NOUN
- a fraudulent scheme in which people are recruited to make payments to the person who recruited them while expecting to receive payments from the persons they recruit; when the number of new recruits fails to sustain the hierarchical payment structure the scheme collapses with most of the participants losing the money they put in
How To Use pyramid scheme In A Sentence
- "We've been accused of operating a franchise or running a pyramid scheme.
- I find it interesting that nearly two-thirds of the current users have not actually invited anyone else to join, although given the fact that mixi is so well-established as the market leader, like a pyramid scheme once the market is saturated those at the bottom run out of people to invite as most people who are interested in joining have already joined, perhaps. Real versus virtual friends on mixi
- As an unofficial spokesperson for the Super-villain Community, I would like to respectfully request that you use the term pyramid scheme when reporting on the Bernie Madoff financial fraud story. Evil Inc.
- Meanwhile, the volume of spam continues to rise, as hucksters pitch porn sites, pyramid schemes, quack health remedies, online casinos, mortgage refinancing, and so on.
- On the other hand, illegitimate pyramid schemes can resemble legit sales operations.
- The legal definition of a pyramid scheme is one where no real products have been sold. Times, Sunday Times
- A pyramid scheme creates the illusion of financial success by paying off early investors with funds provided by later investors.
- In the classic pyramid scheme, participants attempt to make money solely by recruiting new participants. Christianity Today
- The rest of us are forced into what's little more than a massive pyramid scheme.
- The principle behind a chain letter is basically the same as a pyramid scheme, except that with chain letters, you don't have to deceive yourself as much as with pyramid schemes.