Financial scam artists are ripping off Americans more and more according to recent government figures. "We thought all the frauds and Ponzi scams were horrific in the wake of the Madoff scandal, but it is even worse now,” says … Bart Chilton.… …“These are real cases, real fraudsters, with unfortunately, very real victims,” Chilton writes. The book also captures, in words and pictures, a behind-the-scenes look at the lifestyles of the schemers. One con artist purchased a fleet of luxury vehicles in colors like lime green and “blue & cream,” including multiple Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, a Bentley, a Maserati, a Lincoln Limousine, and a metallic burnt orange Hummer golf cart. “This guy took hard-working peoples’ money and used it for a mansion, nearly 20 plasma televisions, sports and rock & roll memorabilia, and a contingent of body guards,” Chilton said. Another fraudster bought a 269-acre ranch, a fleet of classic sports cars, two airplanes and massive diamonds for ladies he was wooing in New York, Toronto and St. Louis. …“The consequences for the investors-turned-victims can be pretty horrific—people losing money for their kids’ college funds, for needed health care expenses, or for their own retirement.” “In most instances it is preventable with a little education and some due diligence fact checking.”
review of [Ponzimonium] by Bart Chilton
