Ponzi / pyramid scheme

[Gambino1726]

Has anyone here ever genuinely been SUCCESSFUL in a ponzi or pyramid scheme?

I did ok in a ‘send your friends a chocolate bar’ thing at school. I got in early before parents shut it down!

What is that?

Of course not, the only beneficiaries are those that Set them up.

What got you asking OP?

Why are you asking? They don’t work and you’ll piss off everyone you know.

They are all scams. Don't fall for them.

I worked with someone who signed up with Younique early days so she was nearly top of the pyramid in her area. He constantly went on about how shocked he was she made so much money.
Of course that money was made off the backs of other women who were losing money. 10 years on I doubt she is making that much.

Someone I knew tried to get me involved in one of these scams many years ago
they got quite shirty that I didn’t want to join up. Great way to lose money and friends

I’m not involved in a ponzi or pyramid scheme and don’t plan to be. I asked because I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who said they made money, so where does the money go? To whom?

I expect a few people at the top / got in early do OK, but most are just funding the people above them

This is well known

I know someome who sells that Herbalife shake stuff who is now high up the pyramid and seems to make a lot! She gets a cut of all those in the pyramid below her.

She is excellent at saying whst she needs to to make a sale.

Someone I know got involved in one years ago. Something to do with “women empowering women” - they had these meetings and everyone had to pay money to the person holding the meeting I think (it was a long time ago so can’t recall the details) she ended up with about £12k which paid for a new kitchen. Obviously a total scam as the people at the bottom would’ve ended up paying out money but not receiving any.

so where does the money go? To whom? The person/people at the top of the pyramid

If everyone sends me a tenner, I'll tell you how to make them work for you 🤔

Well people must make money otherwise they’d never get off the ground. Problem is that sooner or later it will always fail!

Technically pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes are two different things. And MLM (like Younique) is something else entirely.
Pyramid schemes rely on you having to recruit other people to the scheme, with the money flowing upwards based on getting more money below you (someone recruits you, then you have to recruit 5 people etc).
Ponzi schemes are investment based - but the early investors are being paid with money or in my new investors. When new investors stop joining it all collapses. For example you are promised a 20% return on you investment in 6 months, the scammer pays you the return by using money someone newer to the scheme has just given them. When is time for the newer person to get paid, if there isn't people newer than them below them then there's no money to pay them.
The key thing for both of pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes is there is no physical product. No one is selling anything - it's purely investment/recruitment based.
There are a lot more nuances I'm sure, but that's a fairly simple explanation.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is something different. There is a physical product being sold (whenever it's make up, skincare, candles to name a few popular ones). Recruitment is clearly encouraged as you get a cut of those your recruit's sales, but it does not rely solely on recruitment or passive investments, there is a product changing hands.

Pyramid schemes and Ponzi Schemes are both illegal in the UK.
MLM can be considered as ethically dubious, but is not illegal.