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social science subjects > business and management > business ethics > finance ethics > ponzi schemes
social science subjects > business and management > business ethics > marketing ethics > ponzi schemes
... > social science subjects > criminology and criminal justice > criminology > white-collar and corporate crime > scams and swindles > ponzi schemes

Preferred term

ponzi schemes  

Definition

  • A Ponzi scheme is a variant of the centuries-old fraud popularly known as “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” which requires luring an initial group of gullible investors by offering them an improbably high return on their money, presumably made possible by investing their funds in a superbly profitable business venture. In reality, this great enterprise is either nonexistent or is merely a front, and the initial investors are actually paid with the funds provided by a second group of investors. [Source: Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society; Ponzi Scheme]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/ponzi_schemes

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