A pyramid scheme hooks consumers with promises of big money, but often leaves them holding the bag in the end. Pyramid schemes are an especially notorious form of “get rich” scams perpetrated by a ...

What Is a Ponzi Scheme? Ponzi schemes typically lure in investors by promising high returns with little to no risk. Because initial investors often see high returns at first, early Ponzi schemes often ...

The term “Ponzi scheme” was all over the news in the early 2000s—on morning talk shows and printed in all the papers—and the term has resurfaced again nearly 15 years later. This is thanks, in part, ...

Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Gold has been a cherished asset for ...

The Social Security benefits program has crucial differences from a Ponzi scheme, which is an illegal money-making fraud. A Ponzi scheme is based on signing up more and more investors to pay off ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ryan Eichler holds a B.S.B.A with a concentration in Finance from Boston University. He has ...