Get-rich-quick scheme

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File:Kopit and Keepit Mining Company Stocks - Postcard.jpg
A 1910 postcard showing an investor's shock at "Kopit and Keepit Mining Company Stocks" having vacated their premises

A get-rich-quick scheme is an offer, plan, or purported business opportunity that promises unusually large profits or rapid wealth for little investment, effort, skill, or risk.[1][2] The term is commonly used as a broad label for deceptive or fraudulent investment, work-at-home, and other money-making offers.[3][4]

The phrase get rich quick was used in connection with dubious investments by at least the early 20th century.[5][6]

Characteristics

Consumer-protection and securities regulators warn that get-rich-quick schemes typically combine promises of high returns with little or no risk, exaggerated or unsubstantiated earnings claims, urgency, and vague or secretive explanations of how the profit is supposedly generated.[7][8][9] In the United States, sellers covered by the Federal Trade Commission's Business Opportunity Rule must provide specified disclosures, and earnings claims must be supported by written substantiation.[10][11]

Promoters often market such schemes as requiring little prior experience or specialized knowledge, and may use testimonials, luxury imagery, or claims of insider methods to create the impression that substantial profits can be earned quickly and easily.[12][13]

Common forms

Get-rich-quick schemes can take the form of investment scams, bogus business opportunities, work-at-home offers, and coaching or training systems marketed with unrealistic earnings claims.[14][15]

In the investment context, such schemes often overlap with Ponzi schemes and high-yield investment programs, which commonly promise unusually high returns with little or no risk.[16][17][18]

Business-opportunity variants frequently advertise activities such as envelope stuffing, craft assembly, vending-machine routes, or online storefront management, while downplaying costs and overstating likely earnings.[19][20]

History

Early uses of the phrase appeared in popular magazines and business writing, where get-rich-quick described speculative or dubious ventures.[21][22]

By the 21st century, the term was also being used by regulators in enforcement actions against infomercial and online business-opportunity sellers. In 2012, for example, the FTC announced a court judgment against marketers of several get-rich-quick systems that had been sold through infomercials.[23][24]

Regulation and enforcement

In the United States, business opportunities marketed with earnings claims may fall under the Federal Trade Commission's Business Opportunity Rule, which requires specified disclosures and substantiation for certain representations made to prospective purchasers.[25][26] The FTC has also warned advertisers that false or misleading money-making claims can trigger significant civil penalties.[27]

Securities regulators likewise warn that promises of guaranteed or unusually high returns, especially when paired with claims of little or no risk, are classic signs of investment fraud.[28][29]

Internet-era forms

Internet-era get-rich-quick schemes are commonly promoted through websites, email, text messages, online advertisements, and social-media platforms.[30][31] Online promotions often stress passive income, secret methods, or fast cash while minimizing the cost, skill, or time required.[32][33]

Recent FTC guidance has warned about online side hustle and task scams, in which victims are promised easy money for remote work but are instead pressured to pay fees, move money, or perform sham tasks that never produce legitimate earnings.[34][35]

See also

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ponzi Scheme". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Selling a Work-at-Home or Other Business Opportunity?" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bogus Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Penalty Offenses Concerning Money-Making Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Get Rich Quick' Insurance from the Inside". The World's Work. 22. 1911. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nelson, S. A. (1904). "The Blockite and the Get-Rich-Quick Man". Everybody's Magazine. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ponzi Scheme". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Protect Your Money: How to Avoid Investment Scams". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bogus Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Selling a Work-at-Home or Other Business Opportunity?" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Business Opportunity Rule 16 CFR Part 437: Disclosure Requirements and Prohibitions Concerning Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Protect Your Money: How to Avoid Investment Scams". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FTC Puts Businesses on Notice that False Money-Making Claims Could Lead to Big Penalties". Federal Trade Commission. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bogus Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FTC Puts Businesses on Notice that False Money-Making Claims Could Lead to Big Penalties". Federal Trade Commission. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ponzi Scheme". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Look Out for High-Yield Investment Program Scams". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."High-Yield Investment Programs". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bogus Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Selling a Work-at-Home or Other Business Opportunity?" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nelson, S. A. (1904). "The Blockite and the Get-Rich-Quick Man". Everybody's Magazine. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Get Rich Quick' Insurance from the Inside". The World's Work. 22. 1911. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FTC Wins Court Judgment Against Massive Get-Rich-Quick Infomercial Scam". Federal Trade Commission. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."At FTC's Request, U.S. Court Hands Down Record $478 Million Judgment Against Marketers of Massive Get-Rich-Quick Infomercial Scams". Federal Trade Commission. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Business Opportunity Rule 16 CFR Part 437: Disclosure Requirements and Prohibitions Concerning Business Opportunities". Federal Trade Commission. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Selling a Work-at-Home or Other Business Opportunity?" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FTC Puts Businesses on Notice that False Money-Making Claims Could Lead to Big Penalties". Federal Trade Commission. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Protect Your Money: How to Avoid Investment Scams". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Social Media and Stock Tip Scams – Investor Alert". Investor.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lewis, Cora (17 August 2023). "Investment scams are everywhere on social media. Here's how to spot one". Associated Press. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Looking for a new job or considering a business opportunity? Spot the signs of a possible scam". Federal Trade Commission. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Selling a Work-at-Home or Other Business Opportunity?" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Can you spot an investment scam on social media?". Consumer Advice. Federal Trade Commission. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."How to avoid a side hustle scam". Consumer Advice. Federal Trade Commission. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Task scams create the illusion of making money". Consumer Advice. Federal Trade Commission. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.


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