0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Police!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29In this series, I investigate the world of the criminals
0:00:29 > 0:00:31who make their money at your expense.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And I'll be showing you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Coming up:
0:00:37 > 0:00:41We follow the authorities cracking down on the multi-billion trade
0:00:41 > 0:00:42in fake designer clothes.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The message is, we're coming after you.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47We're on the road with a Birmingham team
0:00:47 > 0:00:50fighting the parking scammers.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54They were robbing people. They were taking their money.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56And the wonder woman headmistress
0:00:56 > 0:00:58with a real MBE
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and a lucrative line in fake qualifications.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03It was just smooth extortionism.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And when is Mexican beer not Mexican beer?
0:01:06 > 0:01:09When it's made by Chinese counterfeiters.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12We don't know what's inside these bottles.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21It's a blustery morning in Birmingham
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and the city's Trading Standards anti-clamping team
0:01:25 > 0:01:31is about to try and stop a man they believe is making his money faking parking offences.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34He's licensed to clamp by the Security Industry Authority,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39but the team believes he's breaking into cars, stealing the parking tickets inside
0:01:39 > 0:01:43then clamping the vehicles for not displaying a valid ticket.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46They're on a roof-top stakeout to catch him at it
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and stop people like you becoming the victims of one of his fake offences.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56It's fraud. What we intend to do is confront him, arrest him and interview him.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59The team is backed up by West Midlands police.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04As they watch and wait, news comes through from across town.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The person we're looking for has been stopped at a car park
0:02:07 > 0:02:09on the other side of Birmingham.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11We're going to go and formally arrest him
0:02:11 > 0:02:13on suspicion of theft and fraud.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18For a team whose main preoccupation is with stationary vehicles
0:02:18 > 0:02:20they move pretty fast!
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Hold him down. I'm in Digbeth. It'll take me five minutes.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27He hasn't turned up to the car park we were expecting him
0:02:27 > 0:02:31but he's at another car park they operate from off Broad Street.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So we're making our way there now.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37He's been detained by the police until we get there.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Up there.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46And when they do get there, the man suspected of fake parking offences is none too co-operative.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Sgt Temperaton. I'm arresting you on suspicion of theft from a vehicle.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- something you may later rely on in court.- Who's that, then?
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He tries to do a runner. But not a chance!
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Just calm down. Put your head down.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07SUSPECT SHOUTS AND SCREAMS
0:03:11 > 0:03:16The clamper is led off to the police station where he'll be questioned about what he's been up to.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18CONTINUES SQUEALING PROTESTS
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Calm down!
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Meanwhile, the team make a search of his car
0:03:23 > 0:03:27where they find the tools of the trade for someone faking offences.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32His clamps and the credit card machine they believe he uses to take hundreds of pounds
0:03:32 > 0:03:34from his victims.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40Back at the station, while our happy clamper gets booked in, the team log in the evidence.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Sergeant Temperaton wants to make sure this clamper
0:03:43 > 0:03:45won't be able to operate any more.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50He calls the Security Industry Authority which licenses clampers
0:03:50 > 0:03:52to see if they can get his licence taken away.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I've spoken to the SIA, Security Industry Association.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01They are going to suspend him from operations.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Based on the fact they're suspending him, I can legitimately seize his badge
0:04:06 > 0:04:09to prevent him committing further offences if we bail him.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11With no licence,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13he'll be unable to do any clamping.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Coming up, the team take on the company
0:04:16 > 0:04:20that's building fake parking ticket machines
0:04:20 > 0:04:22to falsify pay and display tickets.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It was accepting two-pound coins, but it wasn't registering on the tickets.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I felt absolutely devastated.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40It's the early hours of the morning at a police station on the edge of Bristol.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45A south-west England scam-busters team, with the Avon and Somerset police,
0:04:45 > 0:04:50are about to strike a blow against the multi-billion-pound trade in fake clothes.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So this morning it's Operation Swell.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That comes from complaints made
0:04:54 > 0:04:58about counterfeit clothing being sold openly at Bristol fruit market.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04We're also linked to the stall's two vehicles, two Mercedes Sprinter vans.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The intention today is to stop those vehicles en-route to the market,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13question the people on board, with a view to looking into the back of the van
0:05:13 > 0:05:15at any counterfeit goods in there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21Team leader Alan Evans has had this group of market traders under surveillance for some time.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26These people are travelling from up north. One from Birmingham, one from Lancashire.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It shows the value of their trade
0:05:29 > 0:05:31that they're prepared to come down here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37They've been trading in these illicit goods for many years now.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42They in fact supply - we believe they supply - the whole south-west of England.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46We have marked police vehicles. We have road blocks on the M32.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51We hope to stop these people and arrest them for being in possession of counterfeit products.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56On the side of the motorway, an unmarked police car sits in wait.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07They have automatic number plate recognition technology.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11So as soon as the van passes the police car cameras,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13they'll know.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14And at 5.30am,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18there they are, the two vans they're after.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The police get ready to make the arrests.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Sirens on, they pull the vehicles over.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Step out of the vehicle, please. Come round this side.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38There are four people in the vans.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Right, you're under arrest under the Trade Marks Act 1994
0:06:42 > 0:06:45on suspicion of carrying counterfeit goods.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48All deny knowing anything about what's in the vans.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- Is this your van?- No.- Do you have any identification on you?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Nothing at all?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56While the police read them their rights,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01team leader Alan Evans has a provisional look at what's on board.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06What we have here is counterfeit Adidas and Nike sweatshirts.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11The suspects are searched before being taken away for questioning.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14We'll seize this, have it examined, we'll confiscate the vehicles
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and then determine what action we need to take
0:07:17 > 0:07:19in relation to these goods.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28The haul was destined to go on sale to people in the city of Bristol.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32But the only place today's haul is going is a police lock-up.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37The final total is over £90,000 of counterfeit clothing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45A very good result for the whole of the south-west scam-busters team. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49People who are trading these goods are linked into organised crime.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52These are produced by migrant workers in this country.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They're paid peanuts for producing this product
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and they're actually in a form of slavery.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01We will seize these goods today and the vehicles they're trading in.
0:08:01 > 0:08:08We're sending out a message. We're going to come after you. We won't tolerate this here any more.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12We'll not only take your goods, but your vehicles and your houses if we need to.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Later, we take a look at a fake Lowry painting.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Probably one of the best fakes I've ever seen.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24And the artificial aristocrat who almost made a fortune out of it.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I paid him a £220,000 banker's draft.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Hundreds of thousands of people all over the country
0:08:36 > 0:08:41are working towards a better job, a new career or promotion by getting better qualifications.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46After the studying and exams, the big day will come when you finally get your reward.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51But as I've discovered, the student awarded this had worked hard at college
0:08:51 > 0:08:56and paid thousands in fees for something that was totally worthless.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57Because it's a fake.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Willesden, north London.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05An undercover investigator is visiting a further education college.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Local trading standards have had reports that this school, and the principal that runs it,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13offer not so much an education,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15as an educa-sham.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19They trusted her to produce the course she said she'd produce
0:09:19 > 0:09:22with a qualification at the end of the day. And they were conned.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I hope one day she will get a real good reward for what she's done to people.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30The school, TCS Tutorial College,
0:09:30 > 0:09:35was owned and run by this woman, Dr Roselle Antoine MBE.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40She'd been awarded it for services to adult learning and community development.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42The media had dubbed her a wonder woman.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47ITV's This Morning programme even profiled her.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Dr Roselle Antoine, MBE,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54has dedicated her life to helping children who are all-too-often left behind.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Auvalyn Howell signed up to a course at TCS Tutorial College
0:10:00 > 0:10:03after arriving in the UK from her native Jamaica.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06She was desperate to get UK nursing qualifications
0:10:06 > 0:10:09that she could use when she returned to the Caribbean.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I saw this advert in the paper.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16You could get official qualifications which seemed very promising.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Enticed by the prospect of a nationally recognised NVQ,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25she responded to the ad and soon after got to meet the "wonder woman" herself,
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Dr Antoine, shown here in a publicity video talking to students.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35I know, from experience, that what you ask for, you get.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39She seemed a very intelligent woman. Very honest.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Very educated. I was very impressed.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47So Auvalyn signed up for an NVQ in Access to Nursing,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50£850 for a one-year course.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54This was my future. It was an investment in me.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57My parents borrowed the money with the expectation
0:10:57 > 0:11:01after I finished my course I'd be able to earn and help them repay that loan.
0:11:01 > 0:11:08At the end of her year on course, there was no sign of the NVQ Auvalyn so badly wanted.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11When she complained, Dr Antoine managed to convince her
0:11:11 > 0:11:13to continue her studies at TCS.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Every year she said the examination board had changed something
0:11:19 > 0:11:25and I would have to re-enrol and get another visa from the Home Office to study
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and I would have to pay different fees.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I think she just did it for us to constantly enrol.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34It was just smooth extortionism, that's what I'd say it is.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Desperate for her qualification,
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Auvalyn stayed at TCS for four years, paying £8,000 of fees in total.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Eventually, she was awarded her qualification,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48an NVQ in Health and Social Care.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Only problem was, it was a fake.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Later, we find out how the authorities went under cover
0:11:57 > 0:12:01to bring the "wonder woman" of Willesden crashing down.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Once we looked at the footage, we thought that nailed the whole case.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for coming.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18David Smith is an art dealer.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22He specialises in the works of the great artist L.S.Lowry.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Today he's at an art auction and he's got his eye on one painting in particular.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29It's a very famous painting.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34If you don't know about it, the catalogue should tell you most of what you need to know.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37If he buys it, it won't be the first time he's owned it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42The painting looks great. It's a lovely picture. Just a pity it isn't by Lowry!
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It's probably one of the best fakes I've ever seen.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50The story starts back a few years ago when David got a tip-off from a business contact
0:12:50 > 0:12:55about a rare painting being sold by one Lord Maurice Taylor.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57The painting, The Mill Street Scene,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00was for sale as an original oil by L.S.Lowry.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06I arranged to meet him at his house, a beautiful house. A Bentley on the drive.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08You can see the lifestyle that he's living.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11He was very convincing. I had no reason to doubt
0:13:11 > 0:13:14at all that the painting was wrong.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19But it wasn't just Taylor's title and lifestyle that convinced David Smith
0:13:19 > 0:13:21he was buying a bona-fide Lowry.
0:13:21 > 0:13:29He produced a blue bound valuation, insurance document, from Bonhams in London
0:13:29 > 0:13:31for four to 600,000.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35So we had no reason to doubt at all that this painting wasn't genuine.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39David agreed a £330,000 price for the painting
0:13:39 > 0:13:41to be paid in instalments,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43the first of which was due.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46We agreed a figure for the painting
0:13:46 > 0:13:50and I paid him a £220,000 banker's draft.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Delighted with his purchase, David went home to share the good news with a fellow dealer.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I got home, emailed an image of the painting to somebody
0:13:59 > 0:14:02who said, "Don't go near it. We've seen it. It's not right."
0:14:02 > 0:14:08My partner asked me what had happened. She thought someone had died. I was grey.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12It was a life-changing moment.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15He asked for his money back. Taylor refused to do this.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Taylor said, "If you want to get the police, do so."
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Which, with his business on the line, David Smith duly did.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27This man had deceived us
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and potentially taken away our livelihood and our home.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Detective Constable Dave Newton took up the case.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40In order to find out whether L.S.Lowry had painted the Mill Street Scene or not,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43he took it to the then Head of Galleries at the Lowry Centre.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I do remember, when I first saw this picture,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49across the room, I thought, "It looks like the real thing."
0:14:49 > 0:14:55It's only when one looks at the top half of the picture that things don't look so convincing.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Something's not right here.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The sky itself is the wrong colour.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03In a Lowry sky, an industrial scene like this,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05you would see a far bigger range of colours.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10The buildings themselves, the mills, they're far too precisely done.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15There is a figure that I feel is very self-consciously meant
0:15:15 > 0:15:19to reference the self-portraits that Lowry often included in his pictures.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The figure leaning on his stick with a hat.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25The signature is not quite fluid enough.
0:15:25 > 0:15:32There are just too many doubtful elements to be able to say that this was by Lowry.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Later, we discover it's not just the Lowry that's fake.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39So was the person that sold it.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43He duped people into believing that he was a real lord.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Out there, on the front line in the war against fakes
0:15:54 > 0:15:56is the UK Border Agency.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Every day, their officers intercept some of the millions of tonnes of fakes
0:16:00 > 0:16:03that find their way into the UK via our ports and airports.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06You'd think they'd seen it all,
0:16:06 > 0:16:11but every now and again, the fraudsters come up with a completely new kind of fakery.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Southampton Docks, one of Britain's biggest and busiest deep-water ports.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Each year, millions of containers come through here.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Today, UK Border Agency Officer Phil Dunn is interested in just one.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30We've got a container that's showing it's beer arriving from China,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33not renowned as a great producer of lager.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36From an importer we've checked out and we're not happy.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39We'll examine the box and see what's inside
0:16:39 > 0:16:43then do further checks on the contents themselves.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Phil's gambling that his hunch is right
0:16:45 > 0:16:50and there's something fishy about this beer coming to the UK from China.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55But inside are indeed boxes of beer.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59But hold on, Corona? That's Mexican beer - from China?
0:16:59 > 0:17:03And Phil's suspicious, too.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Looking at it, the quality of the labels looks quite poor.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11And the packaging is very flimsy. I haven't seen it in supermarkets like that.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Certainly not the quality we'd expect of what is technically a premium beer.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It's certainly not a Mexican beer in from China!
0:17:19 > 0:17:21The team begin to unload their haul.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23We're taking a few more boxes out
0:17:23 > 0:17:28to see if the whole container is full of Corona or there's anything else in there.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33And to see how much is in there, because if it is counterfeit, we have to see how much there is.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37We want to see it's all the way through. We haven't had a lot of counterfeit beer here.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40But anything that can be copied will be copied.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46It soon becomes clear the whole container is packed to the brim with a hooky Mexican lager.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50It goes to the back of the container. It's uniform to the back.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55While the rest of the team tally up, Phil wants to make some comparisons.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00He heads to a major high street retailer to buy the legitimate item.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02This looks good, me on duty!
0:18:02 > 0:18:07This is a normal four-pack of Corona Extra beer.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12We'll look at this and compare it to what we find in the container.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18Back at the port, and Phil compares what he's bought with what he's seized.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21The quality is much better in the packaging.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Then the bottles themselves.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29They're at a consistent level, compared to these bottles. The labelling is different.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35Also a lot of bottles are carrying this about units, alcoholic units.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38This looks like it's been done properly.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41This one, we suspect this could be counterfeit Corona.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45But Phil's concern about the beer isn't just about the way it looks.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47The main problem is towards the public health.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50We don't know what's in the bottles.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54People are drinking something and not getting the product they expect.
0:18:55 > 0:19:01Back outside, the team are finishing unloading and the full scale of the haul becomes clear.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04There's 28,800 bottles in this container.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Sales value, that's about 30 to £35,000-worth.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10This will get handed over to our team who'll take it further.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12They'll contact the rights holders
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and further checks will be made to see if it's counterfeit or genuine.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Since we filmed,
0:19:18 > 0:19:24the Border Agency at Southampton have discovered the beer definitely is fake Corona.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26But the bottles themselves are real.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30The fakers just recycled old bottles with their own cheap lager.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43How many times have you paid up for one of those, stuck it in the car window and not looked at it?
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Our next story might make you pay a bit more attention next time you use a pay and display.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Because it's possible you may have just bought a fake.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56At an undisclosed location in Birmingham,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59the city's anti-clamping team is hard at work.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04They're on a mission to rid the city of an endemic problem of fake parking enforcement.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11The biggest problem the team have is with a company called Car Clamping Securities, or CCS,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13run by Stephen Ryan.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18They run a string of pay and display car parks across the city
0:20:18 > 0:20:23but at one particular car park, CCS recently hit on a new way of making money,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25by faking the ticket you bought.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30Kirsty Butlin chose to park at one of their car parks in Digbeth,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34after seeing they offered all-day parking for £2.50.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I put in the machine a £2 coin and a £1 coin.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Because I'd put £3 in, I thought I'd have the full day's ticket.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Because I was in a rush, I just put it in the dashboard.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48You wouldn't think to check the ticket. You trust the machines.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52When she got back, Kirsty's car was nowhere to be seen.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I panicked. I didn't know what to do. So I called the number on the board.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02And CCS told her she'd only bought a £1 ticket which had run out
0:21:02 > 0:21:04so they'd clamped and towed her car.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I felt absolutely devastated.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Kirsty was directed to the company's lock-up,
0:21:10 > 0:21:15where, for a fee of £295, she was given back her car.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I had to actually borrow money.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I was absolutely gutted.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24Kirsty was mystified as to how the £3 she'd put into the machine
0:21:24 > 0:21:26had only given her £1 of parking.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28And she wasn't the only one.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32The anti-clamping team were soon getting other identical complaints
0:21:32 > 0:21:34from furious motorists.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39Tariq Mohammed decided to try some test purchases at the car park in question.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44We started putting two £1 coins and a 50p coin and it registered correctly.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Then we put a £2 coin in and we found it wasn't registering the £2 coin.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53It's indicating fee paid £1, when I've stuck in £3.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55So we thought, "What's going on here?"
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Trading Standards left the dodgy ticket in their car.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04Sure enough, when the ticket ran out, CCS's two truck was there in a flash.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Just as it had been to so many other victims.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11To get the car back, Tariq went to CCS's compound.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18He took the opportunity to ask them a few questions.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50But was it bad luck, a mechanical error, or was something sinister afoot?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Tariq's team decided to take a closer look at that machine.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Using his powers as a trading standards officer,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01he seized it and took it away for expert testing.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04They discovered it had indeed been deliberately modified.
0:23:04 > 0:23:11It was a chip. They call it an EPROM. That chip was deliberately programmed to accept
0:23:11 > 0:23:14£2 coins and not register them on the tickets.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17But who had got the chip specially programmed like this?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19The culprit had left a clue.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23It had the guy's name on there! S.Ryan. You can't get better than that!
0:23:25 > 0:23:29The team arrested Stephen Ryan and charged him with conspiracy to defraud
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and possession of an article for use in fraud.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36He was found guilty and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40So far, none of the victims has got their money back.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44They were robbing people. They were taking their money.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48They should get what they deserve and everyone should get their money back.
0:23:49 > 0:23:56Coming up, the team get wind that something strange is happening with yet another CCS ticket machine.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Auvalyn Howell had come from Jamaica to get UK nursing qualifications.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I saw this advert in the paper
0:24:15 > 0:24:18which seemed very promising.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Unfortunately for her, the college she chose to get them from was this one,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26run by Dr Roselle Antoine, MBE.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30She seemed a very intelligent woman.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31Very educated.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I was very impressed.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39After four years of study, Auvalyn had finally obtained the NVQ she was so desperate for.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42It had cost her £8,000 in fees.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48By this time, TCS Tutorial College and Dr Antoine
0:24:48 > 0:24:51were coming to the attention of Brent Trading Standards.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56They were contacted by a number of students deeply unhappy by what was going on.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01They'd signed up for a number of courses, specifically an NVQ.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07But our investigations revealed that the college and Miss Antoine were not authorised to offer NVQs.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12It's a criminal offence to offer an educational course when you're not authorised to do so.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16She was producing bogus certificates in relation to that course.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19The whole operation was just one big con.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Which, unfortunately for Auvalyn,
0:25:21 > 0:25:27meant that the NVQ certificate that she'd studied for for four years and paid £8,000 in fees for,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29was nothing but a fake.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31What's that? That's nothing!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35'I got a fake NVQ certificate.'
0:25:35 > 0:25:39'It's basically worthless because there's nothing I can do with it.'
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Because it's not even worth the paper it's printed on.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Deeply worried by what was going on,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Simon needed to get hard evidence that Dr Antoine
0:25:48 > 0:25:52was openly advertising NVQs to potential students.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56I decided to send in one of my investigators undercover.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00She was able to meet directly with Miss Antoine
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and the whole meeting was recorded on a covert camera.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09And it didn't take long for Dr Roselle Antoine to show her true colours.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It's regarding NVQ 3, is it?
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Once we looked at the footage, we thought that nailed the whole case.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35In relation to the NVQ in Health and Social Care,
0:26:35 > 0:26:40we estimate she was enrolling somewhere between 20 and 30 students a year.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45On an average year, she was probably making in excess of £30,000 from students on that course.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49But Dr Antoine's scam was about more than just fake qualifications.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53She was also acting as a fake immigration advisor,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57giving her overseas students help with their visa applications.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This came to the attention of the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04the body that regulates immigration advisors.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09You have to be qualified to provide immigration advice and services.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14Roselle Antoine wasn't qualified. If you're not qualified, it's a criminal offence.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19We searched her offices and removed some of the student files which clearly showed
0:27:19 > 0:27:22applications were being sent from the college.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Dr Antoine was only too pleased
0:27:24 > 0:27:29to oversee her students' immigration applications while they were paying fees.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34But if, like Auvalyn, they asked too many questions,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37her approach seemed to change.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41She didn't submit the applications. She told the students she would,
0:27:41 > 0:27:46and then the students' visas expired and they were then illegally in the UK.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Once the students had left the country, they wouldn't be able to make a complaint.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54As far as she was concerned, the matter would be finished with
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and she would have made thousands of pounds.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03And delving deeper into Dr Antoine's background threw up more lies and deception.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It became quite clear to us that Antoine was a fraud.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Her real name was Roselle Thompson.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14And we found she'd been convicted previously of fraud in the name of Thompson.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19Mark's investigations showed she'd even lied about her doctorate.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Antoine had said in an interview that she had a doctorate from the University of West Indies.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29We made enquiries with the university and they didn't know anybody by the name Antoine
0:28:29 > 0:28:31or by the name of Thompson.
0:28:31 > 0:28:38Brent Trading Standards and the OISC brought a joint prosecution against Roselle Antoine,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41charging her with illegal immigration advice and fraud.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45She was found guilty and sentenced to eight months in prison.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48'I feel so angry. I'm not ready to forgive her yet.'
0:28:48 > 0:28:53She expressed no remorse for what she's done. She's destroyed my life.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Despite this,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Auvalyn is determined to make a success of her life.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04I plan to rebuild my life by acquiring my education.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09I want to do nursing and I will. I will be a nurse one day.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13I will be somebody that matters to my society one day.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17My dreams will come true.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26You work for the organisation that regulate these qualifications.
0:29:26 > 0:29:32How does the law stand on who can and can't give out nationally recognised qualifications?
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Colleges, if they're offering or claim to offer regulated qualifications
0:29:36 > 0:29:42should get those qualifications through one of the 160 awarding organisations that we regulate.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44- Anyone else is breaking the law? - Absolutely.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48The rules are different in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but the principal is the same.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Anybody who's looking at different colleges to do a course,
0:29:52 > 0:29:57how can they be 100% certain that that qualification is genuine?
0:29:57 > 0:30:01First, ask which awarding organisation is the college working with.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Contact that organisation to make sure that relationship is in place.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10If not, there may be fraud taking place. Go to Trading Standards or the local police.
0:30:10 > 0:30:18- What should ring alarm bells? - Examples that don't seem right are courses that seem very quick.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Courses that are either very expensive or very cheap for what they offer.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26People who guarantee a pass. No-one can guarantee a pass.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30These are the sort of things that would immediately raise red flags.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34- Any tips on prevention, stop it happening?- Contact the college
0:30:34 > 0:30:39and ask questions. Ask to visit the college. Ask to talk to previous students.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43It's good practice to have an open day, or ask to sit in on a class
0:30:43 > 0:30:48to make sure the level of teaching, the pace, is what you're looking for.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Do your pre-college homework before your real homework starts!
0:30:51 > 0:30:56Before you spend your money, Dom, do your homework. Check it out and keep your records.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Thank you very much.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08In Bristol,
0:31:08 > 0:31:14the south-west scam-busters team are unloading the fake clothes they seized on the motorway.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18With a street value of over £90,000, it's a considerable haul.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22But it's just a drop in the ocean of the trade in fake clothes.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28The British public spends an estimated £3 billion on fake clothing every year.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32The vast majority of it comes in from the Far East through our ports.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36One of the biggest in the country is Thamesport in Kent.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44Today Border Agency Officer Neil Brown is on his way to revisit
0:31:44 > 0:31:47two containers of goods he impounded a couple of days ago.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51We have about 9,000 pairs of trainers here.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53They've come from Hong Kong.
0:31:53 > 0:31:59They've been selected for examination by us on the basis of some paperwork irregularities.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Having looked at them, taken some samples and sent them to the mark holder,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06we're now certain that they are counterfeit goods.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09This container's been tunnelled.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14See how far back it goes. The boxes have already been removed.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18There's about 4,000 boxes of trainers in this container.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23The size of the haul is alarming.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24Two container-loads.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28This one is packed with fake Tiger brand shoes.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Here we have a Tiger brand trainer.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34The container's full of these, about 4,000 pairs.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37The only way we'd know if it was counterfeit
0:32:37 > 0:32:40is to refer it to the mark holder for verification.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46The second one is floor-to-ceiling with fake Adidas.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Adidas trainers.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Once again, they're very high quality trainers.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54They look like the genuine article.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57But they are, in fact, counterfeit goods.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02Manufacturers Adidas and Tiger will now decide what happens to the haul.
0:33:02 > 0:33:08Either they'll take possession of them, or they'll ask the Border Agency to destroy them.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12They could also choose to take legal action against the exporter.
0:33:12 > 0:33:18The street value of all these fake trainers could be up to £400,000.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22If you think that a pair of trainers sells for between 20 and 40 quid,
0:33:22 > 0:33:279,000 pairs is obviously a considerable amount of money.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30These two containers full of trainers worth £400,000
0:33:30 > 0:33:34shows just how huge the profits in fakes can be.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38Which is why people like this man get involved in the trade in fakes.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Amit Sharmah imported thousands of fake clothes and sold them online.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48His victims thought they were buying designer brands like Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Instead, they got substandard shoddy garments.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Despite costing pennies to make,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58people paid hundreds of pounds for clothes they thought were the real thing.
0:33:58 > 0:34:04Sharmah was shown to have made over £1 million out of his illegal business,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06money he spent on a life of luxury.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11Trafford Trading Standards prosecuted Sharmah for trade mark offences.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15He was found guilty and given a 21-month prison sentence.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Art dealer David Smith paid nearly a quarter of a million pounds
0:34:25 > 0:34:29for a painting he believed was by L.S.Lowry.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31The painting looks great. It's a lovely picture.
0:34:31 > 0:34:37Only problem was it was a fake sold to him by this man, Lord Maurice Taylor.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Taylor said, "If you want to get the police, get them."
0:34:41 > 0:34:46Art experts had told police they did not believe it was an original Lowry.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Something's not right here. The sky itself is the wrong colour.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54DC Dave Newton traced the previous sales history of the painting.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58It showed not only had the mill scene never been near Lowry's brush...
0:34:58 > 0:35:01It was never sold to Taylor as a Lowry painting.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04..but that Lord Taylor knew it.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08He purchased it in 2004 for £7,500.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12It was sold as an "after Lowry" for that amount of money.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16An "after Lowry" is a painting done in the style of the artist as a tribute.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It was never meant to be sold as a genuine Lowry.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Until it reached Lord Taylor's unscrupulous hands, that is.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28Further investigations into Lord Taylor also threw up big questions
0:35:28 > 0:35:30about his aristocratic credentials.
0:35:30 > 0:35:36His title might have sounded grand, and, indeed, a grand is all it cost him - online!
0:35:36 > 0:35:39All that his title gave him
0:35:39 > 0:35:44was an eight-by-eight-inch of ground somewhere near Scotland.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48He'd duped people into believing that he was a real lord.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Armed with all this evidence, DC Newton arrested Taylor.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56The case went to court and Maurice Taylor was convicted of six counts of fraud,
0:35:56 > 0:36:01including deceiving Bonhams to gain an insurance valuation.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04He was sentenced to three years in prison.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07The judge called him a cheat and a total dishonest man.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I cried.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13It was a release of emotion.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16But Cheshire police didn't leave it at that.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21A financial investigation saw them pursue Taylor's assets through the courts.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27He will have to pay back £1.15 million or face a ten-year jail sentence.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35The assets already seized have gone to pay back David Smith's losses.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40To celebrate the return of his money, he's looking to spend some of it at a local auction
0:36:40 > 0:36:43featuring a certain painting.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48Having originally agreed to pay Lord Taylor £330,000 for it,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50David's hoping the Mill Street scene
0:36:50 > 0:36:53will be considerably cheaper this time round!
0:36:54 > 0:36:59We are going to attend the auction. And we're going to see what the picture goes for.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03It's being sold without reserve by order of Her Majesty's Court Service
0:37:03 > 0:37:04following a confiscation order.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Would I like to buy it?
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Lot 156. Someone start me at £5,000.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11A large part of me would like to buy it.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14I've got 3,000 to start me. I'll take one.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16The sensible part of me says, "Don't."
0:37:16 > 0:37:193,200. 3,300. 3,400. 3,500.
0:37:19 > 0:37:223,600. 3,700. 3,800. 3,900. 4,100.
0:37:22 > 0:37:244,200. 4,300. In the room.
0:37:24 > 0:37:254,400. 4,500. In the room.
0:37:25 > 0:37:284,600. 4,700. 4,800. 4,900.
0:37:28 > 0:37:305,000.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33At 13,500. Are you all done now?
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Thank you very much.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39A little bit cheaper than it was previously!
0:37:39 > 0:37:42This is the Lowry that we bought three years ago,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46or, as it turned out, not the Lowry that we bought
0:37:46 > 0:37:47for £330,000.
0:37:47 > 0:37:53We want to put it on the wall at home and laugh at it every time we see the picture.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58That's just what we're going to do. It's a great end to a miserable three years.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10We've been out with Birmingham Trading Standards anti-clamping team.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15We saw how they caught Car Clamping Securities boss, Steve Ryan,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18for fiddling one of his machines to give out fake tickets.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23It's indicating fee paid £1 when, in fact, I stuck in £3.
0:38:24 > 0:38:30Today, information has come through that at another car park in another part of town
0:38:30 > 0:38:35CCS has been modifying more of their fake parking ticket machines.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40We're here looking at an ongoing investigation into Car Clamping Securities.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45Fresh allegations have come to light in relation to ticket machines in Summer Lane.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Members of the public have complained to the team
0:38:49 > 0:38:54that the machines aren't giving them the amount of time they should for the money they've put in.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Sound familiar?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58The team arrive at the car park
0:38:58 > 0:39:03and use marked coins to try and establish what's wrong with the machines.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09It says there please pay 50p per hour or 3.50 all day.
0:39:09 > 0:39:16We've put in £3 and instead of the machine giving us six hours, it's given us four hours.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20So if someone was to put that in their vehicle, they could get clamped and towed away
0:39:20 > 0:39:23if they thought they had six hours.
0:39:23 > 0:39:29The ticket is all the evidence Tariq needs to seize the machines and shut down the car park.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32He phones CCS to let them know.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35My name's Mr Tariq, from Birmingham Trading Standards.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39We're inspecting two of your ticket machines in Summer Lane.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41Could you send someone down?
0:39:41 > 0:39:46I spoke to somebody who purported to be the owner. She can't make it for a few hours.
0:39:46 > 0:39:52Then somebody calling himself a representative of CCS arrives on the scene.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- So, mate, who are you? - My name's Nathan.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Do you work for CCS?
0:39:57 > 0:40:00Not yet, I'm just a rep for them.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- Rep in what sense? - Just helping out as I can.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Sergeant Temperaton isn't too impressed with that job description.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I'm not being funny, but I don't know who you are.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14I won't discuss the investigation with you without knowing who you are.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17OK. What's your full name?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19I've got to issue this.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Nathan what?
0:40:21 > 0:40:27Sgt Temperaton warns the company rep that if he doesn't co-operate, he'll arrest him.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34With no option but to co-operate,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37the company rep agrees to open both the machines for Tariq.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Can we start with this one first, mate?
0:40:40 > 0:40:45And inside is another of the infamous CCS EPROM chips
0:40:45 > 0:40:47believed to be doctoring the machine.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49In a nutshell, I won't go into details,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52but it doesn't give out what it's actually stating.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56Tariq wants to give it away for expert testing.
0:40:56 > 0:40:57We're going to be seizing these.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01CCS's representative is far from happy.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- We are going to take them.- These machines are now being seized.
0:41:11 > 0:41:18And so CCS impound two more of CCS's fake ticket machines.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22I feel good. We've stopped people from being clamped and towed away.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25We've identified the problem at an early stage.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28We're just here to enforce the law.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30And with no working ticket machines,
0:41:30 > 0:41:35for the rest of the day at least, parking here is free.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47At Tilbury Docks in Essex, the Border Agency have found the perfect way
0:41:47 > 0:41:49to deal with fake designer clothes.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53They've intercepted another consignment of fakes from China.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56To make sure it never hits the streets of Britain,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59they decide to destroy it themselves.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02This is a consignment of goods we intercepted at Tilbury Docks.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05It's a private import from China.
0:42:05 > 0:42:11When we started to unload it, we found a load of different clothes, trainers and shirts.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15We've had confirmation from the rights holders that this consignment is counterfeit.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20As it's only a small amount, we're going to destroy the goods locally.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22What we'll do is cut the suits up...
0:42:26 > 0:42:28..smash the watches up...
0:42:31 > 0:42:33..cut the trainers up...
0:42:36 > 0:42:41..and then the items will be bagged and we'll take them to a local incinerator
0:42:41 > 0:42:43and destroy them there as well.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46A great result for the Border Agency.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50The only place these fake clothes are going is up in smoke.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59That's all from Fake Britain today.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00Bye for now!
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd