Old investment fraud schemes turned up in new disguises in 1996. In September, the FTC charged several defendants in FTC v. Fortuna Alliance, L.L.C. et al. with making fraudulent earnings claims in connection with an unlawful pyramid sales scheme. (A pyramid is the investment fraud equivalent of a chain letter. Scam artists circulate investor funds to create the illusion of profits.) Fortuna Alliance induced consumers to invest in its scheme mostly by direct, person-to-person contact. In a '90s twist, it also used its web site, and clone sites of hundreds of members, to promote the scheme throughout the world. This sophisticated use of the Internet significantly enhanced Fortuna's credibility with potential investors and facilitated communications between Fortuna and its widely scattered team leaders. Fortuna could not have achieved widespread success as quickly without the Internet. When the FTC took action, Fortuna had taken in an estimated $13 million from over 25,000 consumers--about half of them outside the U.S.--in about six months.