It was supposed to be a stress-free investment for Florence and Jim Langford. After all, the retired Saskatchewan couple was only looking for a little extra income to supplement their retirement savings.

But today, the Langfords have virtually nothing left to show for their many years of hard work. Their life savings are non-existent. "We farmed, we had cattle, Jim drove a propane truck and I taught school," says Florence Langford. We worked hard for our retirement and we planned it, and it should have been there."

It all started when Florence decided to take an investment course with a company called Whitney Canada. She attended a free seminar that was often advertised on late-night infomercials, and soon found she was paying tens of thousands of dollars for more advanced training.

Whitney Canada claimed it would share the secrets of successful real estate investing, and connect investors with expert 'mentors' who would guide them along the way to financial success.

Florence was eventually referred to a Whitney mentor named Frank Roy, who just as quickly introduced her to his two associates -- Robert Primeau, a mortgage broker, and Marc Jemus, a tax and financial expert. The three men, a so-called 'power team', promised that their combined expertise would result in profitable returns for investors such as the Langfords. A company called Primforce was created by Robert Primeau for this very purpose.

"We were told that we could trust them and that in three months we would have all our money back," says Florence. "No worries at all." Buying into the pitch, the Langfords handed over more than $150,000 of their life savings, including their RRSPs. It wasn't long before they realized things weren't quite right.

To their surprise, the Langfords discovered that the power team had purchased two rental properties for them in the little Ontario town of Hawkesbury, located halfway between Ontario and Quebec, without consulting or discussing the investment with them first. In fact, the couple had never even heard of Hawkesbury before. "Jim and I were phoning, faxing, emailing everyday," says Florence. "We couldn't get any answers."

Then there was more bad news. The Langfords found out that a second mortgage had been put on the houses - and that the $272,000 they had paid for each property was significantly over the market value.

They weren't alone. Dozens of other investors across the country found themselves in the same situation. Ernie Szpivak, a professional appraiser in Hawkesbury, estimates that the properties were likely worth half as much as investors such as the Langfords paid.

"It was a house of cards, ready to collapse at any time," he says. And collapse it did. Primforce was supposed to manage all the purchased properties -- collecting rents to pay off the mortgages and other bills. But soon, the Langfords were receiving threatening notices in the mail about overdue payments and tax arrears.

In Alberta, another family who trusted the power team with their investment money -- Linda and Eugene Keller -- faced a similar scenario. The Kellers, like the Langfords, entrusted their savings to the three men. They also paid a substantially over-inflated amount for two different properties in Hawkesbury, Ont.

The Kellers also gave Robert Primeau $170,500 for a property in Montreal, but the deal never materialized. And their investment money vanished. In fact, to this day, the Kellers still don't know where their money went.

The financial devastation has taken a drastic toll on them. "We had to sell our home," explains Linda Keller. "My husband and I walked out with a dresser of clothes each, and a few pairs of shoes. I don't even have a tablecloth, no china, no piano -- everything is gone."

W-FIVE approached Robert Primeau to find out exactly what happened to the Kellers' money and to learn more about the over-valued properties in Hawkesbury, Ont. When initially confronted by W-FIVE reporter Victor Malarek, Primeau said he wasn't prepared to talk, but later agreed to a formal interview.

Primeau claims part of the Kellers' money for that Montreal investment went into a deposit on a property, but when the deal fell through, the funds were not returned. "We requested those funds back, yes," says Primeau. "We weren't given the money back."

Primeau does admit that he is partly responsible for what happened. "I'm one of the parties to blame, that's for sure," he says. But Primeau lays much of the blame on his former associates Marc Jemus and Frank Roy. W-FIVE made numerous attempts to contact Jemus and Roy, including contacting friends and relatives, even former legal counsel, but the men never returned our calls. In the case of Marc Jemus, the phone was disconnected just days after we left messages.

In the end, the finger-pointing by Primeau does little to help the Langfords or the Kellers - and as it turns out, more than 150 other investors who trusted the three men and their 'power team'. For many of the investors, the nightmare is far from over. In fact, many of them are now suffering from an additional blow from an unlikely source.

Many investors were advised by the power team to transfer their RRSPs into private companies owned by the three men. The investors were advised by Primeau, Roy and Jemus that these funds would be considered qualified self-directed RRSPs and remain tax-sheltered. In fact, there were no tax shelters and their RRSPs were cashed in. Now, the Canada Revenue Agency is demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes owing.

For Florence and Jim Langford, it is one more slap in the face. "We had to sell our family farm to pay off the second mortgage (on the investment properties in Hawkesbury)," says Florence. "If we pay off Revenue Canada what they want, we'll have nothing left."

Nothing left but a little hope. Investors such as the Langfords and the Kellers are now putting their faith in the legal system. A class-action lawsuit has been set in motion on behalf of all the victims - and the RCMP is currently investigating the case.