NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - People are idiots. Not all people, mind you, but an investigation by CNN/Money has uncovered at least several hundred more than we knew about.

On Wednesday, one of our writers, Krysten Crawford, wrote an ironic -- and cautionary -- tale about thedailyenron.com.

The Web site started out as a place for people burned by the Enron debacle to share news, trade stories, and generally commiserate about their situation.

As the Enron trouble faded, the founders let the domain name registration lapse, and this past April a gentleman named Sterling Davenport bought it.

Davenport is a straightforward guy who has learned to make a living off the Internet. He takes over available Web sites that are still somewhat popular and puts various money-making programs onto them.

In the case of thedailyenron.com, he set up "The Daily Enron Cash Randomizer." Basically, you pay a $4 fee to join up and immediately pay $8 to an existing member of the program, picked at random by computer program. As more people sign up, more random payments are sent out. You can increase your chances of being picked at random by paying more money.

The program is suspiciously reminiscent of a pyramid scheme, although a prosecutor and, ultimately, a court of law would have to make a final determination on that.

Nevertheless, a site once dedicated to helping people through one of the biggest corporate frauds in history becoming somewhat of a scam itself? Ironic, don't you think?

But the irony doesn't stop there. After we posted the story on our Web site, apparently thousands of people went to thedailyenron.com to check it out.

AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR THE PROGRAM.

"I had over 200 sign ups in the first three hours (after the story was posted) alone," said Davenport, who before our story ran claimed only 10 (including himself and his wife).

But as he tried to process the new sign ups, PayPal froze his account. According to Davenport, PayPal informed him it doesn't condone pyramid schemes or other so-called "multi-level marketing" services.

Not that Davenport set out to do something illegal. Everything he used to set up the program -- the computer code, the randomizer, etc. -- is available on the Internet. He says he believed that if it was for sale, it was legit (another case for more regulation of the Net, but that's another column).

Anyway, the Paypal hassle wasn't worth it, so Davenport ended the program. "A few hundred people were ticked off," he said.

Nevertheless, my head is spinning. Our story was well-laced with the dangers of promises of instant wealth. Everyday we warn folks that if it says "Get Rich Quick" -- you won't. Yet we inadvertently sent a traffic wave to this site and, despite our warnings, people signed up anyway.

Sigh. Why do we bother?  

Allen Wastler is Managing Editor of CNN/Money and a commentator on CNNfn.