FEATURED
Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme
💰 $65 billion
📅 1991-2008
👤 Bernard Madoff
📊 Financial
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Bernard Madoff operated the largest Ponzi scheme in history from his Manhattan investment firm. For nearly two decades, he convinced thousands that he...
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Charles Ponzi's Original Scheme
💰 $20 million
📅 1919-1920
👤 Charles Ponzi
📊 Financial
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Charles Ponzi promised investors 50% returns in 45 days through arbitrage involving international postal reply coupons. The scheme was brilliant in it...
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FEATURED
Enron Scandal
💰 $74 billion losses
📅 1985-2001
👤 Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling
📊 Corporate
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Enron was once America's seventh-largest company. Behind the impressive facade, executives engaged in massive accounting fraud using special purpose e...
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FEATURED
Theranos Blood Testing Fraud
💰 $700+ million
📅 2003-2018
👤 Elizabeth Holmes
📊 Tech
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Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos at 19, claiming revolutionary blood testing technology requiring only a finger prick. She became Silicon Valley's da...
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OneCoin Pyramid Scheme
💰 $4+ billion
📅 2014-2017
👤 Dr. Ruja Ignatova
📊 Cryptocurrency
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Dr. Ruja Ignatova launched OneCoin in 2014 claiming it would become 'the Bitcoin killer.' She convinced millions worldwide to invest through multi-lev...
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BitConnect Ponzi Scheme
💰 $2+ billion
📅 2016-2018
👤 Satish Kumbhani
📊 Cryptocurrency
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BitConnect promised up to 40% monthly returns through its cryptocurrency lending platform and trading bot. Users would buy Bitcoin, convert it to BCC ...
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FEATURED
FTX - Sam Bankman-Fried
💰 $8+ billion
📅 2019-2022
👤 Sam Bankman-Fried
📊 Cryptocurrency
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Sam Bankman-Fried founded FTX cryptocurrency exchange in 2019. Within three years, FTX became the world's second-largest crypto exchange, valued at $3...
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FEATURED
Victor Lustig - Sold Eiffel Tower
💰 Millions in modern value
📅 1925
👤 Victor Lustig
📊 Classic Con
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Victor Lustig's most famous scam occurred in 1925 Paris when he read about the Eiffel Tower's expensive maintenance. Posing as a government official, ...
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