A chronological index of documented Ponzi schemes and investment frauds, from the 1880s to the present. Each entry lists the operator, the entity, the jurisdiction, the period, and what the scheme claimed to be.
The structure barely changes. Reading it in order is the point: the postal coupons of 1920 and the smart contracts of 2022 are running the same play.
This index is not yet published.
67 entries are drafted in data/schemes.php, all marked 'verified' => false. Each needs to be checked against a primary source and have its source URLs added before it appears here.
To preview them while working, set $SHOW_UNVERIFIED = true at the top of schemes.php. Do not deploy with that enabled.
Know of a case that belongs here, or spot an error? Write to neal [at] ponziplaybook [dot] com.
Entries describe allegations and adjudicated findings drawn from public records. Charges are allegations; defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted. See our legal notice.
