It's not crooks, its all perfectly legal. However this is a thinly traded stock and a few small shareholders that panic and put in market sell orders can cause huge drops. Smart folks then take advantage of that. Anyone astute enough to have bought a pile of shares when it dropped below 21 could have made a quick killing. It does take nerve though to do that. I was a bit too quick and paid 23.50 but still a good price over the long haul.