a fraudulent scheme in which people are recruited to make payments to the person who recruited them while expecting to receive payments from the persons they recruit; when the number of new recruits fails to sustain the hierarchical payment structure the scheme collapses with most of the participants losing the money they put in
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Examples of pyramid scheme
pyramid scheme
His collapsed pyramid scheme was second in size only to that of Bernie Madoff's.
From the independent.co.uk
That result in a generational pyramid scheme rather than sustainable financing.
From the theatlantic.com
Hartwig said that the company is not a pyramid scheme, as critics have charged.
From the bats.blogs.nytimes.com
It's like saying some pyramid scheme isn't bad because Bernie Madoff's was worse.
From the forbes.com
She took over after the agency failed to detect the Bernard Madoff pyramid scheme.
From the charlotteobserver.com
If SS continued to pay people after they died, that would be a pyramid scheme.
From the economist.com
This is why another term for a Ponzi or pyramid scheme is a confidence trick.
From the time.com
Variations include the pyramid scheme, the Ponzi scheme, and the Matrix sale.
From the en.wikipedia.org
Emily Medina isn't running a pyramid scheme, despite what people often think.
From the time.com
