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Charles Ponzi (1882-1949) was a US immigrant from Lugo, Italy who swindled thousands of New Englanders in a postage-stamp scam in the 1920s. He popularized an investment which paid returns to investors out of the money paid by those who followed them rather than from profit. This illegal money operation was named after him. The Ponzi scheme as it is known today, evolved with many variations. Disregarding some differences in the swindling method, Ponzi had been sometimes referred to as the "pyramid scam."

Promising 40% investment return against that which was offered by savings banks with only 5% yield, Ponzi convinced thousands of investors that he could make astounding profits on a buy and sell of international mail coupons. His scheme worked for sometime on the principle of