Copyright 2005 Judy Thompson People make money and people lose money with cycling programs. People also make or lose money with network marketing and any other kind of legitimate business under the sun! While Ponzi schemes are illegal, some people make money with them, too, while many more lose money.. In this article, I would like to give the reader some information about Ponzi schemes and about “Cycling” programs. PONZI SCHEMES Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme, named for.