Thus , those running the scheme do not actually have to pay out very much ( net ) -- they simply have to send statements to investors showing them how much they earned by keeping the money , in order to maintain the deception that the scheme is a fund with high returns . Thus , those running the scheme do not actually have to pay out very much ( net ) ; they simply have to send statements to investors showing them how much they earned by keeping the money , maintaining the deception that the scheme is a fund with high returns .