WhatsApp gifting: An old trick in a new dress

In their different incarnations over the years, pyramid schemes and similar cons have had the same hallmarks. They rely on the continuous recruitment of new members to reward older ones and at some point, they inevitably become unsustainable and collapse, leaving many penniless and without hope of any remedy.

Whether it is the sale of products that require continuous recruitment of new sellers, or an investment scheme that constantly requires new investors and huge ‘training’ costs, pyramid schemes also share the promise of simple access, high returns and low risk.