All pyramid schemes will begin to die when the later recruits don't sign on in numbers large enough to pay off the earlier recruits. There will always be enough people who will smell the scheme out. There may even be a good number of people who will realize that though one person recruiting ten doesn't sound like much, it quickly adds up to unrealistic and improbable numbers. Also, all it takes is one person to stop the whole thing, either by adamantly persuading recruiters of their indecency, or by reporting them to the police. For a person desiring to make a lot of money from a small investment in a short amount of time, wishful thinking often takes over where critical thinking should step in.
Wishes become facts.
Skeptics become idiots for not getting on board. Desires become reality. Asking questions seems rude and unfriendly. Scam artists know how greed works and all it takes is one con man to get the thing started. Greed is only part of the answer.