# What are the biggest scams of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626 "2006-08-07T00:16:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/1 "2006-08-07T00:16:03Z")
I’m not looking for answers like _“Life Insurance and Casinos are the biggest scams”_ but rather stories like [this one](http://static.circa1984.com/the-big-scam.html). You get **bonus points** for entertaining scams. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/2 "2006-08-07T00:50:58Z")
I’m gonna have to vote for the [P-P-P-Powerbook.](http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/3 "2006-08-07T01:31:02Z")
I’m too annoyed by the fact that the writer uses an acronym without explaining what the fuck it means to go on. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/4 "2006-08-07T01:36:53Z")
Raisins. They’re disgusting, and they’re nothing but dried up grapes that fell off the vine into the dirt. I think it’s the greatest (and longest running) marketing scam in history. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/5 "2006-08-07T01:50:19Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I’m too annoyed by the fact that the writer uses an acronym without explaining what the fuck it means to go on. [/QUOTE] Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/6 "2006-08-07T01:57:33Z")
[QUOTE=pullin] Raisins. They’re disgusting, and they’re nothing but dried up grapes that fell off the vine into the dirt. I think it’s the greatest (and longest running) marketing scam in history. [/QUOTE] That’s the kind of scams I’m not looking for. And I like raisins. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/7 "2006-08-07T01:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=DeadlyAccurate] Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game [/QUOTE] Thank you! Now that I know what it means, I still cannot go on. But at least now I know why! Anyhoo, back to the OP. Big scams? Prolly Amway. Isn’t that the first and only legitimate pyramid scheme? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/8 "2006-08-07T02:04:03Z")
The [Ponzi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi) scheme has been running for about a century (with variations) and it still works. This one has to be the classic. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/9 "2006-08-07T03:06:16Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] The [Ponzi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi) scheme has been running for about a century (with variations) and it still works. This one has to be the classic. [/QUOTE] No, Social Security is still far and away the biggest Ponzi scheme ever run. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/10 "2006-08-07T05:26:21Z")
[The Spanish Prisoner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner) is a grift that has a 500 year history is still going on in the form of the Nigerian Money Transfer Fraud that fills everyone’s inboxes to this day. It’s hard to believe that anyone falls for it anymore, but I guess if you set it up right, any con can work. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/11 "2006-08-07T06:04:29Z")
For sheer size, the [Albanian Pyramid Scheme](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2000/03/jarvis.htm) surely deserves a mention. > [@](#): > > At their peak, the nominal value of the pyramid schemes’ **liabilities amounted to almost half of the country’s GDP**. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/12 "2006-08-07T14:04:40Z")
Why did I spend the last 45 minutes of my life reading long winded stories of scamming the scammers? I feel like I was taken to the bank… Shaking head. I’m such a sucker. ---
**Author:** ![Jean\_Poutine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@Jean\_Poutine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jean_Poutine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/13 "2006-08-07T14:41:23Z")
Bottled tap water? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/14 "2006-08-07T16:12:22Z")
[Tino De Angelis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tino_De_Angelis) and [Ivar Kreuger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_Kreuger) deserve some note. ---
**Author:** ![Sad\_and\_Deranged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Sad\_and\_Deranged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sad_and_Deranged)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/15 "2006-08-07T16:46:42Z")
Scientology Not only is the premise and practice a whole bunch of crap, but they’ve somehow managed to scam so many people into believing this cult. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/16 "2006-08-08T12:20:53Z")
It was government-sanctioned, but [Abscam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam) was brilliantly executed and had a lot of impact. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/17 "2006-08-08T12:50:20Z")
I don’t know if I’d call it a scam, but the Hunt brother’s cornering of the silver market in the late 70’s was pretty massive, [link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Thursday). ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/18 "2006-08-08T13:10:37Z")
Opera? Phishing frauds on bank customers are pretty huge and well organised at the moment, but they are not (yet) as vast as the Nigerian Scams or the Albanian Pyramid catastrophe mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/19 "2006-08-08T13:16:08Z")
Three card Monty. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-scams-of-all-time/367626/20 "2006-08-08T14:32:48Z")
Amway, which is Quixtar, when people WITHOUT a lot of business and social acumen are recruited to work for it. It’s only going to work if you know how to play the game, and reps KNOWINGLY recruit people who WILL fail.