Ponzi Schemes facts
While investigating facts about Ponzi Schemes In Nigeria and Ponzi Schemes In South Africa, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Buddy Fletcher, husband of Reddit CEO Ellen Pao, is being described as being the operator of Ponzi scheme after his now bankrupt firm diverted money for their own use and, according to the Chapter 11 trustee, committed fraud against investors. Three Louisiana pension funds lost $144 million.
how to avoid ponzi and pyramid schemes?
One of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme victims was a professor that wrote a book on gullibility and scams.
What's the difference between ponzi and pyramid schemes?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about Ponzi Schemes In Kenya and Ponzi Schemes In Nigeria 2020 I managed to collect.
what are ponzi and pyramid schemes?
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The longest prison sentence ever received was 141,078 years, handed out to Thai national Chamoy Thipyaso for her part in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 16,000 investors.
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After Albanian citizens lost ~$1.2 billion (~$400 per capita) to Ponzi schemes in 1997, some of the losers started protesting against the government. The protests ultimately turned into a 6+ month civil war that toppled the government and killed 2000 to 3800 people.
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Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of the Holocaust memoir "Night", started the Elie Wiesel Foundation For Humanity. The charity lost nearly $16 million in the Madoff Ponzi Scheme. Wiesel and his wife also lost their entire personal life savings.
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The man that founded the Backstreet Boys is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for perpetrating one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, cheating investors out of $300 million.
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Billionaire Boys Club was a Ponzi scheme started in 1983 by young boys from rich families. Money contributed by investors was spent supporting lavish lifestyles. When funds ran short in 1984 club members turned to murder & at least two people were killed as they tried to raise more money
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Charles Ponzi, the creator of the Ponzi scheme, received Christmas cards from some of his investors and requests to invest money while he was in prison
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The man responsible for creating both NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys is serving 25 years in jail for fraud and running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history
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The end of a Ponzi scheme led to a Civil War in Albania where more than half the population had participated in various schemes.
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The government of Albania collapsed in 1997 due to a massive Ponzi scheme which consumed the entire economy, leading to 6 months of anarchy with disgruntled citizens, army deserters, and even mafia syndicates seizing control of much of the country
What is true about ponzi schemes?
You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
The SEC was repeatedly and explicitly warned about the Madoff Ponzi scheme for 10 years by a forensic accountant. Over and over again they ignored the warnings and did nothing.
Monroe Beachy was an Amish investment banker who ran a Ponzi scheme and defrauded almost $17 million. - source
By the age of 22, California man Barry Minkow had founded a cleaning company, taken it public, and watched it collapse as its most lucrative division was outed as a Ponzi scheme.
The biggest beneficiary of the Madoff ponzi scheme was not Bernie Madoff or his children, but a Jeffry Picower, an early investor, who made more than $7.2 billion - source
When was my little pony friendship is magic made?
The origin of the phrase “Ponzi Scheme” comes from a real man named Charles Ponzi. He arrived in the USA w/ $2.50, and in 1920 had a scheme worth $20M (225M adjusted for inflation)
Actors such as Kevin Bacon and John Malkovich lost millions of dollars from investing in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme
Harry Markopolous provided the SEC with evidence of a $50 Billion Ponzi Scheme being run by a wall street banker for 10 years before he was finally caught.
The name ponzi scheme originated with Charles Ponzi, who promised 50% returns on investments in only 90 days.
Pigeon King International. A Ponzi scheme in Ontario where a man sold breeding pigeons to farmers, promising to purchase the offspring for racing or for the pigeon meat.
Elie Wiesel invested a significant portion of his money into Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme. He lost $15.2 million as a result.