The Greatest Con Schemes Ever ( And How To Avoid Them)

Lou Pearlman

You don’t have to be a fan of pop to know all the ways Lou Pearlman conned NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. He was the manager of the famous 90s boy bands and used their success to launch a multitude of Ponzi schemes.

AP Photo/John Raoux

Pearlman raised $300 million from investors for an enterprise he called TransContinental, an umbrella corporation that included an airline, a travel agency, and a film and music studio. Of course, in reality, there was no company.