Thieves allegedly hypnotized woman into handing over $40,000 MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A Russian woman told police she was robbed by a pair of women who used hypnotism to trick her into handing over $40,000. The Moscow woman told police the thieves approached her after she withdrew the money from her bank account and they used hypnotism to convince her to hand over the cash to break a spell placed on her husband and son, RIA Novosti reported Friday. Police said the thieves could face a possible 10 years in jail if they are caught and convicted.