0:00:02 > 0:00:07Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Police! Police officer, stand where you are!
0:00:22 > 0:00:23You're under arrest.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28In this series, I'm going to be investigating
0:00:28 > 0:00:32the world of the criminals who make their money at your expense,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35and I'm going to show you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Coming up...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Who's in charge? Put your knives down.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42We follow the UK Border Agency as they track down the fakers
0:00:42 > 0:00:44hidden in Britain's workforce.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48He's told me he entered the United Kingdom by lorry.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51The bottle of wine that left a nasty taste in the mouth.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It was bought in Tesco... and it's a fake.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Heartbreak for young ballet dancers -
0:00:57 > 0:00:59how a fraudster left their dreams in tatters.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03There were children as young as three years old involved in this.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And the extraordinary scams of the fake benefit claimants -
0:01:06 > 0:01:09they're costing the country millions.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18This man is a target for the police, the Border Agency
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and counter fraud squad from the local authority.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26He's a suspected fraudster, who they believe has used fake ID
0:01:26 > 0:01:30to claim tens of thousands in benefits he's not entitled to.
0:01:30 > 0:01:36We are looking at closer to ?50,000 of housing, Council Tax
0:01:36 > 0:01:40and benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The man's ID says his name is Mehdi Zerga,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47but the council's fraud team think that's a fake French identity
0:01:47 > 0:01:50he's using so he can claim benefits.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52The team know where he lives,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and early in the morning they are on their way to arrest him for fraud.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Can you open the door, please?
0:01:59 > 0:02:04The police are in, but there's a whole family inside.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The suspect has been handcuffed.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Police and the council team are confident this is the man in the ID.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15What they need to find now are any identity documents linking him
0:02:15 > 0:02:18to the name on the fake claims - Mehdi Zerga.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Two for the children.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23So far, all they can find are what seem to be genuine documents
0:02:23 > 0:02:25for him, his wife and their children.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26I'm a British citizen.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30You've got a British passport, or a travel document? No, I've got a British passport.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34But finally, they've found suspect bank documents in the name
0:02:34 > 0:02:36they've been looking for.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Mr Mehdi Zerga... do you know who he is?
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Basically, that man is not here at the moment.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44He lives in France. He used to live here for ages, and he went.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47All right. Do you open his mail for him?
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Yeah, because sometimes he said to me,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51"If there is any letter, pay it for me."
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Because I'm paying his rent.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57He comes maybe once a month or two months to take his rent.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59I've got a letter from the Halifax.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00That's his credit card.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I used to do like a payment for him.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05That's his credit card?
0:03:05 > 0:03:06They don't believe him.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09They think he opened the letter because it was addressed
0:03:09 > 0:03:13to the fake name he's been using to claim ?50,000 in benefits.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15We're going to seize these documents.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17The team believe they have got the fraudster.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22They've found the suspect at the address the benefits were claimed from,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and found bank documents in the name of the fake claimant.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27And they were right.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30The man later admitted setting up a fake identity in the name
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Mehdi Zerga and conning ?50,000.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36He was sentenced to a year's jail
0:03:36 > 0:03:41and all payments to him were stopped, saving thousands of pounds.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42We're very happy with the results.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Every case we prosecute, we are saving a lot of money.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And what you've got to appreciate, we're stopping the benefit,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51so we're stopping that fraud increasing.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59We buy a bottle of wine.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03It could be an old favourite or something we've not tried before.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07But whatever it is, and whether we like the wine or not,
0:04:07 > 0:04:12we have a right to expect it to be exactly what it says it is on the label, don't we?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16But believe it or not, this is a bottle of fake wine,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21and it was purchased from a major supermarket in an ordinary high street.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Clacton-on-Sea, on the windy coast of Essex.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28With its pier and beach,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32it was once a top holiday destination for tens of thousands.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36It's perhaps the last place you'd think of for fake wine.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Daniel McGowan likes his wine and knows a bit about it.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48He went into his local Tesco in Clacton
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and bought a couple of bottles of the classy French wine Pouilly-Fuisse.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55But when he got it home and drank it, he was in for a surprise.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I opened it up expecting it to be a dry French wine.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I'm no expert,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07but I can tell a decent French dry wine to a cheap and sweet wine.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Daniel was convinced that what was on the label was not the wine
0:05:10 > 0:05:11in the bottle.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Purchasing it from Tesco,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17couldn't have thought that a counterfeit wine could have been sold.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Next day he took the bottle back to the supermarket to complain...
0:05:21 > 0:05:24he was offered a refund.
0:05:24 > 0:05:24I declined,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and I just really asked for someone from Tesco to speak to me,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31because I felt that, obviously, that wasn't right,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Tesco really shouldn't be...
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Someone needed to explain the reasons why what was in the bottle
0:05:37 > 0:05:40wasn't what it was actually supposed to be.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44I received a letter from Tesco saying that it was nothing to do with them,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and it was in the hands of their wine distribution company.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I've had a conversation with the wine distribution company,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56who reimbursed me with two bottles of the actual wine
0:05:56 > 0:05:59that it should have been and a bottle of champagne.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04But apart from that, there has been nothing more from Tesco
0:06:04 > 0:06:06on this matter or anything else.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Tesco point out that this is the only time this has ever happened
0:06:10 > 0:06:11in one of their stores.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13But two questions remain...
0:06:13 > 0:06:17just what was in the bottle, and how did it get there?
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Daniel's brought it along to a top wine expert in London
0:06:21 > 0:06:22for some answers.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I thought we'd start off by tasting something I know to be real
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Pouilly-Fuisse.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28And we'll see what it's like.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31This is classic southern Burgundian wine.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It's a chardonnay, it's 100%, so we should be getting some really
0:06:35 > 0:06:39nice aromas of things like minerals from the soil.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Let's have a taste.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Mmm.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Can you feel that creaminess coming from the oak contact?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Yes. But there's that lovely sort of fresh, mineral note.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57That's what Pouilly-Fuisse is all about.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Let's have a look at your bottle now.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I can tell straightaway that this is a wrong 'un.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06That's the only way to describe it. Look at the shape of the bottle.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Completely different shape.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And when you're in the know, Burgundy comes in that shape bottle,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14other wines come in this shaped bottle.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Louis Jadot I know never use screw caps.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20And this label, it's the wrong texture,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22the label is just cheap and nasty.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It should be a lot better than that.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28And, well, it looks pure filth...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31let's see what it tastes like! Have a try.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34You can see, it smells completely different.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36A, there's hardly any nose on that...
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Mmm. Mmm! Mmm! And it's sweet.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It's probably German, and it's probably not very good German.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50So it's German, cheap and definitely not Pouilly-Fuisse.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53But how did it get on Tesco's shelves?
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Tom thinks the distributors were conned by the fakers.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59It's the most common fraud around at the moment -
0:07:59 > 0:08:01people buy a batch of really cheap wine,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04get some labels printed off, stick it on, and then just try and sneak
0:08:04 > 0:08:10it into the supply chain of a big company, like they've tried here.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Having said that, again,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15the people who've bought it probably didn't taste this wine.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18The way it normally works, from what I can work out, is that
0:08:18 > 0:08:23if you ask for samples of wine, you get the genuine article,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26but the fake stuff then gets slipped into the supply chain,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28and hopefully gets lost in there.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So it's really hard to trace it back.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33For Daniel, it's a relief to have the experts agree
0:08:33 > 0:08:36that his suspicions were correct.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It's the reason why I wrote in and went to see Tesco.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41It's proved it's true.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Tesco believe that only nine bottles of the fake wine were ever in their stores,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49but Tom thinks there's a reason why we don't hear more about wine frauds.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52An awful lot of times I think people just taste it and they go,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55"Well, I don't like that wine, throw it away."
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Even if it's at the top end,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01they very rarely think they've been defrauded, they just think they don't like the wine.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Tom, I really appreciate you coming along today.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14You've brought this bottle along, and it's got what I would call netting on it...
0:09:14 > 0:09:16but that's not for decoration, is it?
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Well, no, this is an 18th-century anti-tamper device.
0:09:20 > 0:09:26The Rioja producers, they had a report that certain innkeepers
0:09:26 > 0:09:30in Barcelona were opening the wine, serving the wine and then filling it
0:09:30 > 0:09:34with cheap plonk, resealing it, and selling the bottle again.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37In order to try and prevent that happening,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41they put this wire netting over the bottle as an early anti-tamper device.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45How have things moved on since then, what do they do now?
0:09:45 > 0:09:49There was a huge Rioja scam, involving hundreds of thousands
0:09:49 > 0:09:53of bottles of Rioja wine, some of which ended up in the UK.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54So the Rioja producers,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57along with a lot of the producing areas in Spain, have put a seal
0:09:57 > 0:10:01on their bottles to prove that the wine has come from Rioja.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03There's a Rioja stamp, and a number.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06You declare you're going to produce X number of bottles,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08you get X number of labels.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10But the problem is labels are easy to fake,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13especially with technology. Most people can do that at home on a PC now.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18To try and prevent that, they've now put a hologram on the label.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21As a general rule of thumb, for the layman, like myself,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24what should I look out for when buying wine?
0:10:24 > 0:10:25There's a number of things to look for.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28One is the quality of the printing of the label.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30That's going to help you to some extent.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32The bottle shape is important.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35If you're dealing with wines from Burgundy or Bordeaux,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37they have specific shapes for the bottles.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So if the bottle's in the wrong shape, it's obviously a wrong 'un.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Know your wines.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Yes, know your wines.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Or certainly get to know them, if they're expensive wines. Yes.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Information has been received that there are immigration
0:10:54 > 0:10:56offenders working illegally at the premises.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01In Hampshire, an enforcement team from the UK Border Agency
0:11:01 > 0:11:02are preparing for an operation.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08They suspect that a restaurant on their patch is employing
0:11:08 > 0:11:11fake workers who have no right to take up jobs here.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15All put down what you're doing, put any knives down.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Some estimates say that almost a million people are in this country illegally,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and many of them are working.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25That's why the UK Border Agency carry out thousands of operations
0:11:25 > 0:11:26like this in a year,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30looking for people who falsely claim to have the right to work here.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32How many of these people live upstairs?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34No-one inside is a UK national,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39but many could have leave to remain, working visas or be students.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And one man has provided a straightforward answer on how he came to be here.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46He's told me he entered the United Kingdom by lorry.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Can you ask him when he entered by lorry,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and is he in contact with the Home Office?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57HE SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE
0:11:57 > 0:11:58Entered by lorry in 1998.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02He then made an application under the Human Rights Act in 2006,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05but he says he hasn't heard anything else.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07He says he hasn't been given any reporting restrictions,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10but I take it he's probably absconded.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Staff will investigate his claim that he made a human rights application,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15but he's been here for 12 years.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19You've been here since 1998, and you don't speak any English?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21He came here first of all on holiday.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I think you understand what I'm saying a little bit better
0:12:24 > 0:12:26than you're letting on.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31A check on his records revealed he had no right to live or work here, and he's been arrested.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34What's his present status in the UK? That's what I'm trying to establish.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Language barriers often exist on operations like this,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41but the team have got interpreters on the end of a phone line.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I will get the interpreter to explain to you in a second...
0:12:44 > 0:12:47This man has told officers that he has the right to work here
0:12:47 > 0:12:51in the UK, but a check on their database is revealing a different story.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Information I have says he's got no visa to be a domestic worker.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Can you just check that he understands the difference
0:12:57 > 0:12:59between a working holiday maker and a domestic worker?
0:12:59 > 0:13:03His visa is very specific and doesn't allow him to work in restaurants.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Go back to work, I'm afraid!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And although the legitimate staff have now been allowed to start
0:13:14 > 0:13:19cooking, customers might still have a long wait for food.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22The UK Border Agency checks have also revealed that this waiter is
0:13:22 > 0:13:25an over-stayer who should have left the UK some time ago.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I'm just going to hold you quietly.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I'll be very gentle.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33As a result of the operation,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36three workers at the restaurant are now under arrest.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40One of them's an over-stayer,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42one of them's working in breach of his conditions,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44and one of them came into the country illegally.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46The middle chap is a worker in breach.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49He came into the country on a visa which meant he was working
0:13:49 > 0:13:50as a domestic worker.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52He's not allowed to work in a restaurant,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56he's only allowed to do a specific job role, and he's not doing that.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00These three were all cheating the system to work here, and many believe
0:14:00 > 0:14:03this has a detrimental effect on the rest of the working population.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Illegals often work for less money, which drives down wages
0:14:07 > 0:14:11in the poorly paid jobs that legal immigrants often end up doing.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And for having three fake workers,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18the restaurateur was fined a total of ?15,000.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Still to come, designer labels at discount prices...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Well, that's what you're meant to think in this store.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28But everything you see here is a fake.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Trading Standards in London's East End are in the market for a watch...
0:14:31 > 0:14:33or 20.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35But all of them are counterfeit.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And we're back out with the benefit fraud team as they target the fakers
0:14:39 > 0:14:42who con thousands of pounds every year.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56This is Rebecca Towndrow practising some of the ballet movements
0:14:56 > 0:14:59she and her sister learned in their training
0:14:59 > 0:15:02at the Dance Lines Academy in Croydon.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Rebecca hasn't danced in front of anybody
0:15:04 > 0:15:07since she left the dance academy.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Something that happened there really knocked the confidence out of her.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Rebecca and her sister Kristina
0:15:13 > 0:15:15were both learning to dance at the academy,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20run by qualified dance teacher Amanda Brugnoli-Lines.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24I enjoyed it, because you met new people,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I learnt loads more things, and you get close to the teacher
0:15:27 > 0:15:31when you keep on going years and years and things like that.
0:15:33 > 0:15:40The girls loved going, getting dressed up, having their hair done.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Hair ribbons...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45And it was all very, very exciting for them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And for Lynne's elder daughter, Kristina,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50dancing was more than just a hobby.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It was something that I really enjoyed doing,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and at that stage, I did want to follow on
0:15:55 > 0:16:00and go to the Brit School and actually be the prima ballerina!
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Both the girls regularly sat exams set by the Royal Academy of Dance.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Take your places at the bar, please.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Their marks would be sent back to them via their dance tutor.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16The syllabus sets criteria which candidates have to meet,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and obviously the requirements get progressively more difficult
0:16:19 > 0:16:21as you go up the grades.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I wanted to get the grades, you always wanted to get that
0:16:25 > 0:16:28grade A or distinction, you didn't want to get anything less...
0:16:28 > 0:16:31just wanted to be the best.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And the grades she was getting seemed to suggest the hard work was paying off.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Thanks to the teaching of their instructor,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Amanda Brugnoli-Lines, the girls were getting great grades.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45They all really wanted to do the best for themselves and for Miss Amanda.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47But something was very wrong at the academy
0:16:47 > 0:16:49where the girls had been taught.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Rumours had begun to circulate that there was a problem with the exam certificates,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and their tutor had been arrested.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00I just bumped into somebody in Sainsbury's, of all places,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05and she asked me if I had had the certificate checked.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10And the next thing I got a phone call from the police asking
0:17:10 > 0:17:13if they could come to see me and examine the certificates.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15And I was just really shocked!
0:17:15 > 0:17:19The rumour was that their dance teacher had committed such
0:17:19 > 0:17:23a major fraud that it affected almost all her students.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26It seemed she had been faking the results of the children's
0:17:26 > 0:17:31dancing exams and counterfeiting their certificates.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Later on, we'll find out how and why she did it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43You might expect to find fake goods like this for sale on some
0:17:43 > 0:17:47dodgy market stall or even a boot fair.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50But I bet you'd be surprised to discover them in what seemed
0:17:50 > 0:17:54to be a respectable shop close to one of London's busiest shopping areas,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56the West End.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59But that is exactly what Trading Standards officers discovered
0:17:59 > 0:18:03when they went checking up on luxury goods for sale.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Just a few miles away from Marble Arch in central London
0:18:08 > 0:18:09is the district of Queensway.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Today, Westminster Trading Standards team are following up reports
0:18:13 > 0:18:17from a private investigator that a shop here is selling top-notch
0:18:17 > 0:18:21designer gear, but all of it is fake.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23They're used to seeing a few fake goods on sale,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26but a whole shopful would be remarkable.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Watches, wallets and bags...
0:18:28 > 0:18:33The man on the left is the private investigator that called them in.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36He works on behalf of many of the designer labels whose goods
0:18:36 > 0:18:40have been counterfeited, and he's just made a test purchase
0:18:40 > 0:18:43at the suspect's shop and passed it to officer Frank King.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47The test purchaser on our behalf has asked for a Louis Vuitton item,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51and it's been supplied for the money in a box
0:18:51 > 0:18:53bearing the trade name Gucci,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57which leads us to believe that there must be Gucci items there as well.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Trading Standards now have all the evidence they need to raid the shop.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Who's in charge? I'm from Westminster City Council, Trading Standards.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Looks like the private investigator was spot-on.
0:19:09 > 0:19:16This place is an emporium of the nation's most popular designer brands, but how many are fake?
0:19:16 > 0:19:20This is one of the items that were purchased earlier
0:19:20 > 0:19:26by the brand owner, Gucci, who confirmed that it was counterfeit.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28In addition to that, they're selling it for ?40.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32To buyers, this all looks like bargain price designer gear,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35but they don't realise they are actually overpaying for fakes.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38A normal person coming into a shop set out such as this,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41they think the items up for sale are genuine.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44The price, the pure presentation,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48leads anybody to believe that they are buying a genuine item.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51The reports were that every last piece of clothing
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and all the handbags and belts are expensive fakes,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and the team want a good nose around to check that's true.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02The jewellery on sale seems to be authentic, but after examining
0:20:02 > 0:20:07all the clothes and bags, it seems this really is a shop full of fakes.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11The store owner isn't on the premises,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14but has had a phone call from Trading Standards to give her some bad news.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Her entire stock is being seized.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Any bargain hunters who'd been shopping at this store will
0:20:41 > 0:20:45probably feel they'd been ripped off. But with all the stock seized,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49it's definitely the store owner who's lost out today.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52A very successful operation, bearing in mind the way in which this shop
0:20:52 > 0:20:56has displayed its goods, and the price being offered for the items.
0:20:56 > 0:20:5872 bags of evidence...
0:20:58 > 0:21:01approximate value is ?10,000, we estimate, today.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Still to come...
0:21:11 > 0:21:14cheating the benefits system costs every household in the country,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18but we're back out with the team who put a stop to fake claims
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and get the fraudsters behind bars.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Yeah, it's my picture, but it's not my one.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Why would someone have your picture in their card? It's useless, isn't it?
0:21:28 > 0:21:32How do you make a piece of cheap tat be worth 10 times as much?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Stick a counterfeit designer label on it, that's how.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The second hand is not sweeping, it's just ticking round,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42it's kind of indicative that it's probably very cheap workings in there, really.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46And blue badges on the windscreen and red faces on the pavement...
0:21:46 > 0:21:50we catch up with the drivers faking their entitlement to park.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00This country is losing a billion pounds a year to benefit fraud,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and we've been following some of the people responsible
0:22:03 > 0:22:06for tracking down the fraudsters.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09In Hillingdon, west London, the local council benefit fraud team
0:22:09 > 0:22:13are about to raid another benefit fraudster.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16They believe he's used false documents
0:22:16 > 0:22:19to set up an identity in the name of Jean Singlan,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22purely to cheat the system.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26He's had ?20,000 in housing and other benefits.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But now it's time to wake him up.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34There are two men inside, but not who they're looking for,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37but there's post addressed to the suspect fraudster,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and more of his letters lying around the flat.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43What's the landlord's name? Singlan.
0:22:43 > 0:22:49What's his first name? I don't know, I know his name is Singlan.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Because there's post in this address for Mr Singlan.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Who's opened the post?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58I don't know, because he's got the keys as well.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Why doesn't he take the bank statements with him? I don't know.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Straightaway, the men have revealed that the target man
0:23:04 > 0:23:08supposedly owns this flat, but is renting it out to them,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11thus invalidating any Housing Benefit claim.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Who does this card belong to? One of my friends. What's his name?
0:23:14 > 0:23:20Ali. Ali what? Ali... I don't know.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Strange to have a friend trust you enough
0:23:23 > 0:23:26to look after his credit card, but you don't know his surname.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And that's not the only thing that doesn't add up.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33The man has told officers he doesn't have a key for his own flat.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It doesn't sound right to me, you've been here for a year
0:23:36 > 0:23:37and you don't have a key.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Your friend has the key but you don't have a key.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Yeah, but I can't make... You can cut another key very easily.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49But I can't. What do you do when he's not here?
0:23:49 > 0:23:50All the time, I call him.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Do you wait outside to get into the house? Yeah, that's it.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56This investigator can't be shown on television,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58but she's not convinced by their story.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Their stories do not add up in any way. They just don't add up.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05For him not to have a key to the address, yet be living here...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08With such suspicious circumstances,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11the team decide to search the flat thoroughly.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17There are no antiques in the attic, but there's something
0:24:17 > 0:24:20that reveals a lot about this man's history.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Have you been to Italy? No, I didn't.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26You've never been to Italy? I didn't.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29So, why have you got an Italian ID card? I don't have, man.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Who's Fateh Hareri...? No, I didn't.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40That's you, isn't it? Yes, it's my picture. It's your picture.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44You said you're Fateh. Just show me. No, no, just show me.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48I'm telling you. No, it's not my one, man.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49You said it's your picture.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Yes, it's my picture, but it's not my one.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Why would someone have your picture in their card -
0:24:54 > 0:24:57it's useless, isn't it? Give me your names.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05That's definitely you.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06Yeah...
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Although the suspect fake document isn't in the target name of Singlan,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13this man is still being arrested for fraud.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17I'm going to arrest you for possessing a false identification.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Next, the team need to have the document analysed by specialists
0:25:22 > 0:25:25at the National Document Fraud Unit.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28This Italian ID document, which we think is a false document,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32was found at an address where we went to interrogate
0:25:32 > 0:25:34an arrest warrant with the police.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37We now need to have this document examined by yourselves,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39to let us know if it is false.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Yep, that's fine. Thank you.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44It is inkjet-printed, quite a basic printing method.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48It results in lots of random dots of ink.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53All of this should be solid line print, litho printed,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55rather than inkjet-printed.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58This dark area of print should be Intaglio print,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00like a raised ink on the surface.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02But I can run my finger across it,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and you can't feel any raised ink on there at all.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11This border section on the inside is extra small print,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13but it's actually quite difficult to read.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19You can just about make out "Italia" there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I-T-A-L-I-A.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It's very difficult to read.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And you can see all the inkjet-printed area around it too.
0:26:26 > 0:26:32After several tests, the expert is ready to give her final verdict.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36I can tell you it is counterfeit. It's completely made up.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39That means he can put whatever identity on here that he wants.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I can produce a statement for you so you can prosecute this person.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46As a result of Hillingdon Council's operation,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48this man was sentenced to three months in jail
0:26:48 > 0:26:51for possession of a fake identity document.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56As an Algerian, he had no right to stay or work in the UK,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58but had used the fake ID to get a job nearby.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The other man in the flat was later found
0:27:01 > 0:27:03to have used a fake French passport
0:27:03 > 0:27:07to get a job with the same employer as his friend.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09After the raid, he disappeared.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11The original target of the raid,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14a man using a fake identity in the name of Singlan
0:27:14 > 0:27:17to make a benefits claim, was not found.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20But the fake claim has been stopped.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Up like a rocket. That was better.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Young children across Britain are as eager as ever
0:27:32 > 0:27:35to become the performing stars of tomorrow.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38And sisters Kristina and Rebecca Towndrow
0:27:38 > 0:27:40dreamt of becoming ballerinas.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44They studied at the Dancing Lines Academy in Croydon, Surrey,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and were passing their ballet exams with excellent grades.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52When I got my certificate, I went into school and showed my teacher
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and the head teacher, and then they said that I did very well.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59But the family had heard that their ballet teacher,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Amanda Brugnoli-Lines, had been arrested.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Her pupils were about to find out
0:28:04 > 0:28:07they weren't the brilliant young dancers
0:28:07 > 0:28:08their exam results suggested.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11And even the experienced detectives at Surrey Police
0:28:11 > 0:28:14had never seen anything like it.
0:28:14 > 3:00:23We suspected that Amanda was basically forging
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the results of dance certificates.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23She would enter pupils into examinations,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23they would achieve a Grade C or maybe a Grade D,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and she would increase those grades to a B or an A,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to give the child a better result in the examination.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The children at the dance school
3:00:23 > 3:00:23thought they were flying through their exams,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but in truth, their teacher was faking their results.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23After each exam, the certificates with the grades
3:00:23 > 3:00:23were sent out to Amanda Brugnoli-Lines.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23She replaced them with fake ones she made herself,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23with much higher grades.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Where Kristina and Rebecca thought they were getting distinctions,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23their real grades had only been passes.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I couldn't imagine her doing anything like that at all.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I was actually quite shocked, more than anything, when I found out.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And with a full roster of pupils dancing at the academy,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it was in their instructor's interest that they got good marks
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and kept paying for classes.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If the marks their candidates receive
3:00:23 > 3:00:23are higher than they would otherwise be,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23this can increase their standing in the community,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it can help their business,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and they see it I think in many cases as a personal reflection
3:00:23 > 3:00:23of their standards as a teacher.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And when the fraud was finally discovered,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the police were left with the task
3:00:23 > 3:00:23of shattering all the young ballerinas' dreams.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We spoke to all the students.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Delivering that news was particularly difficult.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23There were children as young as three years old involved in this,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and particularly children of a vulnerable disposition,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23they were told they were much better than they actually were,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and the personal effect,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the human effect on that, is quite devastating.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Some of the students had actually used the certificates,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23or the grades contained within the certificates,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to support university applications.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Others, it was something they were making life decisions on -
3:00:23 > 3:00:23"Am I good enough perhaps to take a career in dance?"
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And some thought they were, rather incorrectly.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23For the girls, the fraud was a massive shock.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The children were really let down,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23because they put so much into it, they put so much work into it,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and effort, to be proud of themselves
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and to make the teacher proud of them.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23These are some of the certificates the girls received after exams.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23They thought they had done so well,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but all of these had been doctored by Amanda Brugnoli-Lines.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If they had known that they weren't getting the grades
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that would let them become professional dancers,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23they would have stopped having lessons.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If I hadn't have got the good grades that I did
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and I was repeatedly getting lower grades,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23like I had actually got, I wouldn't have carried on lessons,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I would have packed it in then. And not carried on.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And if the girls had stopped dancing,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it would have saved their mum a lot of money.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23You're looking at ?10,000, you've got to be,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23including the extra coaching for exams,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23paying for the exams, the new uniform for exams.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I really hate to think what the exact sum would be.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Amanda Brugnoli-Lines was sentenced to two years imprisonment for fraud.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23She didn't help herself by telling police
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that she was the victim of a harassment campaign,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and others at the school were responsible for the fraud.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Her claim backfired when police proved
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that many of the threatening texts she had claimed to have received
3:00:23 > 3:00:23were sent from a phone she owned.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And for young pupils like Rebecca,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23who thought they might be the dancing stars of tomorrow,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the shock and betrayal was enough to put them right off dancing lessons.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I really trusted my teacher,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I thought I could let my hopes on her, and she's done this to me.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23That was the thing that hurt me more,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the fact that she'd been hurt.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And although this is the first time she's danced for a while,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23getting up and having a go again
3:00:23 > 3:00:23has left Rebecca in a more positive frame of mind about the future.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I'd like to go again and start doing ballet again
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and try and get my hopes back up again.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23A plane lands almost every minute at London's Heathrow Airport.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23As well as passengers, most of them are carrying large amounts of cargo.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Much of what arrives here ends up for sale on Britain's high streets,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but it's also a route that counterfeiters use
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to bring in millions of pounds' worth of fake goods.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23These officers are part of the detection team at Heathrow.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It's their job to search through the 25,000 tonnes of goods
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that pass through the airport every day.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Today, they've seized various shipments
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that they suspect are full of counterfeit clothes.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If the team are correct, these goods won't be leaving the airport.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23These are Ralph Lauren polo shirts.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23They are more than ?100.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Ed Hardys. More than likely that these are counterfeit goods.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Oh, crikey. Sunglasses. That's Oakley. Armani. Ray-Bans. Watches.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We've got five there... It's very suspicious.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23These watches and clothes will all now be impounded.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But inevitably, more will make it through
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and onto the streets of Great Britain.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23When they do, it's the job of Trading Standards teams
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to stop them being sold to the public.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We're in the Brick Lane area, we've seen a market trader
3:00:23 > 3:00:23selling what we believe to be counterfeit watches.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Alan Richards of Tower Hamlets Trading Standards
3:00:23 > 3:00:23is out on patrol at a Sunday market in his patch.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Most counterfeit sellers at least try and hide what they're doing,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but this man is adopting the broad-daylight approach.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Tower Hamlets Trading Standards department.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We've got concerns about some of the watches you're selling here.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23They're branded, they appear to have trademarks on them.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We've got concerns they're counterfeit.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Anything that's got a trademark on it -
3:00:23 > 3:00:23for example, Armani, Versace, Guess, Lacoste... These are just copies.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23That's why we're here. If they were genuine, we wouldn't seize them.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If you say, I'll remove it. I'm afraid we can't let you do that.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Once we've realised that there's offences,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23these goods become subject to seizure.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Can I get your name and address, please?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23As he's selling fake goods, the police decide
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to check out his identity.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He's given a name and address, but police think he is lying
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and ask to see some formal ID.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Why did you give me the wrong details?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I give you the correct address, but I changed address now.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23No, you gave me Arjen Nehtar, that is not your name.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It doesn't say... That's your photo on there.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The seller said he didn't know it was wrong to sell fake watches,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and now he says he didn't know it was wrong
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to give police the wrong name.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He's been very evasive. Lying to us.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I don't trust you now because you've been lying to us.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I showed you the ID and can show you the visa.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23His real ID and visa status are genuine,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but the watches he's selling certainly aren't.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The way the second hand is not sweeping, it's just ticking round,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it's kind of indicative
3:00:23 > 3:00:23that it's probably very cheap workings in there, really.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It's the quality of the product, it's very light,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it's not going to fool anyone who knows what they're looking at.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But despite the raid, some people can't stop themselves
3:00:23 > 3:00:23from looking for a bargain.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Show me... No, move on. Oh, sorry.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23No, we're confiscating these, we're not selling these.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I'm sorry. Walk away, please, sir.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Please, do you mind moving away?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It's the fact that we're surrounded by police, gives it away.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23My word!
3:00:23 > 3:00:23If the goods aren't produced by the trademark holder,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it's a criminal offence under the Trade Marks Act.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It's imprisonable with up to ten years in prison.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Now, some people buy these knowing they are fakes,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but they're often not worth even the money you pay for them.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The workings inside are cheap
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and if they didn't have a counterfeit brand logo on them,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23you would only pay a couple of pounds for them.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The watches weren't priced up so it's difficult to know how much
3:00:23 > 3:00:23he was selling each one for.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I can imagine it would be around ?20 or ?25.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23They purchase them in the Far East or India for ?2 or ?3 a time.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He was probably making five, six times
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the value of the amount he paid for those watches.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23A blue badge like this is issued to people with a disability
3:00:23 > 3:00:23so that they can use their car to get close to where they need to be.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23With one of these, you can park for free
3:00:23 > 3:00:23on single and double yellow lines for up to three hours
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and for as long as you like at most parking meters.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Over the course of a year,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23one of these could save you thousands of pounds in parking fees.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And that's exactly the reason why some people
3:00:23 > 3:00:23are faking their entitlement to use it.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We've been out with a council to do some checking,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and the results are pretty surprising.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23There are 2.5 million blue badges issued to people in the UK,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and the numbers are rising.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23You can park for free or park on yellow lines with one,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but you can't lend it out to someone else to help them save a few pounds.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But in some cities, it seems that's exactly what fraudsters are doing,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23as much as 70% of the time.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23This is Fulham, west London,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and it's match day for the local football club.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But fans aren't the only people out in force today.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Hammersmith Fulham Council Fraud and Investigation Team
3:00:23 > 3:00:23are out on the streets, looking for anybody misusing a blue badge.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23They spotted a man parking with a badge.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He doesn't seem to have a disability.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The driver says he dropped his mother off elsewhere,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but that doesn't mean he can carry on using the badge.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Who is your mum with at the moment? Her cousin, Jean.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Do either of them have a mobile, by any chance? No.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And where are they now, exactly? They've gone shopping to Harrods.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Right. You're not allowed to use your mother's badge to park here.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The badge is going to be seized,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it is going to go back to the council.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The driver is leaving to park elsewhere,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but he's lost his mother her blue badge,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and parking fraudsters could get a ?1,000 fine.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23As the match starts, the team spot this taxi with a blue badge
3:00:23 > 3:00:23registered to a local woman.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Unusual.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And when the match ends and drivers head back to their vehicles,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the taxi driver pitches up.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It's a man.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Who's that? It's my mother.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Where's your mother? I just dropped her off a little while ago. OK.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Take that back.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23What time? About 20 minutes before this.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Paul and his team think otherwise.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Who's she visiting? Er, friends.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I'm afraid we observed your taxi at the beginning of the game,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23so you've not just dropped your mother off.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Have you got your... Something with your address?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23All I've got is my season ticket...
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The man is denying he's misused the badge,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23so the police take a statement from him.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23You could be arrested - potentially it is fraud.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We saw the cab before the match.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He said to us that he dropped off the badge holder
3:00:23 > 3:00:23half-an-hour ago
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and then parked there, which quite clearly isn't true.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And it's not just the cabbie.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23What's the story? Who's this? That's my mother-in-law.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Where's your mother-in-law? She's at Wardo Avenue,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23waiting for me to pick her up. Oh, OK. When did you park here?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Just after two. OK. Was she with you? No.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23OK. You can't use her badge, do you know that?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Not even if I'm dropping her off?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Where did you drop her off? Wardo Avenue,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23but the trouble is, I couldn't park down Wardo. So you then drove here?
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I stayed here for about half-an-hour and then I went along to the game.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23You watched the match? Yeah. OK.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We're going to take the badge today,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23it's going to go back to Hammersmith on Monday.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23She needs to go into Hammersmith
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and pick up the badge herself.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Well, she's going back to Peterborough. Oh, right.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The gentleman said he dropped his mother about 500 yards from here,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and I asked if he could phone her
3:00:23 > 3:00:23or tell me exactly where he dropped her.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He was unable to say which house he dropped her at.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23He was also unable to phone either her
3:00:23 > 3:00:23or the people she's gone to visit.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23So what I've said to him is if he can go and pick her up
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and bring her back, then we won't see it as misuse.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But his response was that he's unable to do that.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23So we don't know where the mother really is.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23The man never returned with his mother-in-law.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23By the end of the day, the fraud investigation team
3:00:23 > 3:00:23have made five seizures of badges
3:00:23 > 3:00:23they suspect were being used fraudulently.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I think the people who've parked here
3:00:23 > 3:00:23who are using someone else's badge to park near the stadium
3:00:23 > 3:00:23are actually depriving a disabled person from parking
3:00:23 > 3:00:23in that space near the stadium.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23I don't think they realise how selfish they're being.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23But it's not just misuse of badges that's happening in Britain.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23A few weeks later, on a different operation,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23the team come across an increasingly common find -
3:00:23 > 3:00:23a completely fake blue badge.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23That was being used at Chelsea football ground
3:00:23 > 3:00:23to get free parking just outside the stadium.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23It says it expires in 2018.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23These badges are only valid for up to three years,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23they've made a colour photocopy of the badge and laminated that.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23We find probably one fake badge every week or every other week -
3:00:23 > 3:00:23so somewhere between three and four a month.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23And if you're faking the right to use a blue badge
3:00:23 > 3:00:23and parking in a big city like London every day,
3:00:23 > 3:00:23you could be fraudulently saving yourself ?5,000 a year.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23That will tempt some people and keep Paul's team busy
3:00:23 > 3:00:23seeking out the fakers.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23That's all from Fake Britain today. Bye for now.
3:00:23 > 3:00:23Subtitles by Red Bee Media