Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend

Whether or not you want to learn about what these "Ponzi" schemes are, this book is just a fabulous read. It is a biography of a colourful character, wonderfully written, exciting and interesting. It is a genuine page-turner as Ponzi digs himself deeper and deeper into a hole, sucking in thousands of people with him. You know it is always going to end in disaster, but it's how he gets there that is what is captivating. Ultimately, he scammed many people out of a lot of money and yet, I can't help but feel sorry for himI love reading good biographies and I've read this book four or five times now. It's a wonderful read and I can't recommend it enough.

I've heard of Ponzi Schemes mentioned in TV programmes, so I thought this book would give me the background. It certainly did that . It was all based on a very simple idea. I'm amazed at the gullibility and greed of the general public, and all credit to Ponzi for carrying it off for as long as he did. Nowhere near the scale of Bernie Madoff's more recent version of a similar scheme. I read that book too.

Wonderful book.I've became fascinated by modern ponzy schemes and why people let themselves get involved in such dubious businesses.It's a great read, and it tells the story of an ambitious altough dishonest man who developed an elaborate scheme to make money.This still happens nowadays, and it's interesting to look inside of these scammers minds. This book does it very well.

Good.

Delivered as promised. Interesting read.

a great book very well written at best price, very pleased.

I love it. Nice book.

The story of Charles Ponzi is a legend in the United States and one that seemed to justify the claim that every citizen's dream can come true. Well, the charming, smiling little rogue launched a scam using an international postage service, by gambling on huge variations in the currency market, and promising to double an investor's money His get rich quick plan led to big queues at his scruffy office as Boston's citizens knew a good thing when they saw it, and Ponzi, the virtually penniless immigrant, became a millionaire overnight. Almost every day for months, there were queues of people clutching their life savings and throwing money into the get rich quick pot At one stage he was raking in two million dollars a week He and his wife Rose, the love of his life, moved into a mansion in the city's top area, he swanned around in a luxurious car driven by a chauffeur and he smiled and smiled, charming adoring crowds in his stylish Roaring Twenties natty suits. The Cote d'Azur men's book club loved the book, and loved Charles Ponzi; his public appearances as a suave financier, the man who made the American Dream come true turned him into a sort of Pied Piper whistling money out of thin air.' He kept his promises to investors and when they redeemed his notes after 90 days they received 50 per cent interest.. Ponzi was, of course, playing the old conman's game, robbing Peter to pay Paul Eventually the dozy State bureaucrats woke up but not until a campaign by the proprietor of the Boston Post, Edwin Grozier and later his son, Richard, began to make people suspicious. Fast talking Ponzi refuted all the allegations and the money still poured in, until the Post revealed his past and the fact that he had served two jail terms in Montreal for forgery and fraud. The game was almost up but it was not until the Bank Commissioner more or less froze the account that held over $l,500,000 of Ponzi's money, and made him bankrupt, that the ceiling fell in The man who had once suffered the agony of donating large amounts of his skin to help a badly burned woman he did not even know, a man always willing to help and comfort those people who need his help, went to jail still claiming he was innocent, and ended being continually persecuted by the authorities Hundreds of investors invaded his company offices when he was arrested, but, of course, there was not enough money to pay them. Squads of tough Boston policemen - many of them had been happy investors earlier - kept them at bay. Ironically, Ponzi had the money to pay out but he could not get his hands on it, thanks to the Bank Commissioner's action and the Attorney General's determination to get Ponzi. In a final act of vengeance, a tearful Ponzi was deported. He never saw his beloved wife, Rose again and eventually ended his life in the charity ward of a hospital in Rio, leaving just ninety dollars. He was sixty fix years old, a legend, and his name still lives on through the world wide fame of the scam known as Ponzi's Scheme..