A question from Yahoo! Answers:

Is hyip a scamp?

Maybe, maybe not. But the label is definitely deceptive. Most HYIP (“high-yield investment programs”) promoters actually advise you to invest in assets that have no yield. When you read descriptions of what these guys purport to do, you can see that the return on investment in those programs is expected to come from short-term capital gains. Now, would you trust an “adviser” who doesn’t understand the difference between income and capital gains?