He Started With $150 and Took $9.5 Million in Boston

In 1920 a Boston clerk promised 50% profit in 45 days, and paid it. Eight months later, 30,000 people had lent him $9.5 million. This is the true story of Charles Ponzi, the man whose name became the word for the scam, and of the newspaper, the financier and the publicist who brought him down. Every fact in this episode comes from court records, newspapers and history books (sources below). The fruit seller is a composite, built from real lenders, and is labelled COMPOSITE on screen. Scenes marked RECONSTRUCTION are dramatised from the record. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:32 A Slip of Paper 2:56 Fifty Percent 4:57 The Money Floods In 7:24 The Run 10:04 Where It Went 12:43 Close Narration is an AI voice made with ElevenLabs. The animation is drawn in code. Entertainment and general education only, not financial advice. Spot a mistake? Email otc@oopsthatcost.com and we will fix it here. #ponzi #truecrime #scam