Volkswagen, a German automaker, installed emissions cheating devices in its diesel vehicles, allowing them to pass tests while emitting excessive nitrogen oxides in real-world conditions. Volkswagen paid billions in fines and settlements.
Luckin Coffee, a Chinese coffee chain, was accused of inflating revenue and sales figures by billions. Executives falsified financial records and misled investors, resulting in the company's delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Wells Fargo, a major bank, was implicated in creating millions of unauthorized accounts in customers' names without consent. Employees signed up customers for unnecessary services, leading to billions in fines and settlements.
Theranos, a medical tech company, falsely claimed to have developed a revolutionary blood testing device. However, their technology never worked as promised, and executives were accused of defrauding investors and patients.
Stockbroker Bernie Madoff orchestrated a massive Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors of an estimated $65 billion. Promising high returns, he used new investors' money to pay off old investors, resulting in his 2008 arrest and a 150-year prison sentence.
Worldcom, a telecommunications firm, went bankrupt after it was revealed that they had inflated profits by $11 billion through various accounting tricks, including fictitious contracts and asset overvaluation.
Enron, an energy company, collapsed in bankruptcy after it was revealed that executives had used accounting loopholes to conceal billions in debt and inflate profits. The scandal led to shareholder losses of over $60 billion and criminal convictions for several Enron executives.