Synonyms of pyramid scheme

pyramid scheme

noun

as in Ponzi scheme

Synonyms & Similar Words

• Ponzi scheme
• shell game
• cross
• racket
• con
• fix
• scam
• bunko
• swindle
• thimblerig
• fraud
• rip-off
• sting
• jig
• scheme
• stratagem
• bunco
• fiddle
• three-card monte
• flimflam
• device
• dodge
• hustle
• ploy
• gouging
• soaking
• hoax
• forgery
• gimmick
• overcharging
• wile
• phoney
• counterfeit
• sleight
• trick
• fake
• sham
• phony
• humbug

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of pyramid scheme

The government encouraged citizens to invest in a pyramid scheme, triggering a revolt and eventually a civil war—a process in which her family, along with many others, lost everything. —Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021

Both individuals orchestrated massive pyramid schemes, defrauding investors of billions. —James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Herbalife eventually settled the suit for about two hundred million dollars and agreed to restructure its operations; in return, the F.T.C. stopped short of calling the company a pyramid scheme, and Herbalife stayed in business. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024

Despite the decades of bad press and costly litigation that ensued, pyramid schemes—or, to be precise, the ostensibly law-abiding companies that happen to be dead ringers for pyramid schemes—appear to be an immovable pillar of the American economy. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024