She said, ‘It’s selling out fast, there’s only 15 seats, so get in, hurry’,” Jackie told A Current Affair.
The tour boasted visits to mystical, historical and active locations and even promised messages from your loved ones in spirit form.
“The day of the tour, at 4.26pm, I get a text message or an inbox from her to say it’s been cancelled because the bus company didn’t get back to her,” Jackie claimed.
Michael spent hundreds of dollars on accommodation. Cartwright cancelled the night before. Nine
Afterlife enthusiast Michael and his son-in-law Byron bought tickets to another one of Cartwright's regional ghost bus tours in Victoria.
“I’ve seen things I can’t explain and heard things, so that’s what got me interested in it,” Michael said.
Michael spent hundreds of dollars on accommodation.
Cartwright cancelled the night before.
“First was the bus, she couldn’t get hold of the bus and I went to Byron, 'Mate, she’s had months to organise a bus',” Michael said.
“Then it was her children were sick and all that and then I really start to get suss on her.”
And then there was Jacki, left out in the cold.
“We got there about 7.10pm. We waited, there was nobody there, no other people that were going on it,” she said.
“She said, 'Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought I told you, it’s been cancelled, we’re having problems with the bus company.'”
From these passengers alone, Cartwright pocketed $961.
Cartwright’s disgruntled customers have contacted police, the ACCC, and their banks. Nine
They all paid the Adelaide mum through bank transfer.
Jackie said: “I said, ‘Well when do we get our refund?’ And then she said, ‘You’ll get it in 14 days, business days’.
“Fourteen days came and I think two or three days after the 14 days I texted, ‘Your 14 days are up, where’s my money?’ Nothing."
After cancelled events, Cartwright was giving her customers the silent treatment.
“I think it was her plan all along to cancel,” Jacki said.“Just hope that she ends up being accountable for what she’s done.”
Michael and Byron are still waiting for their $316 refund.
“So the last message she was telling us, 'I am so truly sorry for this turn of events', she believes in divine and everything happens for a reason and then gave us her blessings and that was the last we heard of her,” Michael said.
But blessings don’t beat bucks so we went a knocking to find out why this psychic doesn’t pay up.
Cartwright’s disgruntled customers have contacted police, the ACCC, and their banks.
But once A Current Affair got involved, the white witch posted a message online.
“The refunds definitely took longer than expected,” she said.“Yes there were delays absolutely and I acknowledge that that’s not who I am though I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing after nearly eight years you know if I was a scammer.”
Both Jacki and Jackie have been refunded, but Michael and Byron are still waiting.
Full response from Alicia Cartwright
1. Did you intend to run the Ballarat and Geelong Ghost Tours when you accepted bookings?Yes, absolutely. They were genuine events, and I fully intended to run them.
2. Why did you delay sending paying customers their tickets?I acknowledge there were delays, and I acknowledge that communication should have been better. At the time, and still now, I am dealing with serious safety issues involving myself and my children. I have experienced severe stalking, harassment, abuse, personal attacks and defamatory and slanderous conduct which has affected myself and my kids. Our lives have not been operating normally. We have had to live differently because of safety concerns, and I have not been able to operate my business or manage everyday administration normally either. This has not been a normal period of my life.
3. Why were the tours cancelled?Because my family’s safety comes first. My circumstances escalated to the point where I no longer believed I could responsibly continue public events, so I made the difficult decision to cancel all further events for the remainder of the year. The Spirit Bus / ghost tour on 24 April 2026 in Adelaide did go ahead successfully and everyone got what they paid for. However, circumstances surrounding that event became a significant turning point.
I subsequently made reports to police.
4. When did you realise the tours would not proceed, and when were affected customers notified?I made the decision once my safety circumstances had escalated to the point where I no longer believed the events could safely proceed. I communicated with affected customers as I was able to. I accept that the communication was not perfect and that some customers were left waiting longer than they should have been.
I regret that. At the same time, I was dealing with circumstances that were considerably larger than an ordinary business cancellation.
5. Were you in Ballarat and Geelong to conduct the tours when they were cancelled last minute?I will not disclose my current or recent locations because of ongoing safety concerns involving myself and my children. I can however confirm that accommodation had been booked in connection with the events.
6. If you were in Ballarat and Geelong, can you provide receipt of your accommodation?I have the relevant accommodation receipts.
7. Was it your intention to cancel at the last minute?No. The cancellations were not planned when the bookings were accepted. My circumstances changed significantly after the bookings were made.
8. Which transport provider companies did you contact regarding these events?Transport arrangements were made as part of the genuine planning for the events. I do not believe it is appropriate to identify independent third party businesses in this response.
9. Do you accept that cancelling the day before or the day of the scheduled tours is unprofessional?I understand why a customer may view a last-minute cancellation as unprofessional from a normal business perspective. I acknowledge that and accept that. I do not expect customers to be happy about it.I had never previously had to cancel my events in these circumstances. But these were not ordinary circumstances. There is a significant difference between cancelling for convenience and cancelling because of genuine safety concerns. I apologise the inconvenience caused but I will not apologise for choosing the safety of my children and myself when I believed that was necessary.
10. What is your response to a customer who was left waiting at the pickup location because they did not receive a cancellation notice? I apologise. No customer should ever be left waiting because of inadequate communication. I acknowledge that the communication surrounding the cancellation was not good enough, and I am sorry for the inconvenience and distress that may have caused. There was never an intention to deliberately leave a customer waiting.
11. When will refunds be processed for Michael Senior and Byron Vinson?Michael Senior and Byron Vinson are one booking, not two separate bookings. I have since communicated regarding the outstanding refund. The refund will be processed by close of business Monday, 28 September 2026.
12. Why has the refund process taken so long?I acknowledge that the refunds took significantly longer than they should have. There was no intention to withhold anyone’s money. I was dealing simultaneously with serious personal safety issues, police and legal matters, staying away from home for safety reasons, My main Facebook platform, which had almost 20,000 followers and represented approximately eight years of work, was removed/compromised. I lost access to messages and information held through that platform, including customer conversations and details that I relied upon to communicate with people. I have only recently been able to regain access to parts of these social media platforms and begin rebuilding what was lost. That significantly affected my ability to communicate and manage my business.
I was also trying to protect and care for four children through all of this. I accept responsibility for the delays. To the best of my knowledge, all other affected refunds have now been processed / settled.
13. Why do you block customers online who are trying to contact you for refunds?Where I have blocked people online, it was generally because interactions had become abusive, harassing or personally threatening in nature. There is an important distinction between a customer legitimately asking about a refund and someone engaging in personal attacks, harassment or behaviour involving me or my children.
I am entitled to protect my personal boundaries and the safety of my family online.
Blocking someone does not mean I was refusing to meet a legitimate financial obligation. Where a legitimate refund was owed, that obligation remained, regardless of whether someone was blocked on social media.
I am also obtaining legal advice regarding potential civil action, including matters relating to defamation. I do not want to prejudge any legal process or make allegations about what a court may ultimately determine. I simply want it understood that I take the publication of material I believe to be false or damaging seriously and am pursuing appropriate legal avenues.
14. How many tours have you successfully run, and when did they occur?I have operated my business for approximately eight years and successfully connected with thousands of clients over the years from all over the world. I have successfully conducted numerous events. This includes at least 10 successful Adelaide events, three completely sold-out Perth events and the most recent being my Adelaide Spirit Bus on 24 April 2026.
15. What credentials support your title as an international psychic medium, white witch and spiritual mentor?I work on a global basis and have worked for years with clients all over the world. That is why I describe myself as an internationally recognised psychic medium and believe I’ve earned that title.
I have completed Reiki Level 1, Level 2 and Reiki Master training and am a Reiki Master.
As a spiritual mentor, I support people through personal and spiritual transformation. My work includes helping people navigate grief, loss, difficult life experiences, spiritual awakening, intuition, personal growth and finding meaning and purpose through challenging periods of their lives. A significant part of that work is informed by my own lived experience and the years I have spent working with people through their own spiritual and personal journeys.
I use the term “white witch” to describe my spiritual beliefs and practices. I do not represent it as a government-regulated qualification.
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