Ponzi : The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons

Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: ?Ponzi? chronicles the life of Charles Ponzi who is synonymous with the scam of paying off new investors with old investors money. This entertaining character would promise a 50% return on investment in 90 days.

To recruit investors Ponzi would hire people on a freelance basis, whereby they would earn 10% of new investors money. For example, if they located someone willing to invest $1000 they would earn $100. These recruiters would target both the poor and the wealthy. This caused such a surge in demand that Ponzi could afford paying off old investors with the new money that was constantly pouring in.

Each major city eventually had someone working for him, and eventually there would be thousands of investors lined up, waiting patiently for hours for the privilege of investing.

At one point major banks had to shut down because most account holders were withdrawing all of their funds to invest with Ponzi. Ponzi of course had enough money to rescue some banks from bankruptcy and became a majority shareholder.

These investments were based on a bogus business of buying and selling International Reply Coupons.

This is thrilling to read and at times what happens sounds too unbelievable to be. Other scenes are hilarious as the story moves around from one con to another. My only complaint with this book is that at times the author ?Donald Dunn? dictates what Ponzi is thinking, when there is no actual way for him to know.

This is a great addition to the ?Broadway Books Library of Larceny?. You might also want to read another book in this series titled ?Where?s the Money?, which is the autobiography of Willie Sutton, a famous bank robber.


Rating:
Summary: An engaging tale...
Review: Like a great crime drama, "Ponzi" takes you down the amazing road of a simple huckster, and how close he came to making it big. I knocked it out in under 3 days; it's impossible to put down!

Rating:
Summary: An engaging tale...
Review: Like a great crime drama, "Ponzi" takes you down the amazing road of a simple huckster, and how close he came to making it big. I knocked it out in under 3 days; it's impossible to put down!

Rating:
Summary: great for book clubs!
Review: This book is a great read that all will enjoy! Fascinating story and very well written. I am recommending PONZI for my next book club meeting. And I can't wait for the movie to come out!

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the finest overview of Charles Ponzi!
Review: To understand the Ponzi scheme, is to understand the basic root of all types of [cheating]. This book gives a wonderful overview of the life and times of Charles Ponzi. It is written as a historical novel, but seems to be very well researched! The epilogue alone is full of details concerning an important subject about whom little has been written. I only wish the book was footnoted as to references. Donald Dunn has done history a great service by documenting the life of Mr. Ponzi. THIS BOOK IS A "FUN READ" ABOUT A SERIOUS HISTORICAL EVENT!

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the finest overview of Charles Ponzi!
Review: To understand the Ponzi scheme, is to understand the basic root of all types of [cheating]. This book gives a wonderful overview of the life and times of Charles Ponzi. It is written as a historical novel, but seems to be very well researched! The epilogue alone is full of details concerning an important subject about whom little has been written. I only wish the book was footnoted as to references. Donald Dunn has done history a great service by documenting the life of Mr. Ponzi. THIS BOOK IS A "FUN READ" ABOUT A SERIOUS HISTORICAL EVENT!