0:00:02 > 0:00:07Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Police! Police officers. Stand where you are!
0:00:22 > 0:00:23You're under arrest.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29In this series I'm going to be investigating the criminals
0:00:29 > 0:00:31who make their money at your expense.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And I'm going to show you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Coming up...
0:00:36 > 0:00:39We look at the world of fake loans,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and meet the 78-year-old grandmother who peddled them.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46We found that she was in fact running a mini mafia.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51We meet the young mum arrested for claiming someone had faked her credit card.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55You can't imagine what it's like to be accused of something you haven't done.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01We go on a fake hen night, organised specially to catch a criminal putting lives in danger.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Basically he was a menace to the public.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08And we test the fake brake pads that are an accident waiting to happen.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13The worst-case scenario we're talking about here is someone losing their life.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Do you ever take the trouble to sit down and go through your bank statements?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25If you do, occasionally you might spot something on there that you don't recognise.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28The chances are it's just something you've forgotten about.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Then again, it could be a fake transaction.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Still, if it is, not a problem.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Contact your bank and talk it though with them.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42After all, they'd never think it's you that's trying to defraud them, would they?
0:01:42 > 0:01:48One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54That's 10 police officers come to arrest a suspected fraudster and search their home.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59And the suspect in question was this woman - wife and mother Jane Badger.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04And this was the start of the worst nine months of her life,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08all because someone somewhere had managed to fake her credit card.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11The only thing I can describe it as is a living nightmare.
0:02:14 > 0:02:22Jane's troubles began a few years ago when she noticed an unexpected debit from her bank account of £772.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25The money had gone to pay off three cash withdrawals
0:02:25 > 0:02:30she'd supposedly made from ATMs using her Egg credit card.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36She was confused because she'd shredded her Egg card and paid off all her debts the previous year.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40She contacted Egg to find out more.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42She gave me the dates. The dates were in January.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I knew the card had been shredded
0:02:44 > 0:02:46by the dates when they were saying it was
0:02:46 > 0:02:47because I shredded it myself.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Assuming she'd been a victim of a fake, cloned credit card,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Jane decided to try and claim the money back
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and therefore reported it to her local police,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00which happened to be where she worked as a civilian assistant.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06She had heard little more until, a few weeks later, she got an unexpected knock at the door.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09All captured on her security camera.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11OK, this is where they first pull up.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Amazingly, the police station she worked at
0:03:14 > 0:03:16had sent officers to her house.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I knew all these officers.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And it wasn't for a friendly chat.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22I'm sitting in the living room.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Obviously they knock at the front door.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29We go into the kitchen and that's when the DI explains to me
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I'm being arrested for fraud by false representation.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I was in my pyjamas and I had to go up and get dressed
0:03:35 > 0:03:37and I was followed by the female DC,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39which I've known for a number of years.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43She actually watched me get dressed. I was absolutely devastated.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Obviously the children - totally bewildered.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51Jane couldn't understand why reporting a credit card fraud had led to her own arrest.
0:03:51 > 0:03:58She was told that because her card was a new chip and PIN one, it was unclonable.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04Because of this, they said the only person who could have made the transactions was Jane herself.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Therefore, the fact she'd tried to claim the money back
0:04:08 > 0:04:11meant she was trying to defraud Egg.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I was just in shock.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Total shock. I thought they'd obviously got it so wrong here.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And this is the moment Jane was led away by police
0:04:20 > 0:04:22from her home and her children,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and taken to the police station for questioning.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I don't think I was thinking anything.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32Think I was a little bit numb and not entirely sure what is going on at all.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37In her absence, Jane's husband rushed back from work to look after the children.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39The police searched her house from top to bottom.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Despite not finding anything incriminating,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46she was charged with fraud by false representation
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and suspended from her job.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Cos I couldn't prove that it wasn't me,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53because obviously it was me versus Egg
0:04:53 > 0:04:55and who are they going to believe?
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The prison sentence hanging over Jane
0:04:58 > 0:05:00took its toll on her mentally and emotionally.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01I was a wreck.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I would be walking down the street and I'd be absolutely paranoid that
0:05:05 > 0:05:08everybody that glanced at me thought I'd done a fraud.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12You can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't concentrate on anything.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14You just can't imagine what it must be like
0:05:14 > 0:05:17to be accused of something that you haven't done
0:05:17 > 0:05:19when you can't do anything about it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22One of Egg's adverts states...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Egg card. Yay. The fight is over.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Later, we see how Jane's fight had only just begun.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33All I've ever wanted was an apology and for them to admit
0:05:33 > 0:05:34they got it wrong.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49It's 7am and the South West England Illegal Money-Lending Team is out in force
0:05:49 > 0:05:52in their battle against fake loans
0:05:52 > 0:05:54and the loan sharks that supply them.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56We're off to see a suspected loan shark.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Wendy Loades is one of the team.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Her main role is in helping the victims of illegal money lenders.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07But today, she's come to help search the house of a suspected loan shark.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11A loan shark is an illegal, unlicensed money-lender,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15preying on vulnerable people who can't borrow money through legitimate means.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18We've managed to get a list
0:06:18 > 0:06:21from his bank details
0:06:21 > 0:06:23of how much money is going into his account.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27There's quite a few victims on there.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I've seen a list of 20 but there could be a lot more.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36They're anywhere from £5,000 to £100,000 loans.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38The fake loans given out by loan sharks
0:06:38 > 0:06:41come with exorbitant interest rates few can afford.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46More often than not, they're backed up by threats and violence.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49He's been lending money illegally to people
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and also threatening people when they can't afford to pay it back.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59The team arrest the loan shark and take him off for questioning.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Wendy's task now is to search his house for any evidence
0:07:03 > 0:07:06that he might have illegally loaned people money.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11They're looking for passports, rent books, cash cards belonging to other people.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16They'll be seizing things like mobiles and computers, if there's any in there.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20It's not long before the search throws up some revealing finds.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24First up - three bags packed with cash.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27We've found so far £12,000 in cash.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30In drawers and cupboards and things was bundles and bundles of cash.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35There's also £2,000 in there in coins in a big massive jar.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38That'll be taken away and we have to see if we can trace that back
0:07:38 > 0:07:44as to where that money's come from and whether it was in fact to do with the illegal lending business.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47But what Wendy's really after is written evidence
0:07:47 > 0:07:52linking the suspect to any fake loans he might have made.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55And before long, she thinks she's hit the jackpot.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00This is obviously a list of what appears to be names,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and also amounts beside the names.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08These could be amounts that have been lended out illegally to people.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13We're looking at amounts anywhere from £70 there,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15up to £4,400 there.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Hopefully we can try and match some names up with people
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and I can go out and pay them a visit
0:08:20 > 0:08:23find out exactly what these lists are all about.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27This is what we're looking for when go into the home of a suspected loan shark.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It could well be a key bit of evidence, yes.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34There are hundreds and hundreds of loan sharks around, possibly thousands of loan sharks,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37doing damage to a lot of people, threatening people's lives.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43Later, the Illegal Money Lending Team bring down another loan shark.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47We entered the property and we found money and loan books.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56If you drive a car,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59you will rely on them to keep you and your family safe.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02One day, they will probably save your life.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05But most people don't even give them a second thought.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06What am I talking about?
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Well, in one of the most terrifying examples of fakery I've ever come across,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16it appears not even the brakes on your car are safe from the criminal counterfeiters.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25This car can go from 0-60 in nine seconds.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30And it can also go from 60 to stationary in less than three seconds thanks to these...
0:09:32 > 0:09:33..its brakes.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37They're arguably the most important part of your car,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and the most important part of the brake, is this -
0:09:40 > 0:09:42the brake pad.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46One person who knows how a brake pad should work is Ian Featherstone,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51technical manager with brake pad makers TMD.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53You drive down the road, you press the brake,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56you're trying to stop this disc moving.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00What you have is two pads clamping together on both faces of the disc.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Inboard and outboard of the disc.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04By pressing those pads onto that disc
0:10:04 > 0:10:08you get the stopping power required to stop as you drive down the road.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Without that piece you would not be able to stop, simple as that.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17All brake pads must meet rigid EU standards.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Which is why the discovery of a cache
0:10:19 > 0:10:23of what appeared to be Volkswagen branded brake pads
0:10:23 > 0:10:25in a garage in Northern Ireland recently
0:10:25 > 0:10:27raised some serious concerns.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31The brake pads came to our attention following a tip-off
0:10:31 > 0:10:33from Volkswagen UK.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36They contacted us saying they had information that counterfeit
0:10:36 > 0:10:41brake pads were being sold in Northern Ireland from retail premises and from suppliers.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45When we heard that brake pads were being counterfeited we were quite alarmed.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49We went out to premises that we knew were likely to be selling them
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and carried out seizures on those premises.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Ultimately if someone's had counterfeit brake pads installed in their car
0:10:55 > 0:10:58you're running the risk of someone losing their life.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04Damien and his team managed to take several hundred of the pads off the market.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09He believes the retailers that sold them weren't even aware they were in possession of fakes.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Visually, the brake pads and the packaging they came in
0:11:12 > 0:11:15are almost identical to the genuine product,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19but the counterfeiters did make some mistakes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20The first and most noticeable
0:11:20 > 0:11:24identifier of the counterfeit product is the product is branded as being
0:11:24 > 0:11:26a Wasserpumpe, the German for water pump.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Obviously these items aren't water pumps, they're brake pads.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33There's also a tamper-proof seal on the genuine product as well
0:11:33 > 0:11:37which doesn't exist in the counterfeit.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40On the brake pads themselves,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44some of the engraving on the side doesn't marry up with the genuine product.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47There's spelling mistakes, there's engraving errors.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Damien sent samples of the seized brake pads for testing.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54He knew they were illegally infringing copyright,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57but were they dangerous as well?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Later we put the fake brake pads to the test.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05The worst-case scenario we're talking about here is someone losing their life.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And we're out with the team dedicated to fighting computer game piracy.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14We've a warrant for the premises. He's supplying counterfeit computer games.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26A freezing December night in Wolverhampton and 11 girls are on a hen do with a difference.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30There's dancing, drinking and a fun-time fireman in tow.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Nothing strange there.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38Except this hen do is actually an undercover Trading Standards sting operation
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and the fireman in question is the one causing the emergency
0:12:41 > 0:12:43rather than dealing with it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50The story starts when Wolverhampton Trading Standards
0:12:50 > 0:12:54were alerted to a local limo firm run by Darryl Williams.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55The business Oddball Limos
0:12:55 > 0:12:58hired out novelty limousines.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00The one we were particularly interested in
0:13:00 > 0:13:03was a fire engine known as the Oddity.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Oddball's vehicles weren't just odd,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07their limo business was a complete fake.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11He hadn't got an operator's licence for the fleet.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15It's just like sticking a taxi sign on top of your car
0:13:15 > 0:13:17and collecting fares in the street.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22It is unlicensed, it's unregulated and it puts passengers at risk
0:13:22 > 0:13:28in the event of an accident because the whole insurance basis is invalid.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33And nothing worried Peter's team more than the Oddity's dance floor.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36On the back had been built a flat metal area
0:13:36 > 0:13:39which was said to be a dance floor.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Round that it had big tubular railings with big gaps between them
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and also a big gap between the railings and the floor.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49If you slipped and fell over,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51you could easily fall off the vehicle into the road.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56These were hired out to things like stag parties, hen parties
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and, we thought much more worryingly, children's end-of-term proms.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02With fake limos loose on their streets,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Wolverhampton Trading Standards felt they had to stop Williams
0:14:06 > 0:14:08sooner rather than later.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14But to do that they needed to prove that he was hiring out his vehicles on a commercial basis.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17We decided the only way to deal with this
0:14:17 > 0:14:19was to actually set up Oddball Limos
0:14:19 > 0:14:23for a journey carrying more than eight people
0:14:23 > 0:14:26to prove he was using it as a public service vehicle.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And so on an evening just before Christmas,
0:14:29 > 0:14:3211 volunteers from the city council
0:14:32 > 0:14:37met up here at a pub in central Wolverhampton for a fake hen do.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42And there to meet them is Daryl Williams and his potential death trap.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It might look like a party,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48but the task ahead for the ladies from the local authority
0:14:48 > 0:14:50is far from straightforward.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It was a very complicated operation to set up.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59Never before have we put 11 female officers in Santa hats on the back of a fire engine.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02We were all getting into the mood.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05He's egging us along by opening the champagne
0:15:05 > 0:15:08in a rude fashion.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Meanwhile, other Trading Standards officers and police
0:15:13 > 0:15:17are sat waiting in an unmarked police car just around the corner.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Sure enough, just after 8pm,
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Darryl Williams and his Oddball fire limo move off.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29As soon as he moved the vehicle on the public highway with 11 passengers,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31he needed an operator's licence he didn't have.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36What we wanted to do was show that he was prepared to let people dance on the vehicle,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40so that's what the undercover officers did.
0:15:40 > 0:15:46While the girls do their best to pretend they're enjoying themselves, the police get ready to pounce.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47We were very aware that
0:15:47 > 0:15:51they were going to pull us over and we were also aware of what car
0:15:51 > 0:15:53they were in and that they were following us.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It's not long before the cops have seen enough...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Here we are. Public road.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00People on the back of the wagon.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Do you know what? I'm happy enough with that.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05..and decide to gatecrash the party.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14The police take the Oddity off to a secure council car park where they can check over the vehicle.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The girls, meanwhile, are led away,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21their fake hen do having come to a premature end.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Darryl Williams was charged with 15 offences,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27including using a vehicle in a dangerous condition
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and unfair commercial practices.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33He was found guilty, fined £8,700
0:16:33 > 0:16:37and suspended from driving for six months.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Basically he was a menace to the public.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41We thought this was an excellent result
0:16:41 > 0:16:45because the court reflected on the way he put members of the public at risk
0:16:45 > 0:16:49and awarded penalty points which meant he couldn't drive for six months,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51which effectively took him off the road.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Jane Badger is an East Midlands wife and mother.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Her life was turned upside down early one morning
0:17:04 > 0:17:08when ten policemen raided her house and arrested her.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12I was absolutely devastated and obviously the children - just totally bewildered.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15You just can't imagine what it must be like
0:17:15 > 0:17:18to be accused of something you haven't done
0:17:18 > 0:17:21when you can't do anything about it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Charged with fraud, Jane was suspended from her job
0:17:23 > 0:17:26working in a civilian role with the police,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30the very same officers that had arrested her.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32But some weeks into her suspension,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Jane at last found someone who believed her, and not only that,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37they thought they could prove her innocence.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Professor Ross Anderson has been a long-standing critic
0:17:44 > 0:17:48of banks' so-called infallible security systems like chip and PIN.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54He says Jane is far from the only person to have experienced a so-called phantom withdrawal.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Phantom withdrawals are surprisingly common.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00We get a steady stream of people complaining
0:18:00 > 0:18:04that money has been taken from stolen credit and debit cards through ATMs,
0:18:04 > 0:18:10even when it was completely impossible for them to have compromised the PIN.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13This happened in 2007
0:18:13 > 0:18:17in the village of Houghton on the Hill, Leicestershire,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20where 500 customers of a petrol station
0:18:20 > 0:18:24had a total of £175,000 illegally debited from their accounts.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28The crime was traced to an employee at the garage, Abdul Raik,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32who used a fake card reader to clone their cards
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and pass the details on to Sri Lankan criminals.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39However, because there was a clear pattern of fraud,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43all the victims were refunded by their banks, no arguments.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Jane wasn't so lucky.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Once he'd looked at the case, Professor Anderson
0:18:48 > 0:18:52was convinced there were plenty of ways Jane's transactions
0:18:52 > 0:18:54could have been made that didn't involve her.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59It may very well be that the phantom withdrawals that appeared on her account
0:18:59 > 0:19:02were the result of a programming error
0:19:02 > 0:19:05which caused transactions to be debited more than once.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Another theory was someone had made a fake copy of her card
0:19:08 > 0:19:12and found a cash machine that still allowed them to make withdrawals
0:19:12 > 0:19:15using the magnetic strip on the back of the card,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19thereby circumventing its chip and PIN security.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25The UK banking industry has for years been systematically trying to deceive the public
0:19:25 > 0:19:28in saying that UK cards with chips in them
0:19:28 > 0:19:31cannot be used in ATMs in Britain in magnetic strip mode,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33but this is simply false.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We have tested their claims again and again and again.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39We go out, we take a card where we've destroyed the chip,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41and we have no difficulty using it somewhere.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45After Professor Anderson began raising his objections,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Egg experienced a dramatic change of heart,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50admitting they'd made a mistake.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52All charges were dropped.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55For Jane, it was a final vindication.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I actually went to court and I was acquitted.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I was a bit hysterical, as you can imagine I would be.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06There was people in the court that I didn't even know coming up and hugging me.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Despite eventually having the charges against her dropped
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and being reinstated in her job,
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Jane received no direct apology from either the police or Egg.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19If I'd been found guilty, I could have gone to prison.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I would have lost my job.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It would have meant my family...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Their lives were tipped upside down as well.
0:20:28 > 0:20:35You know, I am still Mum but I could be Mum with a criminal record.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37You'd never get insurance, things like that.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Nobody would look at you.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Everyone would walk past you and think,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44"You're just a criminal. You're no better than anyone else."
0:20:44 > 0:20:48They just presumed I was a criminal,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52they were just going down that angle, I'd committed that fraud.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Nobody else had committed that fraud because cloning, chip and PIN fraud,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59and things like that, doesn't happen in their eyes. But it does.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02After complaining to the Financial Ombudsman,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Egg paid her £772 back,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09adding a £500 payment for any inconvenience caused.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Given what she went through, if this had happened in the USA,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15the damages would have been in seven figures.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Why should the police intervene like this in a civil dispute?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It's completely wrong, and it's completely bizarre.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26All I've ever wanted was an apology and for them to admit they got it wrong.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27That's all I've ever wanted.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I just want to know why.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Why could they get it so wrong?
0:21:38 > 0:21:41James, you're from Which?, the consumer magazine.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Just how big a problem are phantom withdrawals and credit card fraud?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Card fraud is a massive problem.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49There's hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of card fraud
0:21:49 > 0:21:51being committed every year in the UK,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53but consumers usually get their money back.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The tricky cases are the ones where the right PIN is used
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and banks are increasingly saying that must have been the consumer's fault.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02They must have been negligent in some way.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06But actually that's not always the case. In fact, it usually isn't.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10One of the things that we've seen a real increase on in recent years
0:22:10 > 0:22:11is shoulder-surfing.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15That's where organised gangs actually go into crowded places,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18look over people's shoulders, see them typing in their PIN,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22then later they try and intercept the card, maybe steal it from a bag,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24then take cash out the cash point later on.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28In those cases, obviously the right card's being used, the right PIN is being used,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and yet the customer's done nothing wrong.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33If that's on the increase what's the advice?
0:22:33 > 0:22:35You've got to be really careful
0:22:35 > 0:22:39when you're doing any debit or credit card transactions these days.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Actually shield your PIN number as you're typing it in.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Never hand your card over to the person behind the till.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49There's no need to. You can put your card into the machine yourself.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Then of course shred all your paperwork at home.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Take the normal precautions to protect yourself against fraud.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58If you do that it's hard for a bank to claim you're negligent.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01If somebody spots what they believe to be a fraudulent transaction
0:23:01 > 0:23:05on their bank or their credit card statement, what's your advice?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Call your bank straightaway and say, "This wasn't me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10"These transactions weren't me. I need my money back."
0:23:10 > 0:23:14If there's any problem and they don't refund you immediately, make a complaint.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Mark the letter clearly to the complaints department.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21If you don't get the response you want, take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25where you'll get an independent set of eyes looking over your case.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Like I say, the law's on your side here
0:23:27 > 0:23:29and you should end up getting your money back.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It's one of the fastest-growing industries in the world
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and in the UK it's worth over £3 billion a year.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44But for all its success, the computer gaming business
0:23:44 > 0:23:48is fighting a desperate battle of its own against the counterfeiters.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52You see, by using illegal pirating devices like this,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56the fakers are making money out of the talent and hard work of others.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Birkenhead, Merseyside.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Local police and Trading Standards are being briefed on their operation to arrest
0:24:06 > 0:24:08a suspected manufacturer of fake computer games.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13He's supplying counterfeit computer games and we've a warrant for the premises.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16The operation has been set up by the investigations team
0:24:16 > 0:24:24of the UK's computer game publishers' association UKIE, headed by John Hillier.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We're just off now to the home address of the target.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31He will be arrested shortly at his workplace.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33He will be brought back to the house
0:24:33 > 0:24:36so that the search of his premises can be carried out.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41He has been selling illegally copied games on his website on the internet.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46We have made a test purchase and then brought the evidence to Trading Standards and the police.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51There's evidence that he's been making literally thousands of pounds in a very short period of time.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56As planned, the suspect has been arrested where he works.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01The police bring him to his flat where he's been asked to co-operate with their search of his premises.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03John moves in to join them.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07John wants to see exactly what's inside the suspect's accommodation.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11He's hoping to find evidence of the suspect's fake games,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14or months of investigation will have been wasted.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17As well as the fake games themselves,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20John's on the look-out for circumvention devices,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23like these ones he's seized from other raids.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27They're illegal micro-chips which are inserted into games consoles
0:25:27 > 0:25:31to get round security and enable the machines to play the fake games.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35In the industry, it's known as chipping, flashing or modding.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38We have a selection of these items.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41They're all called by different names.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42R4 card,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45TTDS, Cyclo-Evolution,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47M3, DS Real,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51N5 and PS3 Jailbreak.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55It's a constant battle with all the criminals
0:25:55 > 0:25:59to overcome the ways in which they circumvent their consoles.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03These chips are illegal to import, advertise or sell.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08Criminals offer them for anything from £15 to £45 a time.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12It's a lucrative market for criminals that trade in it.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17At the raid, John thinks he's found what he's looking for.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19It might not look like much,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24but to John it's a Super Mario world of fake games and pirating equipment,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29which the suspect is believed to use to make thousands of pounds from his illegal business.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33This is the computer that he's been using
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and a pile of blank discs ready as well to use.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Here you can see he's been in the process of burning some games.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44We suspect that the evidence would be on the computer, on the hard drive.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49John takes a closer look at what games the suspect has already burnt onto discs.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52This is where he's been printing on the printer labels
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and then sticking them onto the front of a game.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57It's another EA game, FIFA 10.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02It makes it look more original and may fool people.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05As you can see, all these games he's been printing off.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07And on the other side of the room,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11John spots more examples of the suspect's fakery.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13You have some blank Xbox 360 boxes.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16As well as the empty boxes and fake discs,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19the suspect has been printing out fake copies
0:27:19 > 0:27:20of the game sleeves as well.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24It's the complete fake package.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25And there's more.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29John finds modified consoles and some circumvention devices.
0:27:29 > 0:27:35They're parts of the system whereby you circumvent the Xbox 360 console.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40The computer games industry is enormous business in the UK,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42worth over £3 billion a year.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47It's also one of our most successful exports.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50The UK has a history of great games production
0:27:50 > 0:27:54from Tomb Raider and Lara Croft to the Grand Theft Auto series,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and more recently games like Little Big Planet, Singstar.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Today, games that are produced and developed in the UK
0:28:01 > 0:28:04are worth over £1 billion in exports
0:28:04 > 0:28:09so it brings in very important revenue to this country.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But all that's threatened by games piracy.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Miles Jacobson runs games developer Sports Interactive.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18This is our main programming area.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21They're responsible for the Football Manager series of games
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and employ over 70 full-time production staff.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28A couple of years ago we were actually getting the details
0:28:28 > 0:28:29of how many people
0:28:29 > 0:28:32had pirated the game.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34The stats really, really scared us.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39For the one million legitimate customers, there were four million people pirating the game.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43At least 45% of people playing the game in the UK were playing pirated copies,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46which is a huge stat.
0:28:46 > 0:28:52Miles believes the market in fake games threatens the creative lifeblood of the UK economy.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57The amount of development studios that have gone under in the last three years is staggering.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01I think the big battle is trying to keep people based in the UK
0:29:01 > 0:29:06and working from the UK and keeping the talented directors and producers and programmers
0:29:06 > 0:29:10based over here, rather than going to other countries.
0:29:10 > 0:29:17Losses to the industry caused by fake games are estimated at £350 million a year.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19It's a lucrative market for UK criminals
0:29:19 > 0:29:22like games pirater Steve Adams.
0:29:22 > 0:29:28He was sent to prison for three years for running a pirated games empire worth over £200,000
0:29:28 > 0:29:32across the Midlands and north-west of England.
0:29:32 > 0:29:39Adams used the money to fund such worthy causes as his wife's boob job and a gastric band for himself.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40Trading Standards raided his home
0:29:40 > 0:29:45and seized his copying equipment and 32,000 discs.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48He was convicted of 50 trade mark offences.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50His failure to pay a court order
0:29:50 > 0:29:57of £109,000 has meant he's been given another two years inside.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01Any pirater who takes somebody else's creativity
0:30:01 > 0:30:02and who deprives someone
0:30:02 > 0:30:08who has invested real time and effort in creating the content
0:30:08 > 0:30:09is a criminal.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12If we don't make money from our work that's fine,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14but someone completely unconnected,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16who's had absolutely nothing to do with the process,
0:30:16 > 0:30:24who's not paying any royalties back to anyone,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27making money directly from your work, it's just wrong.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Back in Merseyside, and the suspected games faker
0:30:30 > 0:30:33is led off to the police station for further questioning.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38John meanwhile helps to bag and tag the evidence.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42The Trading Standards will give us all equipment to examine forensically
0:30:42 > 0:30:47and we will provide all the necessary evidence for any subsequent criminal court case.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51We hope it provides a deterrent to those who think
0:30:51 > 0:30:54they will get away with it and make lots of illegal money.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58And when fake computer games and chipping devices are seized,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01UKIE make sure they end up ground up.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Former Metropolitan Police Officer Alan Evans
0:31:15 > 0:31:19is the head of the South West England Illegal Money Lending Team.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22They're dedicated to stopping loan sharks
0:31:22 > 0:31:26and the fake loans they peddle to the most vulnerable in society.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27Many illegal money lenders
0:31:27 > 0:31:30use intimidation and violence to keep their victims
0:31:30 > 0:31:34paying their extortionate interest rates.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37We've seen loan sharks charge phenomenal rates of interest.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40One was charging 8.4 million percent.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42These people had nowhere to go.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Alan says the problem's getting worse.
0:31:45 > 0:31:50In three years, calls to his team's hotline have increased by 700%.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Most of these loan sharks fit a type.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56I speak to people about loan sharks and I say to them,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59"Can you describe a loan shark to me?"
0:31:59 > 0:32:03They say, "Well, it's the big bruiser with the broken nose and a scar there."
0:32:03 > 0:32:07But a few years ago, Alan's team started to receive complaints
0:32:07 > 0:32:09about a very different loan shark.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15Meet Joan Fionda, better known to her clients as Joan the Loan.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17This woman goes against the grain.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20She's a 78-year-old granny.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22She uses a walking stick to get around.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Alan began looking into Joan Fionda's activities
0:32:25 > 0:32:28after receiving desperate calls on the team's hotline
0:32:28 > 0:32:32from victims who'd taken illegal loans from her.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37We found that she was in fact running a mini mafia.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42She'd taken control of a number of people's bank books,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45bank accounts, benefit cards.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47She was actually putting these people to work
0:32:47 > 0:32:53as shoplifters and things like this in order to pay off the debts.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56One victim was Sarah.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Both she and her daughter took loans from Joan Fionda.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02As with many of her victims,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Joan forced Sarah's daughter to hand over her benefits book
0:33:06 > 0:33:11in exchange for a loan, giving her total control over her income.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Joan the Loan, she would lend money,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16but she had to have your social security book.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17She would keep it
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and then Joan would go to the Post Office to cash the money,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22which was for her and the children.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Eventually, Sarah visited Joan
0:33:25 > 0:33:28to beg her to stop loaning money to her daughter.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31I said, "Look, please don't do this no more.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35"She's on social security. She can never ever pay you this back.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38"I'm asking you, Joan, please don't do it."
0:33:38 > 0:33:40But she wouldn't stop.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45Alan was finding more and more people like this caught up in Joan's net.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49We had victims, these are vulnerable people,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53who are in receipt of benefits from the state
0:33:53 > 0:33:57to the value of something like £1,500 per month
0:33:57 > 0:34:00and the money was being paid to Joan direct.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04There were times when my daughter went to her and said,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07"Can I have some of the money because I've got no food for the children?"
0:34:07 > 0:34:10And she said no.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13After months of investigation, Alan decided
0:34:13 > 0:34:18it was time for his team to go in and arrest Joan Fionda.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22My officers along with police officers executed the warrant.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25We entered the property and we found various
0:34:25 > 0:34:30hidden safes containing money and loan books.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32She denied everything.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38She put on the facade of being there to help the community.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41But the strength of evidence against her was overwhelming.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Faced with having her own loan books used against her in court,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Joan eventually pleaded guilty to illegal money lending
0:34:49 > 0:34:51and was given a 12-month supervision order,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54only avoiding prison because of her age.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Alan says ending Joan's lending has had a marked effect
0:34:57 > 0:35:00on the community she operated in.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02The result has been tremendous for us.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Money is going back into the communities
0:35:04 > 0:35:06and is being spent in the shops
0:35:06 > 0:35:08instead of going into her pocket direct.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13Since Joan Fionda's conviction, Sarah and her daughter,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15along with the rest of her victims,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17have had their illegal loans written off.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23Sarah warns anyone thinking of becoming involved with a loan shark to keep well away.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Never go there. Never go down that way,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29because you never get yourself out of it.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Go to get help.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35There is help out there.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39But people need to know there is help out there.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Northern Ireland Trading Standards have recently seized
0:35:49 > 0:35:55300 pairs of fake brake pads, some of which were sold to the public.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58If someone's had counterfeit brake pads installed in their car,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01they're running the risk of someone losing their life.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05We know the pads are fake but just how dangerous are they?
0:36:05 > 0:36:08There's only one way to find out.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14The pads are a direct copy of ones manufactured for the Volkswagen group
0:36:14 > 0:36:17by brake pads specialists TMD.
0:36:17 > 0:36:23Today, they've agreed to test the fake pads by putting them through an industry-standard examination.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26The purpose of the test we'll carry out is to see
0:36:26 > 0:36:28if the stopping distance of the fake pads
0:36:28 > 0:36:31compared to the genuine equipment that should be fitted
0:36:31 > 0:36:33is significantly different.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Ian's going to assess the brake pads' stopping distances
0:36:36 > 0:36:39under the kind of temperatures they might be exposed to
0:36:39 > 0:36:44if you were having to decelerate quickly and often on a busy motorway.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47The car will make three stops at high speed in quick succession.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52The crucial stop is the third one, when the pads will have warmed up.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58If the material isn't right, the rise in temperature will hamper its performance.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02The test that we're going to do here is only a three-stop test.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06We're going to run from 100 kilometres an hour down to zero
0:37:06 > 0:37:10at maximum deceleration possible, which means the driver
0:37:10 > 0:37:14will be hitting the brake pedal with the maximum effort possible.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19Then we'll see the difference in the stopping performance of the two materials.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23The genuine brake pads will be tested first.
0:37:23 > 0:37:29They're the same ones used in millions of Volkswagen Group cars across the world.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32On board is sophisticated measuring equipment
0:37:32 > 0:37:36which will show what distance it takes the car to go from
0:37:36 > 0:37:40100 kilometres an hour, nearly 70 miles per hour, down to zero.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43The car performs two stops.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47And then the crucial third one.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58The car's on-board computer measures the exact stopping distance.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Back at the garage, Ian gets the results.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05You can see that the first stop we had 41.9 metres.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Stop three we had 40.9 metres.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12So effectively we've seen no change in the stopping power between those three stops.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14No change at all with the genuine material.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18But how will that compare to the performance of the fake pads?
0:38:18 > 0:38:22The team fit them into the car to find out.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27It's then back to the track where the pads will be put through exactly the same test -
0:38:27 > 0:38:30two preliminary stops at 100 kilometres per hour
0:38:30 > 0:38:33and then the all-important third one.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44The difference in braking distance between the real and fake pads
0:38:44 > 0:38:45is clear to the naked eye.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50But the real proof is in the distances measured by the on-board computer.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53If you look at the fake product tested on the same vehicle
0:38:53 > 0:38:55to the same conditions,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58stop three with the genuine material had 40.9m.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Stop three with fake material,
0:39:01 > 0:39:03we had 55 metres.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Almost 15 metres of difference.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08It's a massive difference.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11When you consider 15 metres is 40-some feet,
0:39:11 > 0:39:16that's a queue lined up for a bus stop or it's three cars.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19It is a long way just in three applications.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Watching the test results with interest
0:39:21 > 0:39:24is an observer from the Volkswagen Group.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28In a severe circumstance you might not be able to stop at all.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32In more general driving, it will lengthen your stopping distances
0:39:32 > 0:39:35under certain circumstances
0:39:35 > 0:39:37and that may make the difference
0:39:37 > 0:39:40between hitting a pedestrian or hitting another car.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Having an accident or not. Killing someone or not.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44The worst-case scenario with these pads
0:39:44 > 0:39:47is you're driving down the motorway at 70 mph,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50go for your brakes in an emergency, you wouldn't be able to stop.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54First and foremost, it is safety-critical and there is a danger for life.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56That's quite clear from what we've seen today.
0:39:56 > 0:40:02These pads are considerably outside acceptable safety tolerances.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05When you have a safety critical component such as a brake pad
0:40:05 > 0:40:08that doesn't meet or doesn't come anywhere near
0:40:08 > 0:40:11the manufacturers' requirements, there is cause for concern.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Despite the swift action of Northern Ireland's Trading Standards team
0:40:15 > 0:40:18and their seizure of hundreds of fake pads,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22there are still concerns that there could be people driving around
0:40:22 > 0:40:25with fake brake pads without even realising.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28The chances are that there are more out there.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31The likelihood of Trading Standards recovering every counterfeit pair
0:40:31 > 0:40:34of brake pads in Northern Ireland is pretty slim,
0:40:34 > 0:40:35to be honest.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39The worst case scenario we're talking about is someone losing their life.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Someone has to brake very quickly
0:40:41 > 0:40:45and the brake pad fails and who knows what could happen?
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Ruth, your organisation campaigns against the trade in fakes.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Just how big a problem is it with counterfeit car parts?
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Counterfeit car parts in general are a big problem globally.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03We've been lucky so far in the UK,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05except that I am worried about online
0:41:05 > 0:41:08and that being our biggest challenge to come.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11You're saying there's not many problems now but it'll get bigger?
0:41:11 > 0:41:14I am very much afraid that this is the case.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17We have evidence the activity generally of counterfeiting online
0:41:17 > 0:41:20particularly is growing all the time.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23One of the problems is that people can't see what they're buying,
0:41:23 > 0:41:28so that what arrives might not be anything like what they thought they were going to be getting.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31What other fake car parts are you aware of?
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Apart from this case of fake brake pads that we've just seen,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38there's definitely at least one other case of fake brake pads in the UK,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40together with wiper kits, wiring kits,
0:41:40 > 0:41:45headlamps and, perhaps most worryingly of all, airbags.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49Now clearly there's not only a problem there with the performance in the car
0:41:49 > 0:41:52but they are being posted and there are very strict regulations
0:41:52 > 0:41:55about that because they contain explosives.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Probably lots of people are starting to panic
0:41:57 > 0:42:00because they've might have bought some parts online
0:42:00 > 0:42:01or from a boot fair or market stall.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05What can they do if they want to check if it's genuine?
0:42:05 > 0:42:10They should contact their Trading Standards department in their local council, their local authority.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12That's the place to start.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15The genuine manufacturers can help but really, of course,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16it's nothing to do with them.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20What can people do to try and eliminate buying a fake car part?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Look out for price, place and packaging.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Make sure that you're buying from a reputable dealer,
0:42:25 > 0:42:27someone that you know, preferably.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Don't buy online from an unfamiliar website.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Don't buy from someone in a pub.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Don't go to a market stall and get something cheap,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39which is probably off the back of a lorry or counterfeit.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44Please don't think that you're going to get a bargain because you may be paying a lot more.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47You could be paying with your life, Ruth.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54That's all from Fake Britain today.
0:42:54 > 0:42:55Bye for now.
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