A brother and sister suing over a pyramid selling scheme in which they invested €5,713 claimed yesterday that they could have made a promised €45,000 in two months had their efforts not been frustrated by an organiser of the scheme.
Ms Linda Laird had received an estimated €26,000 by the time the two investors, Rose and Dermot Snedker, became disillusioned with the "Women Empowering Women" scheme - later "The Eternal Gifting Circle" - and demanded their money back.
The money was never returned and yesterday the Snedkers began an action for compensation from Ms Laird, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Co Dublin. Ms Snedker is also suing a former friend for introducing her to the scheme.
Dublin District Court heard that introductory meetings were usually positive, with plenty of wine and people being told it would take 37 years to make the same return in a conventional bank.
Ms Snedker, an air hostess, of Templeogue Road, Dublin, and her brother invested €5,713 - despite publicity showing it up as a pyramid selling scheme which would inevitably collapse, leaving the people at the bottom with nothing. Ms Snedker said she did not know about the adverse publicity as she did not read the newspapers and was out of the country much of the time.
She believed other schemes had worked and this would have been successful too had Ms Laird not cancelled meetings required to bring new people in.
The Snedkers said that at no time were they warned of a risk, although they admitted they were warned that if everybody did not bring in others, it could fail.
When they asked for their money back they were given the runaround. They disputed the defence's claims that they were unable to bring in additional people, as the scheme required, and then "started being difficult".
The hearing was adjourned to November 19th.