In a world where &quot;Nigerian princes&quot; had yet to utilize email, one crafty foreigner figured out the best way to swindle wealthy people out of their money: by promising them a ridiculous rate of return on investments. Charles Ponzi (also known as Charles Ponei, Charles P. Bianchi, Carl, or simply &#x27;The Ponz&#x27;) promised his clients a 50% return on their investment in a ridiculously short amount of time. He initially acheived this by paying his past clients with the investments of future clients. This evil genius tactic has become known as a &quot;Ponzi Scheme,&quot; and was most famously utilized in recent history by Bernie Madoff. He eventually went to jail, because duh.