The Ponzi Scheme: A Financial Catastrophe

The single biggest crime in history wasn't a bank heist or a murder. It was a con so

massive, it collapsed entire economies and nobody went to jail for decades.

Let me tell you about Charles Ponzi. In 1920, this Italian immigrant promised Boston

investors a 50% return in just 45 days. His scheme? International postal

reply coupons. Sounds boring, right? That's what made it genius.

Postal coupons were like stamps you could buy in one country and exchange for stamps in another.

Ponzi claimed he'd exploit currency exchange rates for profit. Investors threw

money at him. Within months, he was making millions. People mortgaged their homes to invest.