When times are tough, the lure of easy money can be so seductive. I recently met up with a former colleague of mine and he tried to get me to "invest" in a "forex scheme" that pays out a regular 2% every month. To many, 2% a month of regular payouts sounds really attractive. The alternative, which is to keep the money in the bank only pays a paltry 0.1% a year. That doesn't even come close to beating inflation. I know how attractive that 2% a month sounds because he has managed to convince many people to sign up to the scheme. So much so that his commissions and recurring fees come up to more than his monthly salary.