0:00:02 > 0:00:05There's one issue you've told us really makes you tear your hair out.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07People like that absolutely astound me.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11It's a crime which is on the rise, and it's getting worse.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Traders will target people they think they can get away with this kind of thing with.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Too often, it's the most vulnerable people who are targeted.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23You don't let people get ripped off, not when they're friends. It's not right.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27We're talking about crime that can take place on our own doorsteps,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31anything from cold-calling conmen to rip-off rogue traders,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and we're united against them.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I think we're too easy on them.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38it does leave people feeling incredibly violated and vulnerable
0:00:38 > 0:00:42because it happens in their home, where they're supposed to feel safe.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45It needs to be stopped abruptly, here and now.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49We're here with one aim - to stop these rogues in their tracks.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Our cameras have been out with award-winning
0:00:52 > 0:00:55police and Trading Standards teams all over the country
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and, with your help, we're campaigning
0:00:57 > 0:01:00to show doorstep con artists the door.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Today, the successful convictions for an outrageous con.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07This is the most staggering footage you'll ever see
0:01:07 > 0:01:08of doorstep crime in full flow.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18It's a joke to them, which really does demonstrate
0:01:18 > 0:01:21the actual nastiness of these as individuals.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Plus, the mobility company that gets its just desserts after ripping
0:01:26 > 0:01:30people off with a sales bible that has to be seen to be believed.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34It starts with, "Remember, you're not a salesperson but an adviser,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36"paid to do an assessment."
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Well, it starts to be a fraud there, because they are salesmen.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45And a pair of fraudsters go down for the most shocking con of all.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48This man lost his house, all from a doorstep rip-off.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51I feel very angry about it, even to myself,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53about why it happened to me.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Hello, your e-mails and letters about cold callers
0:02:03 > 0:02:04keep us very, very busy.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07There's nothing worse than opening your front door
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and finding a stranger on the doorstep,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13and from what I've been reading viewers like Adrian Vodden
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and Brian Hauxwell completely agree
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and want to stop the cons dead in their tracks.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20But what do we mean by doorstep crime?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Well, prepare to be shocked
0:02:32 > 0:02:35This is the most extraordinary footage of a doorstep crime
0:02:35 > 0:02:38we may ever see.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43This gang of crooks are actually filming themselves
0:02:43 > 0:02:47while pretending the bottle of milk is an expensive driveway sealant
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and they're charging an astronomical amount for this unbelievable con.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The footage was discovered by Lancashire Police
0:02:55 > 0:02:58when they were investigating cases of stolen cars
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and money laundering linked to a family called Tomney.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It shocked officers across the northwest
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and makes for astounding viewing.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10'It's an absolute rip-off, the video demonstrates that'
0:03:10 > 0:03:13they have no remorse that this an elderly chap.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20The victim of this shocking scandal is 79-year-old Brian Smith.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24They did a small job across the road from where I live
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and they came over and said my path
0:03:27 > 0:03:31wasn't in very good condition, did I want anything doing with it?
0:03:31 > 0:03:36They offered to re-point the paving and part of the wall for £550
0:03:36 > 0:03:39which Brian thought sounded reasonable, so he agreed.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Cold calling like this gives them a way in and will allow them
0:03:44 > 0:03:47to charge much more later on.
0:03:47 > 0:03:53A classic tactic the rogue traders use is cold call on addresses
0:03:53 > 0:03:55that look to be occupied by elderly people.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01They secure work and then go on to find additional work that needs to be done.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07They then bump up the cost of the work, and demand that
0:04:07 > 0:04:09from the generally elderly victims.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Lancashire Police is the headquarters for this investigation
0:04:14 > 0:04:17What you see here, the guy in the orange luminous jacket
0:04:17 > 0:04:21is a lad by the name of Frank Tomney.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25He's 19 years of age, and basically they're in a street in Stockport.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29They've cold called on Mr Smith who lives here, a vulnerable man.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37What you can see from the video is that the work is extremely poor.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40There's absolutely no expertise, and none of these individuals
0:04:40 > 0:04:44held any building or similar qualifications.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Having completed their first rip-off - this shoddy cement work,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52for which they're charging £550 - their next doorstep crime
0:04:52 > 0:04:56is to convince Brian that he needs a special sealant
0:04:56 > 0:04:57to stop weeds growing through.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00For this they're asking for an extra £250
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and not only that, they want the lot in cash.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Brian was made to feel like a prisoner in his own home.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11They were two big chaps.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16You can see I'm only small man myself so I was feeling a bit apprehensive.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Without this footage shot by the gang, Brian and the police
0:05:20 > 0:05:24would never have known the extent of the rip-off being carried out.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28So, inside of Frank Tomney's jacket you'll see that
0:05:28 > 0:05:31there's a one litre carton of milk,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and this is what they're passing off as the sealant.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01The Tomneys are obviously revelling in this cold calling con.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10It's a joke to them, they're joking throughout the video,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and to my mind they were going to share this with other criminals
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and friends and laugh and joke at the expense of this old chap,
0:06:16 > 0:06:22which really does demonstrate the nastiness of these individuals.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25They dilute the milk with water into a huge drum.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It's that solution, the mixture of milk and water,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39that they spray using a watering can across the driveway
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and the other paved areas on the property.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48They have suggested to Mr Smith that this is a sealant
0:06:48 > 0:06:51that will protect the driveway and paving,
0:06:51 > 0:06:52which of course it isn't.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Classic rogue trader type of tactic.
0:07:02 > 0:07:08So that's £250 for the bottle of milk, and £550 for the pointing,
0:07:08 > 0:07:13bringing the total that Brian paid to a staggering £800.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15This is just unbelievable.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Well, we'll be checking up on that shocking investigation
0:07:19 > 0:07:24and showing you how justice was done a little later in the programme.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Here's another example of doorstep crime.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Hi, Gloria, I'm Helen, and I'm from Derbyshire.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35My mum was subjected to some horrible hard-sell techniques.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I'd like to help put a stop to it and think your viewers
0:07:39 > 0:07:43would be fascinated to find out just how these people operate,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and hopefully it will warn them
0:07:46 > 0:07:50not to fall for these tactics in the future.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55We'll be finding out about the devious hard-selling tricks Helen's referring to later on.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59But first, here is an extraordinary story,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01this time from south east London.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I've been to meet a man who found out just how great
0:08:04 > 0:08:07the cost of doorstep crime can be.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13John Hobbs used to live in a beautiful five bedroom house in South East London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18Thanks to a door-stepping scoundrel by the name of Moses Mead,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21he lost the house, and so much more.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I want to find out just how one rogue builder could have had
0:08:25 > 0:08:28such a disastrous effect on John's life.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32John, take me back to that fateful day when you met Moses Mead.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Well, I was out doing some gardening.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40He was driving round in a white van with a couple of other people.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Came up and talked to me in the front garden, and he said,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47"I'll give you a special deal and I will clean the driveway for you."
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Mead's offer to spray clean John's driveway was only the start,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54because he then claimed it needed resurfacing,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57which he would do, by the way, for a bargain price.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59It all seemed very plausible.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01But this guy had form -
0:09:01 > 0:09:05this CCTV picture still shows him in the midst of committing
0:09:05 > 0:09:09a previous fraud for which he had already served a prison sentence.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12DC Paul Walker of Kent Police
0:09:12 > 0:09:14was only too familiar with Mead's methods.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16He certainly had the gift of the gab.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20He would engage his victims in conversation about work that
0:09:20 > 0:09:24was required at the house, and in many cases work was carried out.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The ability to gain someone's trust is essential for any trickster,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and Mead had found a particularly vulnerable victim,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36as John was still grieving the death of his beloved mother from cancer.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Because of your guard being so low,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42you're vulnerable to suggestion, shall we say.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I know, and you're feeling the loss of your mum and very low,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49and I suppose a bit confused by everything going on around you.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Once you start, you're in a circle which you cannot get out of.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Somehow, Moses Mead managed to convince John that the house
0:09:58 > 0:10:01not only required treatment for damp,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05it was also subsiding and needed urgent structural work
0:10:05 > 0:10:06to stop it from collapsing.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09In fact, this greedy, door-stepping conman
0:10:09 > 0:10:13was charging John thousands of pounds unnecessarily.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18And there seemed to be little evidence of any actual works taking place.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Every time I challenged him, he said, "It's all done and we put everything back."
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- So, "We're tidy." - We're tidy workers.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Mead then devised a way to fleece even more money
0:10:29 > 0:10:31from his vulnerable victim.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34One of the tricks he used was that he needed
0:10:34 > 0:10:37to get special equipment and machinery from Germany,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40which John Hobbs had to pay up front for.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44The machinery never arrived and he needed more money,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47then it was the wrong machinery and had to be sent back -
0:10:47 > 0:10:50that was just one of the methods that he used.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53So, how much money were you paying out for these various jobs -
0:10:53 > 0:10:56the driveway, the damp, all of that - what sort of amounts?
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- 100,000, if not more. - 100,000?
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Surely that made you very suspicious?
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I know it should have done, but it just didn't.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08I just...I was just out of it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10But, in typical conman style,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Even paying Moses Mead wasn't straightforward.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18John was instructed to pay the foreman.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22He would go to his bank, withdraw these vast sums of money,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26place them in a carrier bag and then hand it over to a man.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29We know that man now as Christopher Latty.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31To all of us, that's extraordinary.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Although described by Mead as his foreman, Christopher Latty
0:11:34 > 0:11:38was in fact a fellow doorstep conman with a long criminal record.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40It was Latty who acted as the courier,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45regularly collecting bundles of cash from John over many months.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Were they harassing you every day for the money, on the phone all the time?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53One day the phone started about 8 o'clock
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and it never stopped ringing until the evening.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I just didn't bother to answer it.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03In one year alone he'd received over 500 phone calls from Moses Mead.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07So, not happy with emptying every penny from John's bank account,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10this callous conman hatched an outrageous plan
0:12:10 > 0:12:11to extort even more cash.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14He said, "Why don't you sell your property?"
0:12:14 > 0:12:16He said, "It's such a big place,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20"the money you'd get back would be enough to buy a new property."
0:12:21 > 0:12:25John was conned into selling his house for £400,000,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29and - you guessed it - he handed over the lot to Mead and Latty.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It's shocking to think that there really were no depths
0:12:33 > 0:12:36these fraudsters would sink to.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Did you have any money left over from the house sale?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41No, nothing out of the house sale,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43nothing out of most of the money I had, in the end.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- He had it? - He had it all, near enough.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Thanks to these heartless doorstep criminals,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54John was now penniless and living alone in a rented house.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58John had been duped out of thousands and thousands of pounds,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and at this stage he was feeling trapped, pressurised,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03alone, extremely vulnerable.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06But, thankfully for him, help was around the corner -
0:13:06 > 0:13:08the police were on the case.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14John Hobbs was one of many victims across the South East of England.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16As we began to investigate those crimes,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20there was a common thread that went through all the deceptions.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24And it was the same mobile phone number was ringing those victims.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26It was a pre-paid phone
0:13:26 > 0:13:31and, therefore, we needed to find out who was using it.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Police desperately needed to catch
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Moses Mead in the act of using the phone.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37As luck would have it,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41he'd already been caught on CCTV buying a top-up card.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It wasn't long before his greed got the better of him,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and he made one more call to John.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The police were with John Hobbs when he took that phone call.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53In fact, it was Moses Meade asking John Hobbs
0:13:53 > 0:13:57when the next payment of £47,000 was coming.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00And, at that time,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05we arrested Moses Mead in possession of the phone ringing John Hobbs.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10By the time police thwarted Moses Mead's conniving campaign,
0:14:10 > 0:14:16he'd managed to fleece John out of an astonishing £520,000.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18The evidence was overwhelming.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Moses Mead had no option
0:14:19 > 0:14:24but to plead guilty to 11 counts of fraud by misrepresentation.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27And, as such, received four years imprisonment.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30The trial took place in July 2010.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32His accomplice, Christopher Latty,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34was given a three-and-a-half year prison term
0:14:34 > 0:14:37for his part in the fraud.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40John's hoping to recover at least some of his money
0:14:40 > 0:14:43through the Proceeds of Crime Act,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but the very painful memories stay with him.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Do you have a lot of anger? A lot of hatred of the whole thing?
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I'll say yes to that. I feel very angry about it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Even to myself about why it happened to me.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It's ironic think that if he hadn't been outside his house
0:14:59 > 0:15:01at the very moment Mead and Latty drove by,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04things would be very different for John.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I'm just glad he's trying to stay positive.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08At the end of the day,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11it's your health what matters, not the money.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13The money is just a piece of paper.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16So, John, I'm sure people watching this
0:15:16 > 0:15:19are as astounded as I have been at the enormity of your scam.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21What advice would you give all of us?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23If anybody comes to your door
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and tries to persuade you to get any kind of work done,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I would say always go and get a second opinion,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33to make sure the work has to be done.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35But, anyway, we wish you good health in the future, John.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39And, as you say, you've learnt a very, very tough lesson.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Still to come, the company directors who received hefty prison sentences.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50They used a sales bible
0:15:50 > 0:15:54to manipulate and con pensioners out of over £2 million.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57It's basically...
0:15:57 > 0:16:00a teaching manual of how to bully the most vulnerable
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and elderly people in the country.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10We absolutely love receiving your letters and e-mails.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I've had an e-mail from Mark Fitzgerald,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15a Police Community Support Officer from Manchester
0:16:15 > 0:16:18who is very passionate about his local beat.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22He holds monthly home-watch meetings, coaching local residents
0:16:22 > 0:16:25about the dangers of bogus officials and doorstep conmen.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28They obviously appreciate it, because, to help him out,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31some of the residents have been staying up at night,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33keeping an eye out for burglars.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37So, keep up the good work, Mark, and thanks for getting in touch.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Now, it's time to find out how police officers in Lancashire
0:16:41 > 0:16:44brought that troublesome Tomney family to justice.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50This home video was filmed by
0:16:50 > 0:16:53a gang of crooks as they ripped off pensioner Brian Smith.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00They had already charged him £550 to shoddily re-point his brickwork.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Then they charged him £250 to seal his driveway
0:17:03 > 0:17:09with a special chemical. In actual fact was just a 90p bottle of milk,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11diluted and sprayed on with a watering can.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15But Brian wasn't the only person to have been ripped off
0:17:15 > 0:17:17on his own doorstep by the Tomney Family.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Here's local Trading Standards Officer, Lee Ormandy.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Lancashire Trading Standards received in excess of 40 complaints
0:17:24 > 0:17:27from distressed and vulnerable members of the public
0:17:27 > 0:17:31who'd been scammed out of thousands of pounds by this particular group.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34And the scale of this family's web of deceit
0:17:34 > 0:17:36soon became clear to the police.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39We established that there were numerous other victims
0:17:39 > 0:17:43of the Tomney family and enquiries that took us
0:17:43 > 0:17:45as far afield as Hertfordshire.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47The Tomneys were arrested
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and charged with offences to nine victims,
0:17:50 > 0:17:56from whom a staggering amount of £61,704 was extorted.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59On top of that, police believe there are more victims
0:17:59 > 0:18:03who were taken for almost another £108,000.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07But the Tomney family as a whole seem to have pocketed
0:18:07 > 0:18:10a phenomenal sum from all their criminal activities.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12As a result of enquiries,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15the police were able to identify three safety deposit boxes.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20And within those, we recovered and seized £480,000
0:18:20 > 0:18:23that is all linked to the Tomney family.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I think you'll agree, that's an extraordinary kitty of ill-gotten gains.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29The incredible lengths that the Tomney family went to
0:18:29 > 0:18:33was exposed in the national press, when, in November 2011,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36they were collectively sentenced to 20 years in prison
0:18:36 > 0:18:41and ordered to repay £800,000 for their criminal activities.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44After the trauma he suffered at the hands of the Tomneys,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49brave Brian has a message for others who face similar intimidation.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Now, I mean...
0:18:51 > 0:18:54anybody who comes at the door, I just shift them.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I won't entertain anything from the door now.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I think you'll agree, a superb result there
0:19:01 > 0:19:04for Lancashire Police and Trading Standards.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Now, remember the video we saw earlier of Helen in Derbyshire?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Well, she has a story to tell which shows how
0:19:11 > 0:19:14we can all bring doorstep criminals to justice.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And I can't wait to see how they got their comeuppance.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21This is the sales bible for a mobility company
0:19:21 > 0:19:23called REO Marketing Ltd.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It looks harmless enough, but listen to this quote:
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Grammatically, it's a shocking read.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45One person who wasn't surprised, though, was Derbyshire Trading Standards Officer Paul Niblock
0:19:45 > 0:19:47when the document was seized
0:19:47 > 0:19:50during a raid on the company's offices.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56REO marketing came to our attention in the early part of 2010.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It was a phoenix company
0:19:59 > 0:20:04from a previous mobility company called Compass Mobility.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07A phoenix company is one which is formed by the directors
0:20:07 > 0:20:09of another failed venture.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Neither of these businesses are to be confused
0:20:11 > 0:20:14with reputable companies of a similar name,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17but when REO Marketing rose from the ashes of Compass Mobility,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22the unscrupulous traits of its previous incarnation were still present.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26We know they were buying in lists of telephone numbers,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30exclusively for people who were over 65.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34The call operators knew they were phoning up somebody
0:20:34 > 0:20:36who was elderly and the chances are
0:20:36 > 0:20:38they would also be infirm or have some sort of disability.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42They started by saying, "Hello, I'm Paul. I'm phoning from REO.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46"We're doing a survey on arthritis in the Matlock area."
0:20:47 > 0:20:50One person who received this cold calling treatment
0:20:50 > 0:20:54was an 80-year-old lady who lives alone and wishes to remain private,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57so we'll refer to her as Ivy. Her daughter takes up the story.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Mum had a phone call
0:21:01 > 0:21:04over doing a survey on mobility aids.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06She answered the questions.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09From then on, she was bombarded every couple of days
0:21:09 > 0:21:12with phone calls, asking her...
0:21:12 > 0:21:15if she wanted to see a salesman, et cetera.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16In the end, she...
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Just to shut them up, she DID agree to see somebody.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24A few days later, one of REO's salesmen arrived at Ivy's home.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27And having got a foot in the door, the hard selling techniques
0:21:27 > 0:21:31outlined in the company's sales bible came into play.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Standby for a torrent
0:21:32 > 0:21:36of manipulative jargon and very poor English
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It starts with, "Remember, you're not a salesperson,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42"but an adviser, paid to do an assessment."
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Well, it starts there, because they are a salesman,
0:21:46 > 0:21:47they're not an adviser
0:21:47 > 0:21:49and they're not being paid to do an assessment.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52They're just there to sell goods at as high a price as they can.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Being an excellent salesman takes great skill,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59but what these doorstep criminals were doing
0:21:59 > 0:22:01was a completely different kettle of fish.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03There was no skill involved. Just manipulation
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and a step-by-step plan to closing deals.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10"Most objections are price. Don't rush your close.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14"A quality demo should result in a sale, if they can afford it.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18"Keep trying. If you leave someone's house that would benefit from a product
0:22:18 > 0:22:21"and you haven't sold it, then you haven't done your job."
0:22:21 > 0:22:26Perhaps one of the most worrying ones is when we get to
0:22:26 > 0:22:28what they're supposed to say
0:22:28 > 0:22:31if they're trying to sell somebody a stairlift. It says here,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34"If I were your son, I would be worried
0:22:34 > 0:22:36"because it is hard work for you.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39"And if you were to have a slip, it could cause a lot of pain,
0:22:39 > 0:22:40"if nothing worse.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44"And if you were to have a big fall, you could cause a lot of damage.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47"If you were in a big pile at the bottom of the stairs,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51"how long could you be laid there before someone finds you?"
0:22:51 > 0:22:54And that is just clear scare tactics, isn't it?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56It's despicable. It's...
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Elderly people have enough problems,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03especially those with limited mobility.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06They have enough problems to deal with
0:23:06 > 0:23:09without somebody putting ideas into their head
0:23:09 > 0:23:11that they're going to fall down the stairs.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's almost talking them into it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19And that's exactly what the salesmen did to Ivy for two and a half hours.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22But other consumers suffered even longer ordeals.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24There was one lady I spoke to. She said,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27"The salesman came at two o'clock and he didn't go till seven.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31"I know it was seven because I put the telly on and Emmerdale was just starting."
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And I think she was just, you know...
0:23:34 > 0:23:37she was exhausted because she had gone past a normal mealtime.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Towards the end, she probably would have signed anything.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42There were no depths to which they wouldn't sink,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44because not only were REO bullying
0:23:44 > 0:23:47vulnerable people into buying products,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49they were also ripping them off with extortionate prices
0:23:49 > 0:23:51and Ivy's case was no exception,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55as they tried to sell her a chair for just under £2,000.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58She told me the price and it was like,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00"That's a lot of money for a chair,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03"especially when there's nothing wrong with yours, mum."
0:24:03 > 0:24:07So I got on the Internet and checked out a few companies,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09all pretty much the same.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Even found one that was £800.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16So, to me, they were overcharging quite dramatically.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17After many phone calls,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Ivy's daughter eventually managed to recover her Mum's money,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25but the ending to this story gets much better than that
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and it's all down to people who'd been targeted by REO,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31fighting back and getting in touch with Trading Standards.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37By the time that we decided we needed to take some firm action,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40there were about 30 or 40 complaints registered.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Not all of them serious, but some of them
0:24:42 > 0:24:46were sufficiently serious enough that we felt we had to take some action.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Trading Standards obtained a warrant to search REO's offices.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Documents which were seized in the raid
0:24:52 > 0:24:55revealed that many of the products they had sold weren't suitable
0:24:55 > 0:24:57for the buyer's needs
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and that their rip off pricing strategy had generated
0:25:01 > 0:25:04an annual turnover in excess of £2 million.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06The story hit the headlines of the national press
0:25:06 > 0:25:11when the company's directors pleaded guilty to the use of illegal sales practices.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16The penalties which we got, which were very stiff,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19they're the largest penalties we, in Derbyshire,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23have had for these matters.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25They're the lowest of the low.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28They really are. They...
0:25:28 > 0:25:29they are despicable.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32They're picking on the most vulnerable...
0:25:32 > 0:25:33in society.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36The sentences given to the directors of REO
0:25:36 > 0:25:39show what can be achieved when consumers make a stand
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and Trading Standards have a message for the rogue traders,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47cold callers and doorstep criminals who think they can get away with it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Trading Standards are there.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52We're not toothless, we will pursue people.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Um...
0:25:53 > 0:25:57We, if we've got the evidence and you are committing offences,
0:25:57 > 0:25:58we will track you down.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02We will get you to court. And we will deal with you.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Absolutely fantastic stuff.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Now, I've just got time to tell you about Robert Matthews,
0:26:11 > 0:26:16who's written in about his work co-ordinating a Neighbourhood Watch.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19His advice seems quite sensible to me.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Anyone who calls uninvited at his front door
0:26:22 > 0:26:24is told in no uncertain terms
0:26:24 > 0:26:26that they're unwelcome, and the door is firmly closed.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Your neighbours must be thrilled to have you working on their behalf, so thanks for getting in touch.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35We're here to fight back against doorstep criminals
0:26:35 > 0:26:40and we'd love to hear more of your stories about how you've stopped them ripping you off.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45You can find all the details about how to get in touch with us at:
0:26:45 > 0:26:47So, thank you very much indeed for your company,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50and I hope you'll join me again next time.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd