püramiidskeem

Püramiidskeem is a fraudulent investment operation where participants make money primarily by recruiting new investors, rather than from any legitimate investment or business activity. The scheme is structured like a pyramid, with a few individuals at the top and a large base of participants below. New recruits pay money to join, and a portion of this money is passed up to those higher in the pyramid. The majority of participants at the lower levels inevitably lose their money because the scheme collapses when recruitment slows down, which it inevitably does as the pool of potential new investors dries up.

The promised returns in a püramiidskeem are typically unrealistically high and are presented as a guaranteed passive income. However, the funds used to pay these returns come directly from the money invested by new members. There is no underlying product or service generating profit, or if there is, its sales are insufficient to sustain the promised payouts. This makes the entire structure unsustainable.

Püramiidskeemid are illegal in most jurisdictions due to their inherent deceptive nature and the high likelihood of financial loss for most participants. Authorities often warn the public against such schemes, emphasizing that if an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, it usually is. The key indicator of a püramiidskeem is the emphasis on recruitment over actual product sales or genuine investment returns.