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    Ponzi Scheme News

    What is a Ponzi scheme? An illegal endeavor, Ponzi schemes essentially aim to attract and take advantage of unsuspecting investors by touting untrue claims of low risk and significant reward. Ponzi schemes typically stay afloat by using money from newer participants to pay older ones, thus making the endeavor seem profitable — so long as new participants continue flowing in.  

    The endeavor is named after Charles Ponzi, an Italian con artist who performed such a scheme in the 1920s in the United States, costing his investors about $20 million. Ponzi’s scam wasn’t the first of its kind, although it was one of the largest. Ponzi schemes share some commonalities with pyramid schemes, and neither of the two is legal in the United States. Bitcoin (BTC) has been called a Ponzi scheme at times over the years, although its performance and structure have proven otherwise.