0:00:02 > 0:00:04All across the UK we are following your success stories
0:00:04 > 0:00:06of fighting back against doorstep crime,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10rip-off rogue traders, cold-calling conmen, you name it.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12We are all united against them.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15We are celebrating the work of award-winning police
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and trading standards teams all over the country.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22What's more, with your help we have been busy spreading the word
0:00:22 > 0:00:25about how to show these crooks the door.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Today I meet a remarkable war veteran who'd twigged that he was
0:00:29 > 0:00:33the target of an audacious six grand roofing scam.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Thanks to his bravery the crooks were brought to justice.
0:00:38 > 0:00:45We are living in a jungle of predators and prey. I was prey.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48A rogue repair man from Staffordshire is banged up
0:00:48 > 0:00:51for blowing 50,000 a year on a gambling addiction,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54which, by the way, he funded by ripping off elderly victims.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Money was taken up front and there was either two results,
0:00:59 > 0:01:04one, the work was never started, or work was started but never finished.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09Plus, one of my favourites, the heroic off-duty police officer
0:01:09 > 0:01:11who caught a charity scammer red-handed.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It does not get much lower than what this male actually did.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20I cannot use the word I would like to use for him, obviously, on camera.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Hello and welcome to the programme. We begin with a fascinating fact.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35The Office of Fair Trading tells us that roofing scams
0:01:35 > 0:01:38account for the largest number of complaints about rogue traders.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Believe it or not, more than 1,500 of them every year.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45I have been to see a lovely man in Kent who realised that he
0:01:45 > 0:01:48was being conned by door-to-door repairmen.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49They wanted to deal with his guttering.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53But he was determined not to lose his life savings.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And his bravery is an inspiration to all of us.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02We are in the bustling county town of Maidstone.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Take a look at this CCTV footage of a young man drawing money
0:02:07 > 0:02:09from the cash machine on the left.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It seems innocent enough
0:02:11 > 0:02:16but in fact the card he is using belongs to a 92-year-old war veteran
0:02:16 > 0:02:19who was targeted by this man and his accomplice.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22They pressurised him into having unnecessary work
0:02:22 > 0:02:23carried out on his home.
0:02:23 > 0:02:30I think it is disgusting that I should be targeted by these people.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I felt they were genuine.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34This was a particularly despicable crime.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38They focused on Mr Gale, the exploited his generous nature
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and his friendliness, and maximised their gain.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It was in November 2010 that John Hanley
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and his partner in crime, John Bryan,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49knocked on the door of John Gale.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52He is keen to tell me the whole story about how
0:02:52 > 0:02:56he was pressurised into this unnecessary roofing work,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58in the hope that other viewers
0:02:58 > 0:03:00won't have to suffer the same dreadful experience.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Tell me about the day these con men came calling at your front door.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07They came to the door, two gentleman,
0:03:07 > 0:03:14and asked me if they could do some work on the guttering.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18And I said, no, I did not want any work done.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I could not afford to have the work done.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23But there was some trouble with the guttering
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and would they do a repair job for me?
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Now, unfortunately, this request for repair work was just the excuse
0:03:30 > 0:03:33that Hanley and Bryan needed to get in a foot in the door.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Once inside they began a very lengthy sales pitch.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Describe to me the kind of pressure you were under in your house
0:03:41 > 0:03:45when they were trying to talk you into doing this guttering.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48They explained to me that the longer I waited
0:03:48 > 0:03:51the more damage would occur to the roof.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53And it would probably fall down
0:03:53 > 0:03:58and if somebody was calling in at the house it could injure them
0:03:58 > 0:04:03and I would have a very huge claim for compensation from the person.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06This is why I asked them to repair it,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08to alleviate that possibility.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11After more than three hours,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14yes, I said three hours of pressure selling,
0:04:14 > 0:04:20John agreed to have the guttering replaced at a cost of £2,400.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23But there was nothing wrong with his roof
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and it was one of the oldest tricks in the rogue roofer's book.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Very familiar to the Trading Standards department
0:04:28 > 0:04:29at Kent county council.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33The next day they wanted the deposit of £300.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36A cheque was unacceptable to them. They wanted cash.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38So they took Mr Gale to the bank.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Unfortunately it was closed,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42so they took him shopping and then found out he had
0:04:42 > 0:04:45a cashpoint card which could be used,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and they subsequently went along, obtained his PIN number,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and obtained the £300 deposit from his account.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55But as a result they received a receipt which showed
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Mr Gale had a balance in excess of £6,000.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00That was to become key in future transactions.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Initially, John put the men's behaviour down to kindness
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and had been swept along with it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09But it was not long before he realised the truth of the matter.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14When I got home I realised how stupid I had been.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I immediately phoned the bank and cancelled the card.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22He obviously took the right decision but it was too late.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Know that Hanley and Bryan
0:05:23 > 0:05:26knew exactly how much money John had in the bank
0:05:26 > 0:05:28it was not long before they came back
0:05:28 > 0:05:31to invent more work which they claim needed doing.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33This time they said it was felting work,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37which would cost, wait for it, £4,000.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Did you feel that the felting needed doing?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Well, I didn't know, you see,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47because I did not even know there was felt on the roof!
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Technically, I was at their mercy
0:05:49 > 0:05:52because I did not understand roof work at all.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57This additional work brought the total that John owed to £6,000.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Now, he went along with this, but very reluctantly.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02With the extra money now agreed,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06the men try to get John to pay up as quickly as possible.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08This meant that Hanley and Bryan
0:06:08 > 0:06:10drove John to the bank for a second time.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12They wanted him to withdraw £3,000
0:06:12 > 0:06:19but by now he was becoming very suspicious about the whole affair.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21What were you thinking at this time?
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I was thinking that that was the amount that they had seen
0:06:24 > 0:06:26on my bank account statement,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29that they got from the cashpoint machine.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And that they were going to have every penny of it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35With alarm bells ringing,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38he knew that he would have to take action, and fast.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45And we find out a little later on how John dealt with those crooks.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Thanks to all this technology
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I have another example doorstep crime, right here.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Hello. I'm Brian Mycock of Staffordshire County Council
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and I'd like to you a case of a rogue builder
0:06:57 > 0:06:59who thought he could get away
0:06:59 > 0:07:02with taking thousands of pounds of money off local people.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Thank-you very much.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07And in fact, this story has certainly piqued our interest.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11So we went straight to Staffordshire to find out what's been going on.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Well, it turned out that this man, 50-year-old Anthony Mander,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20was one of Staffordshire's most prolific door-stepping rogues.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23The compulsive con-artist scammed vulnerable people
0:07:23 > 0:07:27throughout the county in order to fund a desperate addiction.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Mander was systematic.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35In a way, he was a mini crime-wave in his own right.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38There were 17 families that were victims.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43The amount of money relating to that was about £27,000,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but there was further victims.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52We estimate the total was over £100,000.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58£100,000 pounds?! From 17 families?! Utterly appalling.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00But one of Mander's victims was about to fight back.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03She wants to share her story with us,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05but prefers to keep her identify private,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07so we'll going to call her Felicity.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10In the bitter winter of 2009,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13she was having problems with her radiators.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16She decided to spend a considerable amount of her savings
0:08:16 > 0:08:17on installing some new ones.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Now, by sheer chance, or should I say bad luck?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Anthony Mander just happened to be prowling
0:08:24 > 0:08:28the streets of Staffordshire looking for residents to rip off.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Mander had previous convictions for deception
0:08:32 > 0:08:36involving elderly people and building.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Money was taken up front,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42some large amounts, some small amounts,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and there was either two results.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46One, the work was never started.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Or the work was started and never finished.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Unfortunately, Felicity was about to find that out for herself.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The doorbell rang and when I went to the door
0:08:57 > 0:09:01this man was there asking if I needed any odd jobs doing.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Because I was in need of some heating
0:09:05 > 0:09:09downstairs in the house I asked him in.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Mander told her he could fit two radiators for £460.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But we'll never know how he hit on this figure
0:09:18 > 0:09:21since he didn't give her an invoice.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23But Felicity was pretty cold and desperate
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and with her heating in total shut-down,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28she was thoroughly taken in by the rip-off merchant.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Mander comes over to older people as very friendly.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40He has a personality
0:09:40 > 0:09:44that appears to me...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47to generate trust,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49particularly among older people.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Mander claimed he needed £460 up front
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and suggested that Felicity withdraw the cash straight away.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Any alarm bells ringing for you yet?
0:09:59 > 0:10:04I went to the bank and came back home
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and he was there waiting for me which I thought was a bit weird.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Mander then told Felicity that she should have a new boiler fitted.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16In fact, she really needed to have a whole new heating system installed.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Oh and by the way, he actually wanted £1,800 up front.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22What a rotter!
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Mander's methodology was very similar across all his victims.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31He'd quote for a smaller job.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34He'd then say more work should be done.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37In this case, it was radiators to start with.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Then it was radiators plus boiler.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44And that's the way he dealt with people.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46In a matter of days,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Felicity handed him a large chunk of her savings
0:10:49 > 0:10:52and had nothing to show for it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57I was worried because I was paying him money in cash.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59I said, "So how much more do I owe you?"
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And he said, "Well, I've got to pay the men."
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And I said, "What do you mean, you've got to pay the men?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09"They've done nothing. I've not seen any men.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12"If there's no men, I want the money back."
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Of course, Mander's men never materialised.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18And by now, Felicity was really starting to worry.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22When I rang him repeatedly every day,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26he told me quite bluntly that
0:11:26 > 0:11:31it wasn't on and I said, "Well, it is on because
0:11:31 > 0:11:34"you should be ringing me."
0:11:34 > 0:11:38After several frustrating weeks in a freezing cold house
0:11:38 > 0:11:39with no men at work
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and no sign of the radiators or boiler that she'd paid for,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Felicity's patience finally ran out.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48I felt gutted and I felt angry.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I said, "I've thought about this
0:11:50 > 0:11:54"and I am cancelling the whole project
0:11:54 > 0:11:57"and I want my money back." He said, "You realise
0:11:57 > 0:12:00"you won't get it back straight away."
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I said, "I want the money back" and I put the phone down on him
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and I rang the police.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Good for you, Felicity! The police immediately passed on her details
0:12:10 > 0:12:14to Brian Mycock at Staffordshire Trading Standards.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18When we first spoke to her, she was upset.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23She didn't know which way to turn. She realised she'd probably lost
0:12:23 > 0:12:28quite a lot of money and she just wanted help and assistance.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Thankfully, Brian was soon able to compile a comprehensive list
0:12:32 > 0:12:37of complaints against Mander. Police and Trading Standards moved in.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42When I heard that he'd been arrested, I was very pleased.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I was so pleased that they'd got him,
0:12:45 > 0:12:50but not hopeful of a good result when he'd gone to court.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Brian's team worked hard to gather a raft of damning evidence
0:12:53 > 0:12:57against Anthony Mander. They soon discovered the shocking truth
0:12:57 > 0:13:00about what really happened to Felicity's money
0:13:00 > 0:13:01and just wait till you hear this.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05The door-stepping scam-artist was in fact
0:13:05 > 0:13:07an online gambling obsessive
0:13:07 > 0:13:12who was spending almost £50,000 a year on his addiction.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16When I found out that he'd spent thousands of pounds gambling,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I was mortified.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22He'd had all the money I had
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and I didn't have much.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I just feel stunned,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29angry...
0:13:29 > 0:13:33a whole lot of emotions that go through my mind.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37At Stoke on Trent Crown Court, Anthony Mander pleaded guilty
0:13:37 > 0:13:39to 29 fraud offences
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45The full extent of his cynical scam
0:13:45 > 0:13:48is still very much in Felicity's mind.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51But one thing's for sure. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes
0:13:51 > 0:13:54should he ever run into this feisty lady again.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00I'd like to get a set of stocks set up in the town...
0:14:00 > 0:14:05put him in them...and I'd throw rotten eggs at him,
0:14:05 > 0:14:10and get a megaphone and shout, "Come and watch, come and watch!
0:14:10 > 0:14:16"See what I'm doing to this man who has taken my money, to gamble it,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19"when all I wanted was a bit of heating!"
0:14:19 > 0:14:21I think you'll agree, quite a lady!
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Still to come...
0:14:25 > 0:14:28the off-duty police officer who tracked down a door to door cheat
0:14:28 > 0:14:30who conned members of the public
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and tried to deprive a charity of its funding.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35It made me, I suppose, angry in a way.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37That the fact that somebody is going round
0:14:37 > 0:14:40saying that they are collecting for a worthy cause,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42and they're not genuine, taking advantage of good nature!
0:14:47 > 0:14:50As always, thank you very much for all your letters and emails.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Wa have one from Brian Abram,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56who says when somebody tells him that his house needs some work done to it,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58he tells them the property is rented
0:14:58 > 0:15:00and then offers the name of the letting agent.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03He finds that they soon disappear.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Well, that certainly sounds like it does the trick, Brian.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07So thank you very much indeed for the tip.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Now, at this stage we catch-up with John Gale in Kent,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13who was being ripped off by rogue roofers.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16They'd discovered that he had around £6,000 in his bank account
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and they simply wanted the lot.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21So how did John turn the tables on the crooks?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26He was upset and unsettled by the idea that
0:15:26 > 0:15:29they could be inventing roofing jobs in order to scam his savings.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31So he took the brave decision
0:15:31 > 0:15:34to get in touch with both Trading Standards and Kent Police
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and it proved to be the turning point in the case.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39We were very concerned with the situation
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and we immediately reacted, and attended Mr Gale's house,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47where we found the vehicle of the conmen just leaving the property.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49And by phoning that detail through to the police
0:15:49 > 0:15:54they were subsequently stopped and arrested on scene.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Were you worried about phoning the police?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Not at all. You know, they were the people to call.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Trading Standards sent in an independent surveyor
0:16:04 > 0:16:07to examine the work carried out by John Hanley and John Brien.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09The inevitable conclusion was
0:16:09 > 0:16:12that the roof did not require any felting work
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and even if it had, it should only have cost £200.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Poor John had been conned from the moment he'd opened his front door.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Sadly, his story isn't unique,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25so I'm keen to find out how conmen everywhere
0:16:25 > 0:16:28worm their way into people's lives.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Richard, the thing that amazes me with all these cases
0:16:31 > 0:16:34is how cunning all these people are on the doorstep.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Take me inside their head, as to how they do all of that.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Well, I mean, these are professional conmen, they do it day in day out,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and they build up, really, such skills
0:16:44 > 0:16:47at manipulating people's minds, really,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49to convince them that they need this work done.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55And, you know, they build up that trust that's not there in reality
0:16:55 > 0:16:58but in the victim's mind they then become their friends
0:16:58 > 0:17:00and that's when they become susceptible to being conned.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02How would you describe, with all your experience,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05these kind of people who do scams on the doorstep like this?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Well, these kind of people are nasty.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10They know how to exploit people like John Gale
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and they know how to, sort of, sow the seeds
0:17:13 > 0:17:17that make him decide that the work is incredibly necessary -
0:17:17 > 0:17:19is urgent, needs to be done.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23And they spend, you know, many hours breaking down those barriers,
0:17:23 > 0:17:24building up those friendships
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and, ultimately, they get away with what they can.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30So, in the end, what are we all to learn from this?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33We need to be aware of our family members
0:17:33 > 0:17:36who may well be living on their own
0:17:36 > 0:17:40and make sure that, actually, any improvement work that needs doing,
0:17:40 > 0:17:41we help them through that,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44rather than let them chose somebody that knocks on their door.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And now for the good news -
0:17:48 > 0:17:51John Hanley and John Brien got what they really deserved
0:17:51 > 0:17:54on the 23rd of December 2011.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Each received a 12 month suspended sentence.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59They were also fitted with electronic tags,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03ordered to carry out 275 hours of community service,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06pay the costs of £1,250
0:18:06 > 0:18:11and to pay back the £3,300 they had taken from John.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Now, unpleasant as the ordeal was,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15it's taught him a very valuable lesson.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23I've learnt not to do any financial transactions on the doorstep,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25for a start.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I mean if they were a reputable company
0:18:28 > 0:18:32they wouldn't be coming to the door to get work!
0:18:34 > 0:18:40So, yes, ignore anybody, cold callers on the doorstep.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44Well, there you have it -
0:18:44 > 0:18:47probably the best and most simple advice.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And, of course, our thanks to John Gale for sharing his experience with us.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Now it's time to reveal how another doorstep criminal was brought to justice,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57thanks to a courageous man in North Wales.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And I can promise you a truly heart-warming story.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09In May 2011, North Wales Police caught up with one Anthony Lewis.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11He'd been cold calling at homes around the Wrexham area,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14collecting money which he claimed
0:19:14 > 0:19:16was going to support the Help for Heroes charity.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18It made me, I suppose, angry in a way.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20That the fact that somebody is going round
0:19:20 > 0:19:24saying that they are actually collecting for a worthy cause
0:19:24 > 0:19:28and they're not genuine, and taking advantage of people's good nature.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33What Lewis was doing was underhand and despicable, really.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Particularly given the fact that, you know,
0:19:36 > 0:19:42there are individuals of his age currently risking their lives
0:19:42 > 0:19:45on the front line in Afghanistan
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Police believe Lewis conned over 100 people,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51taking advantage of their kindness.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The fraud that Lewis was undertaking...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58had gone on for a number of months.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02He'd purport to be planning to do a sponsored run
0:20:02 > 0:20:05round the Brenig reservoir, in North Wales,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09at a given date in aid of the Help for Heroes charity.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Off-duty officer Martin Jones
0:20:11 > 0:20:14has served with North Wales Police for ten years.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18When Lewis target him he made his biggest mistake.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20'Came to our door...'
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Very plausible young man, well-dressed,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27even said he was collecting for Help for Heroes charity.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Said he was actually going through the selection process himself,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36he had ID on him, he was carrying a passport with him,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39a couple of sponsorship forms.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Lewis claimed to be collecting money
0:20:41 > 0:20:44in support of wounded servicemen and women
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It comes as no surprise that so many residents
0:20:46 > 0:20:49wanted to support such a worthwhile cause.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'He came to the door, talking to my wife.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:54It was really suspicious to me
0:20:54 > 0:20:58but, a general member of the public, it may not have been that obvious.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Martin had heard reports of a young man
0:21:01 > 0:21:04attempting a charity scam in the area,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08and so his curiosity was immediately aroused.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Obviously, in my role as a police officer,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13bulletins go around all the time,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16intelligence of what's going on in the area,
0:21:16 > 0:21:21and a colleague in work had actually sent out an email
0:21:21 > 0:21:24to say that there was a bogus collector going round the area
0:21:24 > 0:21:28and in fact quite a good part of North Wales, collecting for Help the Heroes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31So Martin decided that it was time
0:21:31 > 0:21:35to put a stop to what he suspected was a scam.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39After calling his colleagues for back-up, he decided to follow him.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Jumped in my car and decided to drive around the estate
0:21:42 > 0:21:44to see if I could still see him.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Didn't come across him and thought, "I've blown it, I've lost him."
0:21:47 > 0:21:53Decided to come back, but as I'm coming back I caught sight of him further down another avenue.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57So I parked up then, I called it up to the control room,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59just basically where he was,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and made sure that someone was still on their way up,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and that's when I clocked him
0:22:04 > 0:22:07going into the cul de sac where he actually lived.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Thanks to Martin's quick thinking,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11police were able to bring Lewis in for questioning.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Officer Iolo Edwards led the team.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15When he was arrested,
0:22:15 > 0:22:20we found sponsorship forms dating back to the summer of 2010,
0:22:20 > 0:22:25and those activities carried on at various points
0:22:25 > 0:22:29right through until when he was arrested in May of 2011.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Obviously, I was really pleased, my colleagues had turned up
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and we'd finally identified this male
0:22:34 > 0:22:37that we'd been after for a quite a few months.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Lewis had been busy right across North Wales
0:22:41 > 0:22:43knocking on doors and conning people.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44When I interviewed him,
0:22:44 > 0:22:49he claimed to have sent over £600
0:22:49 > 0:22:53on one occasion into the charity.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57We know that he visited well over 100 people.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59It was quite a productive scam.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Productive indeed, and shocking as well.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08But at first Lewis did not own up to his callous activities.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12He carried on lying throughout all the way through,
0:23:12 > 0:23:17he continued to claim that he was an innocent individual.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Police sifted through the fraudulent sponsorship forms
0:23:20 > 0:23:22found at Lewis' address.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26They then traced many of those who had donated their money.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30A lot of the people that were spoken to who had given money.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35There was a sense of anger more than anything that they'd been conned.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40One person that had contributed was a serving soldier himself,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and quite clearly...he took it as a personal insult.
0:23:44 > 0:23:51Um... And that was the attitude that was taken by everybody, really.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Lewis still claimed that he had given the money to the charity,
0:23:54 > 0:24:00via a £600 postal order and by putting cash into a collection box.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Police confirmed that neither the charity nor the Royal Mail
0:24:03 > 0:24:05had any record of that postal order,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07but it was impossible to prove
0:24:07 > 0:24:11whether or not Lewis had donated any cash.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14It doesn't get much lower than what this male actually did,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18you know, as far as I'm concerned,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23I can't use the words I would like to use for him on camera.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27It was only when he eventually appeared before the Crown Court
0:24:27 > 0:24:28to plead guilty
0:24:28 > 0:24:33that he finally acknowledged that he was actually guilty of fraud.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Although police believe over 100 people were conned
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and hundreds of pounds went missing,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43the prosecution focused on three of these cases
0:24:43 > 0:24:47where the witness had particularly strong recollections
0:24:47 > 0:24:49of their dealings with Lewis.
0:24:49 > 0:24:55In October 2011, following his guilty plea at Crown Court,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58he received a custodial sentence of ten months.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Martin's act was clearly astute,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but his view of what he did is more modest.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I don't think it's heroic I would hope every member of the public
0:25:08 > 0:25:11would do the same thing if they had the same suspicions.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Had Martin not acted as he did
0:25:13 > 0:25:17and followed Lewis on the night in question,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22we may not have been able to prove what he was up to.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Martin's involvement was a crucial factor in the case.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29With Lewis brought to justice, the people of North Wales
0:25:29 > 0:25:34can rest easy that at least one doorstep conman is off the streets.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38The advice police give on how to avoid this type of scam is clear.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41If people become suspicious of this type of person,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44they can carry background checks, even ask this person, whoever's collecting,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48to come back another time once they've made the necessary enquiries
0:25:48 > 0:25:50to see if this person's actually registered with a charity,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53which they can do by various means - website, telephone, etc.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58If you're not happy to give, don't give to that charity and report it to the police.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03We will strive to gather evidence against these individuals,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and, if the evidence is there,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09these people will be taken to court and will be punished appropriately.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Fantastic work, what a great result!
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Now before we go, just enough time to read you this email from David Griffin.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23He's from a Neighbourhood Watch group based in Nottinghamshire.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27He says, "Crime cannot flourish in a community that cares,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31"so to be neighbourly and to prevent crime and the fear of crime,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33"start a Neighbourhood Watch scheme to look after yourselves -
0:26:33 > 0:26:37"it's so simple to do." Great advice, so thanks, David.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41We're here to fight back against doorstep criminals
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and we'd love to hear more about how you've caught them out.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Our details are on the website.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Be sure to get in touch if you've got a story of your own.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51That's just about it.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I hope you'll join us again next time. Bye-bye.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd