UWS Woman Sues Feng Shui 'Expert' For $1M Scam, Report Says

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side woman is taking a formerly-trusted spiritual adviser to court after she discovered he was running a scam on her, according to reports.

Hua Jun Han, a resident of the Upper West Side, spent more than $1 million on worthless artifacts and burial plots upon taking the advice of Fred Chen, a self-proclaimed master of the Chinese philosophy of Feng shui, the New York Post first reported. The spiritual scammer first met Han in 2015 when he went to her apartment for an appointment, according to the report.

Shortly after that meeting, Chen was able to convince Han to drop $140,000 on five Chinese family seals, the Post reported. Chen was able to convince Han to spend the large sum by telling her one of the seals belonged to an ancient Chinese general, according to a lawsuit filed in civil court.

After the initial purchase, Chen was able to convince the woman to buy more antiques such as sculptures and porcelain pieces and spend $120,000 on two burial plots, the Post reported. Han caught Chen in his scam when an appraiser told her the items she bought were worthless, the Post said. Chen has promised to pay the woman back, but has only forked over $15,000, the Post said.

Han's lawsuit demands the full return of the remaining $1,065,000, the Post reported.

"Fred Chen found his way into my client’s homes to provide Feng shui services, and she developed a special trust with him, which he abused," lawyer Mark Fang said told the Post. "She let her guard down, and he took advantage of that."

Read the full New York Post article here.

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