Named after the notorious confidence trickster Charles Ponzi (though not originated by him), the term "Ponzi scheme" describes a particular type of fraud in which individual investors are promised extremely high returns, which are then paid either out of their own money or the money of other investors, creating the appearance of an extremely profitable investment. The entire scheme relies on encouraging investors to donate large amounts of money long-term by offering them the enticement of impossibly high short-term returns. As time progresses, investors who have been paid returns contribute even more money, and new investors are drawn into the scheme. New payments are used to pay off new investors. Excess money is then kept as profit for the creator of the fraud, rather than to create any tangible profits for the investment itself.

According to the passage, which is necessary for a Ponzi scheme to be successful?

(A) Investors should be tempted into longterm investment by large initial returns.
(B) The investment plan should demonstrate sustainability over the long term.
(C) The percentage of the investment's profits going to the creator of the scam should be concealed.
(D) There should be no paper trails of the fraud.
(E) The culpability for the fraud should be shared among the confidence trickster and investors.