IN A new twist to the get-rich-quick "business club" caper that has been taking thousands of pounds off Lancashire savers, potential recruits were warned today that they could end up being sued by others they rope into the scheme - though doing that is the essence of this money-for-nothing nonsense.

Yet, although this caution is welcome and the outlawing of this sort of scheme is necessary, a dose of common sense should also do the trick.

Those tempted, should forget the pound signs that the operators, German-based Titan Marketing, float before their eyes with religious fervour at their sign-up sessions. They should look at the facts and figures instead.

First, this scheme has no product or service to sell. Second, it deals only with money - that provided by the £2,500 stakes that participants put up and hope to get back many times over as they recruit more still members.

It's the old pyramid-selling lark, the one that thrives off greed and gullibility. And, in this case, all the more so, as the buyers get nothing at all for their money; only promises.

As ever, the simple rule with the pyramid idea is to remember its shape - the sharp guys are at the top, propped up by a whole pile of mugs underneath. . .until the whole thing collapses.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.