0:00:03 > 0:00:07Insurance fraud in the UK is reaching epidemic levels,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and it's costing us billions of pounds a year.
0:00:10 > 0:00:16Deliberate crashes, bogus personal injury claims, even fake deaths.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing
0:00:22 > 0:00:26and every year it's adding up to £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Insurers are fighting back.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The equipment that we use has to be cutting edge,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40it's as simple as that.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:43 > 0:00:47This is connected to a bank account and a second mobile phone number.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..and a newly formed, dedicated police unit...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Police! Stand Back!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55..they're catching the criminals red handed.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59All those conmen, scammers and cheats on the fiddle
0:00:59 > 0:01:03now they're caught in the act, and claimed and shamed.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Today, the Fraud Enforcement team confronts a gang
0:01:14 > 0:01:16of suspected insurance cheats.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It's the police!
0:01:18 > 0:01:20A debt-ridden dentist fakes his own death.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25She appeared to upset, a few tears, but I didn't believe her.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And a footballer who claimed he couldn't play
0:01:28 > 0:01:31had some unwanted spectators at his home ground.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35He's walking towards the buildings to the right of the stadium.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Welcome to Doncaster, home of James Shikell.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45James used to be a promising footballer,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49with the possibility of a professional career ahead of him.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55That was until 2002, when he was involved in a car crash...
0:01:57 > 0:02:00..leaving James very badly injured.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Because the car he was in was uninsured,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05the bill for James's injuries
0:02:05 > 0:02:08had to be footed by the MIB, the Motor Insurers' Bureau.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The MIB is a not for profit organisation
0:02:13 > 0:02:15funded by the insurance industry,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20set up purely to provide a means of compensation
0:02:20 > 0:02:24for victims of both uninsured and untraced driving.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26James was not going to be a professional sportsman
0:02:26 > 0:02:29but at least he had financial security.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The MIB had already paid £30,000 to the crocked footballer
0:02:33 > 0:02:36with tens of thousands more to hopefully follow.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Over time,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40James experienced a gradual improvement in his condition.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43But in 2008, six years after the crash,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47an outlandish request for a further £1.3 million
0:02:47 > 0:02:49caused the MIB to look again.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Suddenly we were faced with a claim for accommodation.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55He was saying he needed single story accommodation.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58He was saying he needed large amounts of personal care
0:02:58 > 0:02:59to look after him.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This didn't fit with the pattern of the injuries
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and recovery that he'd been making up to that point.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08This information was surprising to the MIB.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Wanting to know more, it called in some expert snoops.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18If you want to spy on someone,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20the Surveillance Group will get the job done.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It's got a team of highly-trained operatives who know how to
0:03:23 > 0:03:26follow your every move.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28We live in a surveillance society.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Fraudsters are aware that they might be placed under surveillance.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36To that end we have to stay one step ahead of the game, ahead of them.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39That means we have to tailor our methods accordingly
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and the equipment we have to use has to be cutting edge.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44It's as simple as that.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Ultimately, our task is to gain an objective slice of their lives,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52so it's simply a case of turning up and maximising
0:03:52 > 0:03:56the amount of footage that we get so others in the legal process
0:03:56 > 0:04:00can form a good objective opinion of someone's capabilities.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- Entering the passenger side. Door closed.- Roger.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Tim and his team were given the job of filming the local soccer star.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13The client now passenger, back seat of a red Peugeot.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16And one cold December afternoon it found
0:04:16 > 0:04:19that despite suffering from difficulty concentrating...
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The client is now walking towards the buildings to
0:04:22 > 0:04:23the right of the stadium.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26..severe fatigue, poor motivation, poor co-ordination...
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Client now sited towards the changing rooms.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30..and aching in his neck and ankles,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33James Shikell was still capable of this.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42The footage shows effectively James Shikell playing a game of football
0:04:42 > 0:04:46in a normal manner, running from one end of the pitch to the other
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and making minute decisions in micro seconds,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52whether he should head the ball,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55whether he should kick the ball, all those types of things.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58And this was clearly a man who said that he needed
0:04:58 > 0:05:00constant assistance from his father
0:05:00 > 0:05:04and clearly his father wasn't there running beside him,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07telling him to score, telling him to kick the ball,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09telling him to head the ball.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14So I think the footage really speaks volumes in this case.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Mr Shikell was playing football for Erdlington Rovers.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24He had recently obtained a man of the match award,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26he was captain of the side.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I guess he felt no-one cared,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33no-one would kind of be monitoring his activity overall.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35This kind of behaviour is not acceptable.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It's not acceptable to MIB, it's not acceptable to the insurance industry
0:05:39 > 0:05:44and clearly the courts support that view by the extent of the sentences.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48It's not OK to exaggerate,
0:05:48 > 0:05:53it's not OK to gain an extra amount of money from an insurer,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56it's still lying and when someone lies
0:05:56 > 0:05:58it's attempting to defraud someone.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01James was sentenced to 12 months for contempt of court
0:06:01 > 0:06:05after submitting an exaggerated claim for £1.35 million.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07His father, Robert Shikell,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11also received a year's imprisonment for supporting his son's claim.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16The money ultimately that MIB pay
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and the cost of running MIB all comes from premium paying motorists.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24It's yours and my premiums that are funding the claims that we pay.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31A dodgy dentist comes back from the grave...
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It takes a hard-hearted individual I believe to put his family through
0:06:35 > 0:06:36what they've been put through.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41..and a London cash-for-crash gang get busted.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And he's now associating with vehicle number two in the open.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50In the fight against the growing problem of insurance fraud,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54an elite police squad has come together to form IFED,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Insurance fraud isn't a victimless crime.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04£50 of each premium you pay each year goes to the fraudsters.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07We have been set up to tackle that problem.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10This dedicated team works tirelessly to bang up the crooks and conmen
0:07:10 > 0:07:13getting rich off other people's money.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Police! Step back!
0:07:15 > 0:07:19It's our intension to create a kind of fear for the fraudster.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22There's every chance an IFED detective may come knocking
0:07:22 > 0:07:25on their door to arrest them for committing an insurance fraud.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Police! Don't move! Stay where you are.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33By April 2012, after only six months of operating
0:07:33 > 0:07:35it had already busted 80 fraudsters.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Adding up to £12 million of fraud under investigation.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44These people are criminals. These are nasty people.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47They don't go out to work on a Monday morning like most people do.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Their work is submitting insurance fraud crimes.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02It's a basic investigation into organised motor vehicle fraud.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It is four main targets today
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and they basically incept insurance policies
0:08:08 > 0:08:10on motor vehicles that they don't own.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Then that vehicle is involved in an accident,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15either staged or entirely made up
0:08:15 > 0:08:19and then they claim for recovery of the third party vehicle,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23storage costs, hire cars and personal injury claims.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28There's two main addresses we've got Section 8 warrants for. OK?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33The group being targeted by IFED is thought to specialise
0:08:33 > 0:08:36in a specific type of motor insurance fraud, crash-for-cash.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Crash-for-cash is a term given to collisions executed in order
0:08:41 > 0:08:45to make money from motor insurance policies.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46And it's big business.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50There are an estimated 30,000 crash-for-cash incidents per year
0:08:50 > 0:08:52on Britain's roads,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55valued at at least £350 million,
0:08:55 > 0:09:01adding an average of £44 to your motor insurance bill every year.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07It's time for IFED to move in on the suspects.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12There's quite a large number of people involved in fraud,
0:09:12 > 0:09:19accepting insurance policies, being named as either third-party drivers,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23claiming hire car costs, storage costs, personal injury.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27I've identified four main suspects who we're looking to arrest today.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31IFED's first destination
0:09:31 > 0:09:35is a pair of heavily guarded neighbouring houses.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38The buildings are smothered in CCTV cameras.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43IFED hopes to search for evidence of fraud at the properties
0:09:43 > 0:09:46but has no idea how many potential suspects
0:09:46 > 0:09:49will be standing in its way.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52HE KNOCKS ON DOOR
0:09:53 > 0:09:56There's no sign of life from the house on the right,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59but the team find the house on the left unlocked.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Hello! Police!
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Inside, they discover a suspect with his pockets full of cash,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06but no incriminating paperwork.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08We've just found some money,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13£1,000 in the pocket of one of the suspects.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Can I just leave that with you?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- If you come then. - Where are your shoes?
0:10:24 > 0:10:26So, who nicked him, Barry? You?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29The other house has not been so easy to access,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32but IFED has found a small open window.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44He's in.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Police!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Hello! >
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Open the door. Police. Good morning.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Good morning. We have a warrant to search this address.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Hello? City Of London Police.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01We're executing a search, a search warrant.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Do you want to get yourself up?
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Four startled occupants are turfed out of bed.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Do you want to jump up out of, jump up out of bed and we'll come
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and speak to you downstairs? OK?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I'll explain exactly what's happening.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Right, all take a seat. Take a seat.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21OK. We've got a warrant to search this address.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Yeah. OK? I'm just telling you what's happening.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26We're going to search the address.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30It's relation to conspiracy to defraud insurance companies.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32OK, motor vehicle fraud.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I'm just telling you what we said...
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The warrant related to motor vehicle fraud, OK?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41So we're going to search this address. Understand?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43First of all, you're under arrest for conspiracy to defraud.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence
0:11:46 > 0:11:48if you do not mention, when questioned,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50which you later rely on in court.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Motor vehicle fraud.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56You can, you... You can tell me in the interview, OK?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Yeah, shall we just sit him out the way for the time being?
0:11:59 > 0:12:03IFED makes two arrests but the key suspect is nowhere to be seen.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So they start the search for the hard evidence
0:12:08 > 0:12:10needed to get the convictions.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15We're looking for items associated with motor insurance fraud
0:12:15 > 0:12:18so computers, mobile phones...
0:12:20 > 0:12:23..any documentation relating to insurance policies.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29We'll take that, phone and charger. And this whole bedroom's free.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31The search has only just begun
0:12:31 > 0:12:34when there's a breakthrough in the hunt for the missing suspect.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- PHONE RINGS Is that your phone? - No, no, this is it.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38We'll never make it over there.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Could this be their man?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Can we come in? I'll just explain to you what's going on.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Are you burning the house down? SHE LAUGHS
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Crash-for-cash gangs operate all over Britain.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Most chose a set area or even a regular stretch of road
0:13:04 > 0:13:06on which to operate.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Simply slamming on their brakes in front of a victim
0:13:09 > 0:13:10would attract suspicion.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15So the crash gangs have involved a devious two-car tactic.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18First, the gang chooses a victim.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Then they move their two cars into position in front of the target.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Gang car number one then slams on its brakes.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Gang car two reacts by braking hard
0:13:28 > 0:13:32resulting in a rear-end shunt from the victim.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Gang car one then turns off at the next possible turning
0:13:35 > 0:13:38pretending to be unaware of the crash.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44One crash gang chose north-west London as their hunting ground...
0:13:45 > 0:13:49..frequently crashing for cash on London's North Circular.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55What the gang didn't count on was a dedicated unit from the Met Police
0:13:55 > 0:13:57filming their every move.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01They were a gang based up in north-west London
0:14:01 > 0:14:04who were on a daily basis slamming on in front of vehicles
0:14:04 > 0:14:06so that they could make claims
0:14:06 > 0:14:08through various accident management companies,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and put in personal-injury claims.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14The Met wanted the gang off the roads,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16so it set about gathering evidence.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20For a birds-eye view of the gang at work,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24DC Eastick called in the help of the Met Police helicopter.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28We used a helicopter to try and film the gang
0:14:28 > 0:14:32causing these accidents because it's more graphic from the air.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38When you see vehicles slamming on and the other vehicle driving off
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and the other party of it, what we call a decoy vehicle,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45it also demonstrates quite clearly to the jury what's going on.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Dispatched at the last minute,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53the police helicopter just manages to capture the crash gang
0:14:53 > 0:14:55as it springs its trap.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59At the top of the screen, gang car one is about to be seen
0:14:59 > 0:15:01breaking hard. Gang car two reacts,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04forcing the victim in the white Transit van to smash into it.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Minutes later, the occupants of the two cars meet up.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14The crash footage captured by the helicopter was not very clear.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17DC Eastick and his team would need better evidence
0:15:17 > 0:15:19to get the gang convicted.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Then, one fateful day in the summer of 2009,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26they filmed the gang having a very busy day on north London's roads.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31It's 12.40 on the 29th July 2009.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The police are tailing the gang.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Gang car one and two are setting up their latest victim for a smash.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43This time,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46they are foiled by the quick reactions of the intended victim.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Three hours later they come across the gang
0:15:51 > 0:15:54after a reckless crash on a motorway slip road.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58The innocent victim has accepted responsibility for the crash
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and hands over his details.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The fraudsters, absorbed in fleecing their latest victim,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10are completely unaware of the hazard they've created.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Still, the Met had not captured indisputable evidence
0:16:14 > 0:16:16that these incidents were staged.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19They had to prove that these cars were working as a team,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and that afternoon their patience was to be rewarded.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32The two gang cars are observed filling up at a petrol station.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Then, the gang members do something that seals the case for the police.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Well, he's now associating with vehicle two and the occupant.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46The high five really was mission accomplished.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49That demonstrates that they had a mission for that day
0:16:49 > 0:16:51and they accomplished that mission,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and that was to cause an accident.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55When this went to court,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58the video evidence that we obtained was so compelling
0:16:58 > 0:17:01that they really had no choice but to plead guilty
0:17:01 > 0:17:03at the earliest opportunity,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06which resulted in one of them getting eight months imprisonment
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and two of the others getting six months imprisonment.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Personally, I think they're outrageous.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18It's costing me and every other motor policy holder
0:17:18 > 0:17:21an extra £40 or £50.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26If you're involved in a crash, take pictures of all the individuals,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29take pictures of the damage to their vehicle,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32not only your vehicle but their vehicle.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36It's evidence later on that you can provide to your insurance company
0:17:36 > 0:17:38that might just protect your no-claims bonus
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and prove that this was a fraud.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Most insurance companies employ specialist fraud investigators
0:17:47 > 0:17:51who can spot a suspicious claim from looking at
0:17:51 > 0:17:52just a few pieces of paperwork,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56meaning it's hard to elude them, even from beyond the grave.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00Welcome to Barnstaple.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04This peaceful Devonshire town used to be home to father of four,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Emmanouil Parisis.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12I think Emmanouil Parisis was viewed as a pillar of the community.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15As a dentist you're held in high regard obviously.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Earning a hefty £135,000 a year,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Mr Parisis should have lived a very comfortable life.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28But tragically, in 2009,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31during a trip to Jordan, he died in a car crash.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36His grieving wife received £51,000 in insurance pay-outs
0:18:36 > 0:18:38and was due to receive a further £1.8 million
0:18:38 > 0:18:42from his life insurance policies, but first she had to wait.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47Insurers will always check a claim of this size and nature.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49So private investigator John Saunders
0:18:49 > 0:18:51was called in to investigate.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55If someone dies overseas, insurance companies come to us
0:18:55 > 0:18:58asking for advice, documentation so forth.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02And I think over the 25 years, I've worked in I think 74 countries,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04I've been to, to investigate claims.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07John started to look into the case
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and straight away found inconsistencies.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The story was that they'd spent August in Greece on holiday
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and his wife came back with the children at the end of August,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21beginning of September because they were starting school
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and Emmanouil apparently had then taken his mother from Greece
0:19:25 > 0:19:29to see a heart specialist in Jordan, in Amman.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32It seemed strange that he wanted to go all the way to Amman
0:19:32 > 0:19:34to see a heart specialist,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38when I'm sure there were very good heart specialists in Athens.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41After a meeting with Mrs Parisis,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44John's suspicions were raised even further.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49When I interviewed the wife she appeared to be upset,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52a few tears, but I didn't believe her.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55She didn't have sufficient knowledge.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Had her husband died as claimed,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I'd have expected her to have more information
0:19:59 > 0:20:01about where he was buried,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04who arranged the burial, who he was with at the time,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06which hospital he died in,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10but it was clear to me she hadn't prepared herself for such questions
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and didn't know the answers, yet they were meant to be very close.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16John had a hunch but no evidence.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21So he jetted off to Greece to check out the paperwork.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24But everything looked above board.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27So he moved on to the scene of the crash, Jordan,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29where he made some important discoveries.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35The death registration certificate was a fake document,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38there was no record at the cemetery of any burial
0:20:38 > 0:20:43and then my visit to the Greek embassy there,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46where it appeared they'd be told all about the death
0:20:46 > 0:20:48by I think it was Costas, a lawyer.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51When we looked, when the embassy looked at the documents
0:20:51 > 0:20:53and found that the lawyer had a Hotmail address
0:20:53 > 0:20:57I thought it was rather unusual for a law firm to have a Hotmail address
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and it was pretty clear to me the lawyer didn't exist.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It was Emmanouil Parisis taking on the role of the lawyer.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07So by that time we had more than sufficient evidence
0:21:07 > 0:21:09to show that he had not died.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14John knew Mr Parisis was alive but had no idea where he was hiding.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So he flew back to England and handed his evidence to the police.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25The job of finding the deceptive dentist was given to
0:21:25 > 0:21:29DI Mike West of the Devon And Cornwall Police.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I knew that it was going to be complex
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and I knew that the inquiry needed to be focussed.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Parisis had stayed in Greece, we believe,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43waiting for the £1.8 to roll in, but when that didn't happen,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and certainly didn't happen any time soon, he had to do something,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50he had a wife and four children in the UK to support.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53A major breakthrough in the case occurred around nine months
0:21:53 > 0:21:57after the fake death, when they received a tip off
0:21:57 > 0:22:00that Parisis had resurfaced in Scotland,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02immediately alerting DI Mike West.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07We identified the fact that Parisis was living under the name
0:22:07 > 0:22:11of Neil McLaren and he was operating as a dentist
0:22:11 > 0:22:14within a surgery in Peterhead, within the Grampian area of Scotland.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19After almost a year-long manhunt, the trail had come to an end.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22DI Mike West closed in on the resurrected dentist.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Parisis was arrested in the company of other family members.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31He certainly showed some surprise when we arrived at his doorstep.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37We identified a fraud kit which enabled him
0:22:37 > 0:22:41to fake his identity. It included official looking stamps,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44documentation from various universities and seats of learning.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46He was obviously prepared for this
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and living the lie for a significant period of time.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52For three months Mr and Mrs Parisis had left their children
0:22:52 > 0:22:55thinking they had lost their dad.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It takes a hard-hearted individual I believe to put his family through
0:22:58 > 0:23:00what they've been put through,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04and the psychological damage can't be underestimated.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09For her part, Mrs Parisis was sentenced to 16 weeks.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Mr Parisis was jailed for five years on fraud charges
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and struck off the General Dental Council's Register.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18His sentence was later reduced to three years.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, IFED,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28is executing a raid at the first of three addresses.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It suspects some occupants are linked to a crash-for-cash ring.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The officers have already made two arrests.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37They've been bagging evidence at the raid properties
0:23:37 > 0:23:39for just under an hour,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and are trying to track down their outstanding suspect.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Just something that may be of interest.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50There's various mobile phones ringing but one of them
0:23:50 > 0:23:53potentially has the name of the outstanding suspect coming up.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Has it?- Yeah. There is one outstanding, isn't there?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Yeah, does it keep coming up, his number, name, does it?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Yes, I believe so, it's a variation of the name.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Good morning. This is Sean Corrigan. How are you doing?
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Great. I've got three body checks, please, if you want the details.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11The three men being held downstairs are not believed to be fraudsters,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13but stored in one of their mobile phones
0:24:13 > 0:24:15is the number of the missing suspect.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- Are these your phones?- Yeah.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I think the guy who we're trying to arrest is ringing them.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Can you get his number up?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28IFED gets access to the suspect's number.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Sir, it's PC Corrigan from the police station. Are you all right?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34The sooner we speak to you, the better.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37How long do you reckon you'll be?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39About half an hour.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Can you make it any sooner?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43You'll try. OK.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Upstairs, the evidence is mounting.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Claimant letters. And the certificate of motor insurance!
0:24:50 > 0:24:54"Sorry to hear that you've been involved in a road-traffic accident
0:24:54 > 0:24:56"and have sustained injuries."
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Yes, this is exactly what we've been looking for.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01You know, you'd have expected someone involved in this
0:25:01 > 0:25:05kind of activity to keep a stash of documentation somewhere.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And it looks as though we may have found it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15The outstanding suspect has, predictably, not shown up.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17With the evidence in the bag,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19the team follows a lead to a third property.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22You go in the back, mate, yeah?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Yeah, I'm from the City Of London Police.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30May I just come in. I'll just speak to you about what we're doing.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Basically, we've got a warrant for this address.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35OK? Let me come in and I'll explain to you, all right?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- There's something burning. - Are you all right?
0:25:37 > 0:25:40You're burning the house down. SHE LAUGHS
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Can we come in? I'll just explain to you what's going on.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- Is if off? - Everything's sorted, yeah.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55DCI Dave Wood is very interested in the burnt paper
0:25:55 > 0:25:57in the kitchen and toilet.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Well, it appeared from the time that it took us to travel
0:26:04 > 0:26:07from the previous search warrant addresses to here,
0:26:07 > 0:26:08which is a short journey,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11we're only talking about seven or eight minutes, in that time,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15I'm guessing communication has been passed into this premises
0:26:15 > 0:26:18where the lady who has opened the door to us, eventually,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20has burnt some evidence.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Despite the smoke screen, the IFED officers still find
0:26:23 > 0:26:26an armful of evidence, and decide to arrest the suspect they came for.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence
0:26:29 > 0:26:32if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Anything you do say will be given in evidence. Do you understand?- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39One suspect was later charged and handed a year's community order
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and had to pay court costs.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The other suspects were released without charge.