Pyramid

a method of illegal enrichment used by financial companies. The proceeds from the sale of securities by the company to persons forming the lower layers of the P. are partially transferred in the form of dividends to persons who previously purchased securities and form the top of the P., and partially go to wide advertising and to the income of the financial company. P. sooner or later is doomed to destruction. Members of the lower layers lose their investments, and the company either collapses or starts creating a new P. Such financial transactions are usually prohibited by law