Ponzi king’s death is a reminder that his con-artist tricks live on

Criminal mastermind Bernie Madoff is dead, but plenty of con artists around the world are still thriving — and eager to steal your money.

It’s been nearly 14 years since I wrote about a different scheme run by another charismatic huckster. In that case, unlicensed mortgage brokers were pushing homeowners into the type of high-priced, predatory mortgages that led to the housing crash and ultimately created the Great Recession.