Their inception about a decade ago, high yield investment programs (HYIPs) have always been linked with scams, specifically the Ponzi and pyramid schemes. Thus, it is perfectly logical if you are hesitant and uneasy about making a venture into HYIPs. However, in spite of the great quantity of scammers around, you cannot simply discount the genuine and legitimate HYIPs, of which there are still plentiful. They may not always last very long, rarely living up to a few years but often flourishing for a few months, but if you cannot take advantage of the potential for high returns simply because of the fear of scammers, then that would be a total shame. Hence, it is of great importance for you to be equipped with enough know-how to discern legitimate HYIPs from scams.