Financial crimes or financial fraud affect individuals as well as the economy. Due to its nature and the fact that sufficient data on financial fraud is rarely available, it is very difficult to accurately estimate the impact of financial fraud. One example of financial fraud is the fraud known as Ponzi scheme. Ponzi companies are known not only as a financial threat, but also as an effective factor in changing investor behavior. These schemes can lead investors to make incorrect decisions, lack accurate risk analysis, and even discourage them from legal markets. Continuous awareness and education of investors, along with strengthening legal supervision, are among the solutions that can prevent the negative effects of these frauds and maintain public confidence in financial markets. In this regard, in this research, we seek to identify and prioritize the factors affecting such companies that are involved in Ponzi schemes.

In this study, through exploratory interviews and a review of the research literature, we identify the factors affecting companies involved in Ponzi schemes, and we prioritize the factors through the best-worst (BWM) techniques, the TOPSIS method, and the SAW method, and we select the best criteria by comparing the results. The research findings show that the dividend payout criterion has the highest priority and indicates the special importance of this criterion in influencing Ponzi companies. In the next priority, the financial crisis and economic problems are a factor and motivation for companies that resort to such schemes and cover their financial crisis and lack of financial resources in this way and through investors' capital in an incorrect way. In the next priorities, factors such as institutional shareholders, concentration of ownership, and family ownership are also raised as important factors, which, due to the concentration of ownership and the limitation of decision-making to a few people, can be a factor and motivation for greater profitability without considering the interests of investors and resorting to such schemes. In the next priorities, factors related to the company's board of directors and company costs are also involved. The subject of the present study can be a new topic for research and study. Given that this scheme can involve a variety of investors such as investors in financial institutions, investors in digital currencies and smart contracts, presenting and identifying influential factors can be attractive and useful for investors and prevent the loss of their capital. Also, using different decision-making techniques and comparing their results to achieve the main research criteria, which has not been considered in previous research, can be considered as a research innovation. In Iran, no research has been conducted on companies involved in Ponzi schemes, describing the characteristics of such companies and their relationship with accounting; therefore, the subject of the present study can be a new topic for research and study.