Download or read book Ponzi s Scheme written by Mitchell Zuckoff and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2006-01-10 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was a time when anything seemed possible–instant wealth, glittering fame, fabulous luxury–and for a run of magical weeks in the spring and summer of 1920, Charles Ponzi made it all come true. Promising to double investors’ money in three months, the dapper, charming Ponzi raised the “rob Peter to pay Paul” scam to an art form. At the peak of his success, Ponzi was raking in more than $2 million a week at his office in downtown Boston. Then his house of cards came crashing down–thanks in large part to the relentless investigative reporting of Richard Grozier’s Boston Post. A classic American tale of immigrant life and the dream of success, Ponzi’s Scheme is the amazing story of the magnetic scoundrel who launched the most successful scheme of financial alchemy in modern history.

Download or read book Charles Ponzi and the Ponzi Scheme written by Charles River Editors and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-05 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading "I went looking for trouble, and I found it." - Charles Ponzi Though few people are familiar with the story of his life, Charles Ponzi's name is almost instantly recognizable thanks to the famous financial scandal named after him. This is somewhat ironic because, while his last name has become synonymous with financial scandal and many recognize how a Ponzi scheme works, some have argued that Ponzi really did not know what he was doing while it was taking place. When reading many of the books and articles written about him, it does seem as though Ponzi believed he would be able to pay back his investors at one point or another. In fact, the scheme that Ponzi created was not a new one - it was historically known as "robbing Peter to pay Paul" - but Ponzi became famous for it because he was able to create a scam in this way on a massive scale. When he was finally caught, it led to the investigation and collapse of several estates and banks, and Massachusetts subsequently found itself in a banking crisis. Moreover, one of the most interesting aspects of the affair is that people from many different social backgrounds and classes were affected by Ponzi's scandal. He took money from teenagers who had savings as low as $20, and he also took millions from New York City's elite. Ponzi's scheme involved scamming investors by promising them a bigger return on their investments than was actually possible. Every investor's money would just be put into a large pool to pay back past investors, and while Ponzi was hardly the first person to engage in such a scheme, the 1920s were ripe for this kind of financial conning. The Roaring Twenties became famous for frivolity, flappers, and Prohibition. Famously depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, life after World War I in America was a time of great spending, and people believed that it as possible for them to make great fortunes, no matter what their social background was. The rich wanted to be richer, and the poor believed that they could also attain a quick rags-to-riches story. This kind of climate was ripe for individuals such as Ponzi to make their mark on history, for better and worse. Charles Ponzi and the Ponzi Scheme: The History and Legacy of 20th Century America's Most Famous Con Artist looks at the elaborate fraud designed by one of America's most notorious criminals. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about Ponzi like never before.

Download or read book The Ponzi Scheme Puzzle written by Tamar Frankel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-13 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Ponzi perpetrated his infamous scheme almost a hundred years ago. But his method of using new investments to pay existing investors and finance a highflying lifestyle is alive and well: just as much money is lost in the United States today from Ponzi schemes as from shoplifting. Somehow, con artists are able to dazzle wealthy, educated individuals and sophisticated institutions and convince them to hand over huge sums of money. How? In The Ponzi Scheme Puzzle, renowned legal scholar Tamar Frankel explores these con artists' fascinating power of persuasion and deception, uncovering the subtle signals that mimic truth and honesty. After years of close study of hundreds of cases, Frankel explains the striking patterns that emerge and the common characteristics of the con artists and their victims. She offers clear yet comprehensive descriptions of the various designs of Ponzi schemers' attractive offers and flags the ways in which they mask their deception through specialized methods of advertising and selling. She then constructs lucid profiles of the con artists and their victims, exposing the core nature of the people at the heart of the schemes and showing how over time the lines between predator and prey are blurred. There are indeed many lessons to learn from these stories, and Frankel brings them to light through the insightful results of her research. She shows how peoples' attitudes are ambivalent and uncertain toward con artists, perhaps because their behavior is so seemingly honest, because they act like the social leaders with whom they are likely to mingle, or perhaps because their actions are thought to shake up a complacent society. Frankel concludes by offering a surprising solution on how to prevent charming, dangerous con artists from perpetuating the enduring, disastrous legacy of Charles Ponzi.

Download or read book Need and Greed written by Stewart L. Weisman and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 1999-12-01 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than just a tale of manipulated financial statements, counterfeit securities, sham transactions, and cyber fraud, this story is intertwined with personalities from among the rich and famous who were involved, in some fashion, such as Governor George Pataki, actress Debbie Reynolds, attorney F. Lee Bailey, and the former chairman of the SEC. In the largest pyramid scheme in American history, the Bennett Companies which even looted their own employee's pension fund, fleeced more than 12,000 investors, 10,000 trade creditors, and 245 banks and financial institutions, of more than $1 billion. A Ponzi scheme-named for Charles Ponzi, who enticed investors with promises of high returns to purchase worthless coupons in the 1920s- was taken to new heights in the 1990s by the Bennett Companies. Extensively documented, Need and Greed follows the human drama as a small-time scam grows exponentially into nationwide holdings of hotels, floating and fixed casinos, office buildings, shopping malls, and other investments. It also allows the reader a rare view into the inner workings of big-time crime, its prosecution, and subsequent civil litigation. Throughout the book, Weisman includes vignettes about hapless investors, portraits of the Bennetts and other key players, the corporate culture at Bennett Funding, and the trappings of the lush Bennett lifestyle.

Download or read book The Rise of Mr Ponzi written by Charles Ponzi and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ponzi Scheme written by 50minutes, and published by 50 Minutes. This book was released on 2015-09-17 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Avoid scam investments This book is a practical and accessible guide to understanding Ponzi schemes, providing you with the essential information and saving time. In 50 minutes you will be able to: • Learn about the inspiration behind the scheme, Charles Ponzi, and how he fraudulently pocketed profits on postage stamps while deceiving his investors • Follow our advice on how to avoid Ponzi schemes and make the right investment • Understand why the Ponzi scheme has appeared in all parts of the world right up to today by looking at some more recent examples ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | Management & Marketing 50MINUTES.COM provides the tools to quickly understand the main theories and concepts that shape the economic world of today. Our publications are easy to use and they will save you time. They provide elements of theory and case studies, making them excellent guides to understand key concepts in just a few minutes. In fact, they are the starting point to take action and push your business to the next level.

Download or read book Ponzimonium written by Bartholomew H. Chilton and published by Us Independent Agencies and Commissions. This book was released on 2011-10-25 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: True stories of crime and punishment that will inform and educate anyone who wants to find out how to identify and avoid becoming entangled in an investment fraud.

Download or read book Understanding Ponzi Schemes written by Mervyn K. Lewis and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-27 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Ponzi scheme is one of the simplest, albeit effective, financial frauds to engineer, and new schemes keep coming forward. Despite this, however, people continue to invest in them. How are we to account for the seemingly never-ending lure of such schemes? In providing answers to this central question, this concise and well-researched book examines how Ponzi schemes operate, how they differ from pyramid schemes, Ponzi finance and other financial arrangements. The author questions whether the victims have only themselves to blame, why fraudsters think that they can avoid detection, and what important insights behavioural finance theory and psychology can add. Particular attention is paid to the reasons behind the failure of financial regulation, and the types of regulatory changes needed to protect investors and avoid repetitions. The analysis is informed by case studies of 11 Ponzi schemes in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Finance and business academics interested in the operation of Ponzi schemes, and how they differ from pyramid schemes, will find this book invaluable, as will students of economics, finance, behavioural decision-making and psychology. Lawyers, psychologists, regulatory agencies and financial institutions will also benefit considerably from the analysis.

Download or read book Strong Towns written by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Download or read book Empire of Deception written by Dean Jobb and published by Algonquin Books. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A rollicking tale that is one part The Sting, one part The Great Gatsby, and one part The Devil in the White City.” —Karen Abbott, author of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy In a time of unregulated madness, nowhere was it madder than in Chicago at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. It was the perfect place for a slick, smooth-talking, charismatic lawyer named Leo Koretz to entice hundreds of people to invest as much as $30 million--upwards of $400 million today--in phantom timberland and nonexistent oil wells in Panama. It was an ingenious deceit, one that out-Ponzied Charles Ponzi himself. In this rip-roaring tale of greed, financial corruption, dirty politics, over-the-top and under-the-radar deceit, illicit sex, and a brilliant and wildly charming con man on the town and then on the lam, Empire of Deception proves that the American dream of easy wealth is truly a timeless commodity. “Captivating . . . Dean Jobb tells the story of Leo Koretz, a legendary con artist of Madoffian audacity, with terrific energy and narrative brio.” —Gary Krist, author of Empire of Sin “A brilliantly researched tale of greed, ambition, and our desperate need to believe in magic, it’s history that captures America as it really was--and always will be. A great read.” —Douglas Perry, author of Eliot Ness “Reads like a Gatsby-Ponzi mashup . . . Kudos to Jobb for unearthing this overlooked story and bringing to life a charming, witty, naughty, iconic American crook.” —Neal Thompson, author of A Curious Man “The granddaddy of all con men, Leo Koretz gives Jobb the opportunity to exhibit his impressive research and storytelling skills . . . A highly readable, entertaining story.” —Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme Scams Past and Present written by Colleen Cross and published by Slice Publishing Mystery and Thriller Books. This book was released on 2024-07-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The unputdownable true crime financial thriller and instant #1 bestseller Wall Street sell-offs and stock market meltdowns aren't the worst that can happen... What if you're invested in a Ponzi Scheme? It can happen to you... Market volatility, financial upheaval, and economic uncertainty are the main catalysts for Ponzi scheme collapse--and financially ruined investors. Politics, global instability, trade wars and volatile stock markets can all be catalysts for a financial meltdown. When markets collapse, fraud, Ponzi schemes and other investment scams are exposed, but usually too late to get your money back. Are you and your money protected? Can you spot a Ponzi scheme? Most people don't know that they're caught in a fraudulent investment until it's too late. At best they lose their retirement funds, college funds, and nest eggs. At worst, they are financially ruined. You owe it to yourself and your family to learn how to spot and avoid Ponzi schemes and protect your money. Most of the 10 biggest Ponzi schemes collapsed during the Great Recession and financial crisis. Today's financial markets are even more volatile, with catalysts providing exactly the right conditions to trigger a Ponzi scheme collapse. Unwitting investors will be financially ruined and left holding the bag. The next massive Ponzi scheme collapse will surprise both veteran investors and financial experts alike, and will dwarf Bernard Madoff's massive $50 billion fraud during the 2008 financial crisis. Will you be a victim of the greatest fraud of the 21st century, or will you be prepared? Don't fall prey to the next wolf of Wall Street. You will be surprised to learn you are probably already invested in one of these schemes, either directly or indirectly as part of your mutual fund, pension fund, hedge fund or other investments. Many innocent victims suffered financial ruin simply because they didn't spot the Ponzi scheme red flags and warning signs until it was too late. Knowledge is power, and by following a few simple steps you can protect yourself and your money. You'll also discover exactly how Bernard Madoff, Scott Rothstein, Tom Petters and others defrauded investors for years, and how they ultimately got caught. Get Anatomy of a Ponzi today so you can protect yourself and keep your investments safe! A #1 New York Times bestseller business book from investing expert and CPA Colleen Cross. This exposé of the Wall Street underworld of tax havens and shady investment scams will both shock you and inform you as you prepare for the next Wall St. market meltdown... New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Cross is a CPA and personal finance expert who writes action-packed financial and legal thrillers, true crime and white-collar crime. What readers are saying: "Hands down the best investing book I have read in years. The practical advice and real-life stories are eye-opening and scary." "Fascinating how history always repeats. Great reading!" "You'll never trust your investment adviser again - a must read!" Also by Colleen Cross: Katerina Carter Fraud Thriller Series Exit Strategy Game Theory Blowout Greenwash Red Handed Blue Moon Nonfiction Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme: Scams Past and Present Keywords: undoing project, Brexit, EU, UK, USA, Great Recession, DepressionPonzi scheme, books, ebooks, how to spot a scam, financial thriller, crime, financial crisis, stock market crash, penny stocks, short sellers, market volatility, true crime, financial crime, Ponzi, ponzi schemes, Charles Ponzi, Paul Burks, Marc Dreier, Nevin Shapiro, Ioan Stoica, Damara Bertges, Scott Rothstein, Tom Petters, Allen Stanford, Bernard Madoff, swindlers, cons, cheats, forensic accounting, accounting, money, criminals, white collar crime, scams, securities, nvestments, investing, retirement, sarah howe, bill miller, fraud red flags, psychopaths, pyramid schemes, mavrodi, whistle blower, best selling, bestselling, banks, banking, bookkeeping, budgeting, business ethics, corporate finance, business history, economics, finance, personal finance, small business, financial crisis, business ethics, white collar crime, wolf of wall street, jordan belfort, the street, FBI, secret service, michael lewis, financial thrillers, audit, crime, wall street, wall st, money managers, fraud, money, accounting scandals, SEC, Ponzi, ponzie, financial crisis, recession, great recession, stock market crash, cross, forensics, forensic accounting for dummies, crime scene, crime scene investigation, wall street trader, wall street survivor, mutual funds, hedge funds, hedge funds market wizards, stock market meltdown, stocks, debt equity finance, equity, currency trading, options trading, stock trading, stock market basics, stock market investing, get rich cheating, get rich now, get rich, investing for dummies, financial shenanigans, forex, retirement countdown, retirement calculator, financial management, financial do's and don'ts, financial accounting, financial crimes, best crime books, true crime books, crime books, krimi, fraud, invest your money stock funds gold property, profitable, profits, investment banking, investment management, cfa, millionaire, millionaire secrets, billionaire, think and grow rich, making money, fortune, blue chip investing, trump, swindle, liar's poker, scam, trick, wall street, dividend, buy side, trade, trading, con, confidence game, capital gain, futures, short sale, ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme, enron, galleon, tyco, forensic accountant, fraud investigation, fraud audit, whistle blower, whistle blowing, financial statement fraud, fraud triangle, great recession, 2008, 2017 bestseller, financial thriller, recession, what is a ponzi scheme?, ponzi scheme definition, ponzi scheme example, define ponzi scheme, how to invest in stocks, best sellers, best seller, Federal Reserve, currency wars, currency China, ann rule, true crime, trump foundation, how to spot a ponzi scheme, how to spot a pyramid scheme, scott petters, ponzi's scheme, the wizard of lies, the wolf of wall street, fraud and fraud detection, trail of greed, fraud essays, russion oligarchs, winning investment habits, a random walk down wall streeet, famous ponzi schemes, madoff''s other secret, the madoff affair, andrew kirtzman, the club no one wanted, above suspicion, thomas j.stanley, how to day trade for a living, day trading secrets, oracle of omaha, corporate finance for dummies, the complete guide to spotting accounting fraud and cover-ups, master of the ponzi scheme, catch me if you can, white collar crime biographies, white collar crime book, brian k.payne, stephen m. rosoff, quality of earnings, creative cash flow reporting, the financial numbers game, value investing, superforecasting, the great derangement, smells like dead elephants, how the hell did this happen, shattered, the case for impeachment, a colony in a nation, this fight is our fight, the new york times, con artist, frank abignale, how to cheat at everything, the modern con man, social engineering, get the truth, accounting tricks, wall street journal, wall street a history, insane clown president, michael lewis, fraud, scams, financial shenanigans, white collar crime, investment books, economics, dark money, fraud examination, day trading, confessions of an economic hitman, flash boys, the spider network, tax haven, the millionaire next door, washington post, kurt eichenwald, forensic accounting, ethics, george soros, millionaire mindset, ponzi schemes, investment, diana henriques, madoff, pyramid schemes, financial crisis, trump, the 4-hour workweek, timothy ferris, jay papasan, gary keller, steve scott, s j scott, habit stacking, thomas j. stanley, dave ramsey, james altucher, trade like a hedge fund, thomas l. friedman, investing mistakes, investing for beginners, investing 101, investing how to, building wealth, warren buffet, berkshire hathaway, security analysis, filthy rich, the great convergence, richard baldwin, rich dad poor dad, donald j trump, kawasaki, napoleon hill, picking stocks, think and grow rich, benjamin graham, the smartest guys in the room, white collar criminal, the panama papers, den of thieves, lords of finance, the intelligent investor, the one thing, business ethics, stock investment, investing books, charles ponzi, financial crime, financial fraud, finance books, investing for dummies, economics for dummies, jane mayer, business books best sellers, fraud detection, thomas piketty, investing books best sellers, stocks and bonds, stocks for the long run, fraud books, wall street, wolf of wall street, jordan belfort, stock market, tyco, enron, scott rothstein, bernie madoff,investment ripoffs, certified fraud examiner, auditing, bankruptcy, allen stanford, wizard of lies, flash crash, american greed, election, unprecedented, no one would listen, betrayal the life and lies of bernie madoff, the richest man in babylon, capital, catching the wolf of wall street, boomerang, moneyball, the big short, the undoing project, liar's poker, the alchemy of finance, the crisis of global capitalism, th ascent of money, the house of rothschild, empire, civilization, the great degeneration, fraud 101, fraud analytics, accounting fraud and cover ups, cfe, forensic accounting and fraud examination, principles of fraud, ethics in accounting, financial statement fraud, conspiracy of fools, power failure, sherron watkins, extraordinary circumstances, whistleblower, dodd-frank, regulating wall street, the dark side, hillbilly elegy, the plot to hack america, thank you for being late, saving capitalism, commonwealth, profit over people, red notice, the whistler, the shock doctrine, our revolution, a man for all markets, antifragile, nassim nicholas taleb, investing done right, black edge, the white coat investor, tribes, flipping the switch, twilight of the elites, unshakeable, the life-changing magic of tidying up, white trash, requiem for the american dream, the black swan, wikileaks, robert reich, a beginner's guide to investing, think like a freak, the choose yourself guide to wealth, the introvert advantage, snakes in suits, the sociopath next door, forex trading, the million dollar decision, how to day trade, how to make money in stocks, irrational exuberance, narrative and numbers, little books big profits, motley fool, wiley finance, wiley trading, how to, options trading basics, jason zweig, blockchain revolution, bitcoin, glass house, too big to fail, business adventures, the great bubble burst, weaponized lies, the road to ruin, misbehaving, a little history of economics, ted books, unlocking potential, tools of titans, the effective executive, radical candor, living well spending less, invest like a pro, the 4 hour workweek, start with why, elon musk, total money makeover, how to manage your money, never split the difference, getting things done, accounting made simple, seven day weekend, profit first, accounting for small business owners, financial intelligence, finance for dummies, accounting for dummies, the thief in your company, financial peace, the history of money, ultimate ponzi, the ponzi scheme puzzle, fraud of the century, small business fraud, the art of the con, the art of the deal, howard schilit, other people's money, the end of alchemy, new york times, financial thriller, truth and consequences, the end of normal, harry markopolos, chasing madoff, bernie madoff, master of the ponzi scheme, frontline, stephanie madoff mack, brian ross, madoff with the money, joe sharkey, narco, pablo escobar, best seller books, bestsellers, bestseller books, nassim taleb, fooled by randomness, black swan, malcolm gladwell, thomas friedman, stiglitz, rachel maddow, naomi klein, the 5 years before you retire, retirement planning, john brooks, emily guy birken, freakonomics, integrity, day trading for dummies, the world is flat, fed up, wealth can't wait, the one week budget, venture deals, venture capital, warren buffet books, market wizards, andrew ross sorkin, diana b. henriques, makers and takers, quickbooks, more money than god, hedge funds, anatomy of a fraud investigation, corporate fraud handbook, financial forensics body of knowledge, bernard madoff, david enrich, lucifer's banker, confessions of a wall street insider, erin arvedlund, crazy rich, eugene soltes, sheelah kolhatkar, the billionaire's apprentice, michael kimelman, the upstarts, roger lowenstein, turney duff, john lefevre, greg smith, david carey, barbarians at the gate, jason kelly, robert finkel, marcel link, white collar crime books, corporate conspiracies, trump, michael wolff

Download or read book History of Greed written by David E. Y. Sarna and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-07-30 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The “greater fool” theory of economics states that it’s possible to make money by buying paper (securities), whether overvalued or not, and later, selling it at a profit because there will always be an even greater fool willing to pay the higher price. Many described in this book profited by peddling such worthless junk to foolish investors. But for some people—Bernie Madoff, Norman Hsu, Sholam Weiss, and “Crazie Eddie” Antar, aka the “Darth Vader of Capitalism”—overvalued securities were not enough. Outright fraud was their way of life. History of Greed is the compelling inside story of the names you know—Charles Ponzi, Baron Rothschild, Lou Pearlman—and the names you don’t—Isaac Le Maire, the world’s first “naked” short-seller. It’s also our story—why we ignore the lessons of the past and fall prey, most every time, to the promise of easy money. For thousands of years, alchemists unsuccessfully tried to turn worthless base metals into gold. Where science failed at turning nothing into something, business succeeded. Sometimes we praise the creators of derivatives, collateral debt obligations, subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or auction rate securities as Wall Street’s new financial wizards, the creators of “magic paper.” Other times, we vilify and prosecute them as scam artists. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell who is who. History of Greed reveals the inside secrets of how the markets really work, and how scam artists abuse them to gain an unfair edge or to outright steal. It describes how luftgescheft (“air business”), wizardry, dishonesty, and fraud are used to swindle people. Along with a comprehensive bibliography, History of Greed also details: 400 years of financial fraud—from everyday fraud to the odd and unusual Accounting fraud (phantom sales), stock option fraud (backdating), auction rate securities, hedge fund fraud, Ponzi schemes, promotion fraud (pump-and-dump scams), and money laundering How to detect fraudulent schemes How government regulation only fixes yesterday’s problems If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. If they say you can’t lose, you probably will. History of Greed shows that there really is no such thing as a free lunch, while also detailing how not to become the “greater fool.”

Download or read book You Can t Cheat an Honest Man written by James Walsh and published by Silver Lake Publishing. This book was released on 1998 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The news is full of modern variations of the Ponzi scheme, which uses money from new investors to pay existing ones, setting up "levels" of investors to keep growing which always eventually collapse. This book uses case studies to suggest several explanations, plus helpful tips to detect Ponzi schemes and offers ways to respond.

Download or read book SCAMS and how to protect yourself from them written by and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Summer of Charlie Ponzi written by Noel Hynd and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-12 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One sweltering afternoon late in June 1919, a thirty-seven-year-old clerk named Charles Ponzi, who was employed by a Boston, Massachusetts brokerage house, opened an envelope from Spain and made a startling discovery. The envelope contained a postal reply coupon, something Ponzi had never heard of. The coupon, which the writer in Spain had enclosed to cover the postal reply from the brokerage house, had been purchased in Madrid for the equivalent of one cent in U.S. currency. Yet it was redeemable at any post office or bank in the United States for five cents.Ponzi pursed his lips and looked off into space. Here, he decided, was something worthy of serious investigation. So began a unique story in the history of American crime, and so begins 'The Summer of Charlie Ponzi, ' the newest novel by espionage and crime author Noel Hynd. 'The Summer of Charlie Ponzi' is based on the true story of the involvement and reporting of his father, Alan Hynd, in the infamous Ponzi case in 1919 and 1920.Boston in the years after World War One was a bustling, booming metropolis, the fifth-largest city in the United States. The Roaring Twenties were underway. Immigrants from all over the world poured into Prohibition-era Boston. So did young, first-generation American men and women anxious to seek their fortune. America, and Boston in particular, was a wide-open place, filled with crime, jazz, flappers, a new easy morality, and speakeasies. There were two great baseball clubs - the Braves and the Red Sox - and six daily newspapers.Newspapers were everywhere. There were newsstands at North Station, in front of Symphony Hall, in front of Filene's, and in the streets of Charlestown, Southie and Dorchester. On the rare blocks with no newsstand, the hoarse, aggressive chant of newsboys filled the air.The Boston Post stood out among the daily papers. It was the fourth-leading morning newspaper in the country in circulation. There were many reasons The Post stood out, but one was city editor Eddie Dunn, the best newspaperman in Boston during the hard-drinking, two-fisted era of the 1920s. Eddie Dunn understood news, how to find it, get it, and sell it.By the end of 1919, Charlie Ponzi had hatched out his scheme: he would build his fortune on postal reply coupons and beat the banks in the money lending game. While banks were paying five percent per year, Ponzi promised investors fifty percent interest in forty-five days. He soon had people lining up at his office on School Street, practically throwing money at him. By April of 1920, Charlie Ponzi was taking in a $250,000 every day in cash as his pyramid scheme swept the city.The offices of The Boston Post were also on School Street. Inevitably, The Post and Ponzi took notice and measure of each other. In the summer of 1920, their worlds collided. When the Ponzi swindle became the biggest local story of the year, even bigger than Sacco and Vanzetti, Eddie Dunn threw every spare reporter onto the story. By this time, Alan Hynd, still in his late teens, had cadged a job as a street reporter for The Post. He had only a few weeks of experience, but Dunn assigned him to his team of top reporters covering the case.'The Summer of Charlie Ponzi' is the story of a young man covering the most brazen financial crime of the twentieth century. This hard-edged Jazz-Age tale is full of fascinating women and men drawn from the newsrooms, tenements, speakeasies, high social circles, financial boardrooms, streets, and sidewalks of Boston of the 1920s. Told in the young reporter's sly acerbic voice, the tale is at times brash and hilarious, at times heartbreaking, frequently astonishing, and always riveting.*'The Summer of Charlie Ponzi' joins 'Ashes from a Burning Corpse' in the series "An American True Crime Reporter in the 20th Century." The series recounts the major cases of the American reporter who would later become one of the best-known true crime writers of his era

Download or read book Lying for Money written by Dan Davies and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entertaining, deeply informative explanation of how high-level financial crimes work, written by an industry insider who’s an expert in the field. The way most white-collar crime works is by manipulating institutional psychology. That means creating something that looks as much as possible like a normal set of transactions. The drama comes later, when it all unwinds. Financial crime seems horribly complicated, but there are only so many ways you can con someone out of what’s theirs. In Lying for Money, veteran regulatory economist and market analyst Dan Davies tells the story of fraud through a genealogy of financial malfeasance, including: the Great Salad Oil swindle, the Pigeon King International fraud, the fictional British colony of Poyais in South America, the Boston Ladies’ Deposit Company, the Portuguese Banknote Affair, Theranos, and the Bre-X scam. Davies brings new insights into these schemes and shows how all frauds, current and historical, belong to one of four categories (“long firm,” counterfeiting, control fraud, and market crimes) and operate on the same basic principles. The only elements that change are the victims, the scammers, and the terminology. Davies has years of experience picking the bones out of some of the most famous frauds of the modern age. Now he reveals the big picture that emerges from their labyrinths of deceit and explains how fraud has shaped the entire development of the modern world economy.

Download or read book Faith Based Fraud written by Warren Cole Smith and published by WildBlue Press. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leader of Ministry Watch examines how cases of abuse and financial corruption have hurt the church—and how to bring back integrity. We live in a secular, skeptical, and cynical age. Many Americans have lost faith in institutions—including the church. Although the vast majority of Christian leaders serve faithfully, examples of financial fraud, greed, sexual and emotional abuse, and other systemic problems are almost everyday occurrences. And a watching world has a right to ask even those who are faithful ministers of the Gospel: “If you knew this was happening, why didn’t you say something?” Whether or not honest and above-board Christian leadership like it, in the eyes of the world, our silence makes us complicit. That’s why this vital book takes a clear-eyed look at scandals in the church—from Jim and Tammy Bakker’s PTL Network to Mark Driscoll, Todd Bentley, David Jeremiah, and Bill Hybels. It is an answer to those who say that the silence of Christian leadership is approval. And although this book is sometimes tough on the church and its leaders, its purpose is not to tear down the evangelical church, but to restore it to its rightful place of influence in the culture and in the lives of people who desperately need its message of grace and truth. “Explains why shining sunlight on churches and ministries in America is important.” —Paul Glader, Director of the McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute, The King’s College