Baku, August 22 — In a country that prides itself on innovation and digital progress, a parallel marketplace thrives in plain sight: the trade in “magical services.” Fortune tellers and self-styled shamans no longer sit quietly in back alleys — they livestream on social media, rack up likes, and openly advertise cures for poverty, illness, or heartbreak.
What many dismiss as fringe superstition is, in reality, a business — unlicensed, untaxed, and unregulated. And most dangerously, completely outside the reach of the law.
Lawyer Vusal Jafarov makes it clear: “Today in Azerbaijan, the activities of fortune tellers are neither administratively nor criminally prohibited.” Only if damage can be proven — often a murky, almost impossible process — can fraud charges be applied.
This leaves citizens who lose money, health, or hope at the hands of “mystical consultants” with virtually no protection. Meanwhile, neighboring countries are moving ahead. In Tajikistan, for example, fortune-telling and sorcery were banned in 2024, and even clients risk fines for seeking such services. In Azerbaijan, however, there is nothing to stop someone from advertising a “curse removal” live on Instagram.
But this issue goes beyond fortune-tellers on the bazaar. It exposes a deeper societal vulnerability. Where there is no strong system of psychological, medical, and social support, people turn to “digital shamans.” Where there is no ban on manipulative advertising, magic becomes just another commercial service.
Experts argue the first step should be obvious: ban the advertising of magical services, especially on social media. The next step — enshrine direct prohibitions and fines in the Administrative Code. Only then will authorities be able to claim a real crackdown rather than issuing hollow statements.
Until that happens, digital fortune tellers will continue to operate in a legal vacuum, turning vulnerable citizens into a steady source of profit. And the state will continue to look the other way as deception, dressed up in mystical packaging, remains effectively legalized.
