Martin Castor, Denmark

dann · 28th January 2018, 03:52 AM

A familiar face is back again:
Martin Hulbæk was debunked by investigative journalists in the series Operation X on Danish TV2 back in 2008 when he was deceiving people by telling them that he could talk with the dead and deliver messages from them to grieving relatives - even when the 'dead' had never had an actual earthly existence beyond that of fake web pages!
Yes, they set him up, and he fell for it!

And we wrote about it in the article: Operation X - De falske åndemagere

The failed psychic Martin Hulbæk has now returned as stage magician Martin Castor in the talent show Danmark har talent on the same channel!!!

At one point he was also a hypnotist and a teacher of hypnotism, but probably not a very successful one, judged by the complaints about unfulfilled contracts.

Martin Castor also claims to have a successful career in Las Vegas. Has anybody heard about him?

The Greater Fool · 28th January 2018, 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by dann

A familiar face is back again:
Martin Hulbæk was debunked by investigative journalists in the series Operation X on Danish TV2 back in 2008 when he was deceiving people by telling them that he could talk with the dead and deliver messages from them to grieving relatives - even when the 'dead' had never had an actual earthly existence beyond that of fake web pages!
Yes, they set him up, and he fell for it!

And we wrote about it in the article: Operation X - De falske åndemagere

The failed psychic Martin Hulbæk has now returned as stage magician Martin Castor in the talent show Danmark har talent on the same channel!!!

At one point he was also a hypnotist and a teacher of hypnotism, but probably not a very successful one, judged by the complaints about unfulfilled contracts.

Martin Castor also claims to have a successful career in Las Vegas. Has anybody heard about him?

I remember there were web pages...

dann · 28th January 2018, 06:58 AM

Yes, Morten Spiegelhauer, the host of Operation X, posed for the photos of two imaginary guys, one an avid angler who drowned, the other a gay biker who died in a motorcycle accident. Their wife and boyfriend (played by actors) were supposed to have created the web pages as online memorials, but unfortunately the pages were removed a couple of years ago.
At one point, Spiegelhauer learned the basics of cold reading and performed a seance of his own.

dann · 28th January 2018, 10:46 AM

And now Martin Castor tells this story about us:

Quote:

Der er også en "særlig" gruppe mennesker som nærmest har gjort en dyd ud af at følge hvert eneste skridt jeg har taget siden. Samt de sørger for at opdatere en gammel gammel artikel på en skeptikerhjemmeside i Danmark, hvor de skriver interessante ting som at jeg laver hypnose nu.. Ja det gør jeg. Samt der gøres stort nummer ud af at jeg har skiftet navn flere gange. Hvad laver Martin?

My translation:
"There’s a special group of people who have almost made a virtue out of following every step I’ve taken since then. [i.e. since Morten Spiegelhauer and Operation X exposed his abuse of people’s grief by pretending to speak with their dead relatives.] And they keep an old article on a skeptics website in Denmark updated where they write interesting things like that I’m doing hypnosis now.. Yes, I am. And they make a big deal out of the fact that I’ve changed my name several times.”

I recommend that Danes and other Scandinavians read the article and the many comments we have received since then.
It's not difficult to update the story since his misled fans and people who appear to have been conned by him in the meantime keep us posted.
Otherwise we wouldn't really have the energy to follow "every step" that this guy has taken for the past ten years!

dann · 30th January 2018, 10:43 PM

Articles in newspapers and magazines: Ekstra Bladet (Jan. 29, 2018), Se & Hør (Jan. 30, 2018).

Checkmite · 31st January 2018, 03:01 AM

A stage magician is rather by definition an acknowledged phony...usually. Claims of secret powers and ancient knowledge are stock-in-trade banter for magic acts and the audience knows not to take them seriously. I would say, if he has decided that his "calling" in life, so to speak, is to peddle baloney then establishing a stage magic act could be considered "going legitimate" in that field.

Baiting him with the fake online memorial pages was absolutely brilliant, I must say.

dann · 31st January 2018, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by Checkmite

A stage magician is rather by definition an acknowledged phony...usually.

An Honest Liar?!

We have three magicians on our list of skeptics for journalists to choose from: Niels Krøjgaard, Michael Leslie Pryner and Kurt Flemming Løfquist.

Quote:

Claims of secret powers and ancient knowledge are stock-in-trade banter for magic acts and the audience knows not to take them seriously. I would say, if he has decided that his "calling" in life, so to speak, is to peddle baloney then establishing a stage magic act could be considered "going legitimate" in that field.

Going legitimate, maybe, but he doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who honors his obligations as indicated by the most recent newspaper article (also in Danish!):
New allegations against TV2 talent: Conned a woman out of 38.000 Danish kroner (approximately $ 6,000) (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018)

Quote:

Baiting him with the fake online memorial pages was absolutely brilliant, I must say.

He was not the only psychic to fall into the trap, but some of the others who were tempted in the same way didn't. In spite of being handed the opportunity to do a google search, they seemed to believe in their imaginary powers, so I tend to think that they were 'honest' (albeit deluded).
And in no case did voices from beyond reveal to them that the fictitious deceased weren't really deceased but rather undead in the sense that they had never actually been alive.

Checkmite · 31st January 2018, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by dann

Going legitimate, maybe, but he doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who honors his obligations as indicated by the most recent newspaper article (also in Danish!):
New allegations against TV2 talent: Conned a woman out of 38.000 Danish kroner (approximately $ 6,000) (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018)

Now that is definitely concerning. I have a dim view of the legitimacy of hypnosis as it is, which may be coloring my view - but it's hard for me to imagine that woman doesn't have a winning case or that nothing criminal is involved. Are there no lawyers in Denmark willing to work pro-bono or taking payment only upon favorable judgment?

dann · 31st January 2018, 10:36 PM

I think it's probably a question of not throwing good money after bad:

Quote:

'Dansk Hypnose Akademi' eksisterer i dag stadig under navnet 'The Hypno Academy' og tilbyder undervisning. Det er stadig Martin Castor, der driver skolen i Odense - trods Communication & Care ApS' tvangsopløsning. I dag fungerer skolen under et andet firma.
Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018

My translation:
"Nowadays 'Dansk Hypnose Akademi' exists as "The Hypno Academy' and offers classes. Martin Castor is still running the school n Odense - in spite of the compulsory dissolution of the company. Nowadays the school belongs to a different company."

Checkmite · 1st February 2018, 12:25 AM

I suppose you're right. Not so much of a reformed showman after all it seems.

Kings Full · 4th February 2018, 03:41 PM

Nothing fascinates me more than the people that believe/continue to believe in these people long after they're proven to be frauds.

I have no frame of reference and just can't get my head around the 'why'.

dann · 4th February 2018, 11:24 PM

Well, some of them are better than others at covering their tracks.
This web page tracks the companies registered by Martin Stig Castor Peterson - his current full name, apparently - and the many insolvencies: https://lasso.dk/personer/4000234378
There's a word in Danish, konkursrytter. I haven't found an English translation, but it corresponds to 'insolvency rider' or maybe 'insolvency jockey', but I can't tell if that's what's happening here.

dann · 5th February 2018, 01:30 PM

Efter flere svindelanklager: Nu trækker TV2-talent sig fra konkurrence (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 5, 2018)

“After several allegations of fraud: TV2 talent now withdraws from the competition”

PS Three more from today: TV2, Se og Hør, B.T.

steenkh · 10th February 2018, 02:26 AM

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have not read about any of this in my regular newspaper (Politiken).

28th January 2018, 03:52 AM	#1
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Martin Castor, Denmark A familiar face is back again: Martin Hulbæk was debunked by investigative journalists in the series Operation X on Danish TV2 back in 2008 when he was deceiving people by telling them that he could talk with the dead and deliver messages from them to grieving relatives - even when the 'dead' had never had an actual earthly existence beyond that of fake web pages! Yes, they set him up, and he fell for it! And we wrote about it in the article: Operation X - De falske åndemagere The failed psychic Martin Hulbæk has now returned as stage magician Martin Castor in the talent show Danmark har talent on the same channel!!! At one point he was also a hypnotist and a teacher of hypnotism, but probably not a very successful one, judged by the complaints about unfulfilled contracts. Martin Castor also claims to have a successful career in Las Vegas. Has anybody heard about him?
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx Last edited by dann; 28th January 2018 at 03:57 AM.

28th January 2018, 06:26 AM	#2
The Greater Fool Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Milky Way Posts: 3,708	Originally Posted by dann A familiar face is back again: Martin Hulbæk was debunked by investigative journalists in the series Operation X on Danish TV2 back in 2008 when he was deceiving people by telling them that he could talk with the dead and deliver messages from them to grieving relatives - even when the 'dead' had never had an actual earthly existence beyond that of fake web pages! Yes, they set him up, and he fell for it! And we wrote about it in the article: Operation X - De falske åndemagere The failed psychic Martin Hulbæk has now returned as stage magician Martin Castor in the talent show Danmark har talent on the same channel!!! At one point he was also a hypnotist and a teacher of hypnotism, but probably not a very successful one, judged by the complaints about unfulfilled contracts. Martin Castor also claims to have a successful career in Las Vegas. Has anybody heard about him? I remember there were web pages...
	__________________ - "Who is the greater fool? The fool? Or the one arguing with the fool?" [Various; Uknown] - "The only way to win is not to play." [Tsig quoting 'War Games']

28th January 2018, 06:58 AM	#3
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Yes, Morten Spiegelhauer, the host of Operation X, posed for the photos of two imaginary guys, one an avid angler who drowned, the other a gay biker who died in a motorcycle accident. Their wife and boyfriend (played by actors) were supposed to have created the web pages as online memorials, but unfortunately the pages were removed a couple of years ago. At one point, Spiegelhauer learned the basics of cold reading and performed a seance of his own.
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx

28th January 2018, 10:46 AM	#4
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	And now Martin Castor tells this story about us: Quote: Der er også en "særlig" gruppe mennesker som nærmest har gjort en dyd ud af at følge hvert eneste skridt jeg har taget siden. Samt de sørger for at opdatere en gammel gammel artikel på en skeptikerhjemmeside i Danmark, hvor de skriver interessante ting som at jeg laver hypnose nu.. Ja det gør jeg. Samt der gøres stort nummer ud af at jeg har skiftet navn flere gange. Hvad laver Martin? My translation: "There’s a special group of people who have almost made a virtue out of following every step I’ve taken since then. [i.e. since Morten Spiegelhauer and Operation X exposed his abuse of people’s grief by pretending to speak with their dead relatives.] And they keep an old article on a skeptics website in Denmark updated where they write interesting things like that I’m doing hypnosis now.. Yes, I am. And they make a big deal out of the fact that I’ve changed my name several times.” I recommend that Danes and other Scandinavians read the article and the many comments we have received since then. It's not difficult to update the story since his misled fans and people who appear to have been conned by him in the meantime keep us posted. Otherwise we wouldn't really have the energy to follow "every step" that this guy has taken for the past ten years!
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx Last edited by dann; 28th January 2018 at 12:01 PM.

30th January 2018, 10:43 PM	#5
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Articles in newspapers and magazines: Ekstra Bladet (Jan. 29, 2018), Se & Hør (Jan. 30, 2018).
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx

31st January 2018, 03:01 AM	#6
Checkmite Skepticifimisticalationist TLA Winner Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gulf Coast Posts: 22,823	A stage magician is rather by definition an acknowledged phony...usually. Claims of secret powers and ancient knowledge are stock-in-trade banter for magic acts and the audience knows not to take them seriously. I would say, if he has decided that his "calling" in life, so to speak, is to peddle baloney then establishing a stage magic act could be considered "going legitimate" in that field. Baiting him with the fake online memorial pages was absolutely brilliant, I must say.
	__________________ "¿WHAT KIND OF BIRD? ¿A PARANORMAL BIRD?" --- Carlos S., 2002 Last edited by Checkmite; 31st January 2018 at 03:03 AM.

31st January 2018, 03:51 AM	#7
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Originally Posted by Checkmite A stage magician is rather by definition an acknowledged phony...usually. An Honest Liar?! We have three magicians on our list of skeptics for journalists to choose from: Niels Krøjgaard, Michael Leslie Pryner and Kurt Flemming Løfquist. Quote: Claims of secret powers and ancient knowledge are stock-in-trade banter for magic acts and the audience knows not to take them seriously. I would say, if he has decided that his "calling" in life, so to speak, is to peddle baloney then establishing a stage magic act could be considered "going legitimate" in that field. Going legitimate, maybe, but he doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who honors his obligations as indicated by the most recent newspaper article (also in Danish!): New allegations against TV2 talent: Conned a woman out of 38.000 Danish kroner (approximately $ 6,000) (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018) Quote: Baiting him with the fake online memorial pages was absolutely brilliant, I must say. He was not the only psychic to fall into the trap, but some of the others who were tempted in the same way didn't. In spite of being handed the opportunity to do a google search, they seemed to believe in their imaginary powers, so I tend to think that they were 'honest' (albeit deluded). And in no case did voices from beyond reveal to them that the fictitious deceased weren't really deceased but rather undead in the sense that they had never actually been alive.
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx Last edited by dann; 31st January 2018 at 03:53 AM.

31st January 2018, 05:59 PM	#8
Checkmite Skepticifimisticalationist TLA Winner Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gulf Coast Posts: 22,823	Originally Posted by dann Going legitimate, maybe, but he doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who honors his obligations as indicated by the most recent newspaper article (also in Danish!): New allegations against TV2 talent: Conned a woman out of 38.000 Danish kroner (approximately $ 6,000) (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018) Now that is definitely concerning. I have a dim view of the legitimacy of hypnosis as it is, which may be coloring my view - but it's hard for me to imagine that woman doesn't have a winning case or that nothing criminal is involved. Are there no lawyers in Denmark willing to work pro-bono or taking payment only upon favorable judgment?
	__________________ "¿WHAT KIND OF BIRD? ¿A PARANORMAL BIRD?" --- Carlos S., 2002

31st January 2018, 10:36 PM	#9
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	I think it's probably a question of not throwing good money after bad: Quote: 'Dansk Hypnose Akademi' eksisterer i dag stadig under navnet 'The Hypno Academy' og tilbyder undervisning. Det er stadig Martin Castor, der driver skolen i Odense - trods Communication & Care ApS' tvangsopløsning. I dag fungerer skolen under et andet firma. Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 31, 2018 My translation: "Nowadays 'Dansk Hypnose Akademi' exists as "The Hypno Academy' and offers classes. Martin Castor is still running the school n Odense - in spite of the compulsory dissolution of the company. Nowadays the school belongs to a different company."
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx

1st February 2018, 12:25 AM	#10
Checkmite Skepticifimisticalationist TLA Winner Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gulf Coast Posts: 22,823	I suppose you're right. Not so much of a reformed showman after all it seems.
	__________________ "¿WHAT KIND OF BIRD? ¿A PARANORMAL BIRD?" --- Carlos S., 2002

4th February 2018, 03:41 PM	#11
Kings Full Thinker Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Texas Posts: 142	Nothing fascinates me more than the people that believe/continue to believe in these people long after they're proven to be frauds. I have no frame of reference and just can't get my head around the 'why'.

4th February 2018, 11:24 PM	#12
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Well, some of them are better than others at covering their tracks. This web page tracks the companies registered by Martin Stig Castor Peterson - his current full name, apparently - and the many insolvencies: https://lasso.dk/personer/4000234378 There's a word in Danish, konkursrytter. I haven't found an English translation, but it corresponds to 'insolvency rider' or maybe 'insolvency jockey', but I can't tell if that's what's happening here.
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx

5th February 2018, 01:30 PM	#13
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	Efter flere svindelanklager: Nu trækker TV2-talent sig fra konkurrence (Ekstra Bladet, Jan. 5, 2018) “After several allegations of fraud: TV2 talent now withdraws from the competition” PS Three more from today: TV2, Se og Hør, B.T.
dann Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 6,485	__________________ /dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx Last edited by dann; 5th February 2018 at 01:43 PM.

10th February 2018, 02:26 AM	#14
steenkh Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 5,435	Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have not read about any of this in my regular newspaper (Politiken).
	__________________ Steen -- Jack of all trades - master of none!