A COUPLE from East Lancashire are behind a scheme set up in the wake of a "scam" which cost investors thousands of pounds.

Freedom International, set up two months ago, is promising investors "healthy returns" when they pay to join and includes Accrington couple Robert and Michelle Fitzpatrick among its directors.

The couple, from Baxenden, are former members of the Titan pyramid selling scheme, which was closed down earlier this year after being labelled an unlawful lottery by the High Court.

They are currently on holiday in Lapland with their family but fellow director Gerald Littlehales has insisted the new company is legal and legitimate.

Freedom International, like Titan, is using religious-style meetings, with chanting, clapping and loud music, to recruit members, according to a national Sunday newspaper which investigated the company.

They are promised money for introducing other people to the scheme - the same system used by Titan.

But the organisers claim they are selling a product - self-improvement manuals and training sessions - which makes the scheme legal.

The Government is hoping to introduce laws to make get-rich scheme illegal early next year. Mr Littlehales said: "We have nothing to do with Titan and are currently considering legal action over a newspaper article which contained erroneous information about us.

"We are a legitimated business and we will conform with the new legislation when it comes in."

Lancashire chief Trading Standards officer Jim Potts said: "We have heard of Freedom International. It is one of four or five schemes recruiting people in the area at the moment.

"It has been made clear by the DTI and the courts that these schemes are undesirable but that hasn't deterred people from creating them to try and make money."

Scores of East Lancashire investors paid up to £3,000 each into the Titan coffers and were promised money for introducing friends and relatives.

Peter Reece, a former Press Association journalist from Manchester, is the UK director of Titan.

He said he hoped the scheme would begin again after an appeal in February against the court decision.

He claimed he had earned "considerably less than £500,000" from Titan.

A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: "We can't discuss individual cases and any possible DTI investigation into them until charges are brought or court action is taken.

"But we hope new laws outlawing money circulation schemes will come into force at the beginning of February."

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