A "MONEY for nothing" scheme which has been taking thousands of pounds off savers in Lancashire has been condemned in the House of Commons.

Labour's consumer spokesman Nigel Griffiths warned everyone to steer clear of German-based Titan Marketing, accusing it of using "the hard sell, threats of violence and secrecy."

Mr Griffiths warned in a debate on a new crackdown on so-called pyramid selling that Titan could be a repeat of the collapse of Alchemy Ltd two years ago when 17,000 people lost a total of more than £10 million.

Titan has been pushing its scheme heavily in Lancashire and the North West in recent months.

Punters, or "partners" as Titan refers to them, are asked to invest £2,500 on the promise of more money if they then introduce other people to the scheme. Mr Griffiths was speaking as the House of Commons approved Sir Nicholas Scott's Trading Schemes Bill which will considerably tighten the law against pyramid selling giving new powers for action against firms. The bill has all-party support and government backing.

Mr Griffiths said action was long overdue against such scams.

He said: "Thousands of people have invested their pensions and their hard earned savings in these schemes which promise huge returns and find they end up losing everything.

"I would advise anybody in the North West who sees an advertisement for Titan to steer well clear."

A Titan meeting in Trentham Gardens, Stoke, is expected this weekend and Lancashire's chief trading standards officer Jim Potts has warned people they risk losing everything if they gamble their cash on the scheme.

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