Charles Ponzi (March 3, 1882–January 18, 1949) was an Italian immigrant to the Unite States who became one of the greatest swindlers in American history. His aliases include Charles Ponei, Charles P. Bianchi, Carl and Carlo. Although many people have never heard of Ponzi himself, the term "Ponzi scheme" is a widely known description of a system of fraudulent "make money fast" schemes promoted through the Internet and elsewhere to this day.