Step 3: "The Art of the Deal" - AKA "The Art of the Scam
At this point, you've convinced your victims to invest in your "legitimate" business opportunity. You've got your sales pitch down pat, and your victims are eating out of the palm of your hand. Now it's time to get to the good stuff - separating them from their cash.
The key to any successful pyramid scheme is the separation of funds. This is where you convince your investors that their money is being invested in something tangible - like a "sure thing" investment property or a "guaranteed" high-yield bond.
Meanwhile, you're actually just siphoning off the cash into your personal bank account, where it will be used to fund your lavish lifestyle.
Now that you've got the money, it's time to promise your investors a return on investment they can't refuse. This is where the magic of "guaranteed" returns comes in.
Use a combination of fancy math and convincing lies to make them think their investment is growing exponentially, when in reality, you've just stolen all their money and are using it to fund your own lifestyle.