吸金詐騙，是動員社會關係最多的詐騙形式。它具有時間長、組織性及金融專業形象的特性。在社會信任的脈絡下，本研究提問吸金詐騙為何不會消失，以及其內在的運作機制為何。本研究以訊號理論為策略工具，分析臺灣著名的詐騙案件。採用深入訪談法與次級資料收集詐騙案成員的互動資料。本研究發現吸金詐騙透過既有的人際網絡吸收新成員，操弄社會金融制度、專業認證以及財富象徵的符號，展現金融投資的擬態。另一方面，則以情感、集體激情和反抗主流規範的方式維護擬態的有效性。處在核心的成員，往往同時具有受害人和欺騙者兩種身分，因此形成強烈連帶而難以脫離。本研究認為吸金詐騙生於社會，依附在社會制度和網絡之上，與金融活動和社會共生而存在。

Financial fraud (Ponzi scheme) is disguised as long-lasting and professional financial investment, and initiated by deceivers who utilize
signals from social networks, institutions and general values to attract
investors who are in a familiar network. Our data came from both in-depth
interviews and secondary materials. We found that financial fraud attracts
members from existing social networks, and it manipulates signs in order
to exhibit a successful financial investment. Deceivers rouse the quasifamily emotion to consolidate relationships among core groups, by both holding special activities to build up collective effervescence and creating an impression of counterculture to, therefore, maintain the legitimacy of mimicry. Members of fraud gang encounter a dilemma of simultaneously being both a deceiver and a dupe, which makes it very difficult to leave the gang. We conclude that financial fraud was born with society, and sticks to both the surface of institutions and the interior of social networks, thus coexisting with financial activities and society.