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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7726069.stm

The people who got scammed by pyramid schemes, or the unrepentant people behind them that revel in stealing money from the poor.

Either way, YAY CAPITALISM.

how exactly is that Capitlism again???

sounds like con-men to me....

but still

"I mortgaged my house, invested all my savings," he said.

slow

Albania went bust a few years ago from that kind of pyramid scheme.

They are illegal in the UK. People still try to pull it off through. There was a woman on the TV the other day, swearing blind her scheme was not a pyramid scheme even though it clearly was.

Oh, the bint off of The Apprentice. Saw that two. Silly mare. It's blatantly a Pyramid Scheme.

I feel sorry for those who invest in such things, but to invest *every last penny* is a fools errand on any investment, let alone a dodgy one.

I was expecting the police to walk onto the set and arrest her. That would have sent a signal to everyone.

Indeed! Would also have wiped the grin off her face.

Seriously, does she have *no* morals?

I couldn't fathom her out. You saw the show -- she was totally insistent she had taken good financial and legal advice and was in the clear, yet it was obvious to the objective viewer that it was a simple pyramid scheme.

I think my brother and my parents partook in a pyramid scheme at some point in their lives :(

They didn't reinvest everything into it. For them it was just another way to make some money
to send back to the Philippines. So they weren't ruined, but it makes me sad to think about it.

Pyramid schemes are clearly wrong and deceitful, but anyone signing up to them is clearly not quite all there. Surely everyone knows about how ridiculous they are by now? Well, apparently not...

Quote: "The people behind a pyramid scheme in Santander de Quilichao disappeared, leaving a note stuck to the doors taunting the investors for having been duped.

It said: "Now for being stupid and believing in witchcraft you will have to work much harder to recoup the money you gave us."

The office of another pyramid scheme had a greetings card stuck on the door which read: "We wish you a sad Christmas and a shameful New Year." "

Some people really are evil though, aren't they?

Could someone elaborate on this 'Dragons Den' story a little please?

Certainly.

She turned up on Watchdog this week, who had secretly filmed one of her 'ladies lunch meetings' where she explained her rather blatant Pyramid Scheme. They didn't go into a great deal of detail, but it should still be available on iPlayer I'd imagine....

Linky linky! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search/?q=Watchdog

Ta, I'll watch it when I get home.

It was towards the tail end of the programme...last 5 minutes I think.

InyokaMadoda wrote:Pyramid schemes are clearly wrong and deceitful, but anyone signing up to them is clearly not quite all there. Surely everyone knows about how ridiculous they are by now? Well, apparently not...

Quote: "The people behind a pyramid scheme in Santander de Quilichao disappeared, leaving a note stuck to the doors taunting the investors for having been duped.

It said: "Now for being stupid and believing in witchcraft you will have to work much harder to recoup the money you gave us."

The office of another pyramid scheme had a greetings card stuck on the door which read: "We wish you a sad Christmas and a shameful New Year." "

Some people really are evil though, aren't they?

It is difficult to know how much society should try to shield people from their stupidity and ignorance.

A good basic education ought to solve a lot of these kind of problems.

It would be better to provide that than to try and cope with the effects of not having it, that occur later in live.