  Ponzi schemes that offer absurdly high rates of return by relying on more and
more people paying into the scheme have been documented since at least the
mid-1800s. Ponzi schemes have shifted online in the Internet age, and some are
re-branded as HYIPs or High Yield Investment Programs. This paper focuses on
understanding HYIPs' continuous presence and presents various possible reasons
behind their existence in today's world. A look into the countries where these
schemes purport to exist, we find that 62.89% of all collected HYIPs claim to
be in the United Kingdom (UK), and a further 55.56% are officially registered
in the UK as a 'limited company' with a registration number provided by the UK
Companies House, a UK agency that registers companies. We investigate other
factors influencing these schemes, including the HYIPs' social media platforms
and payment processors. The lifetime of the HYIPs helps to understand the
success/failure of the investment schemes and helps indicate the schemes that
could attract more investors. Using Cox proportional regression analysis, we
find that having a valid UK address significantly affects the lifetime of an
HYIP.
