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.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Get down, get down on the floor now!
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Put your hands behind your back now!
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 be showing you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Today on Fake Britain, we've been given exclusive access to the country's biggest postal hub.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44For the first time, cameras are allowed inside to film
0:00:44 > 0:00:48the extraordinary range of fake goods flooding into the UK.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53This isn't a one-off shipment - this is organised criminal activity
0:00:53 > 0:00:58and a systematic attack in an attempt to flood the UK.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02We tell the tale of the two old-fashioned criminals forging
0:01:02 > 0:01:05the works of world famous street artist, Banksy,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and the collector turned sleuth who solved the case.
0:01:08 > 0:01:14I saw some common names, common e-mail addresses, common user IDs on the messageboards.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19So I started to work out who, more or less, was responsible for selling these fakes.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21And we reveal the fake lonely hearts
0:01:21 > 0:01:25fleecing pensioners out of thousands.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28She was conning my father, there was no ifs and buts.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It's an early morning in the Midlands.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Officers from Staffordshire Trading Standards
0:01:39 > 0:01:44and the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment, UKIE, are getting ready
0:01:44 > 0:01:48for a raid on a man suspected of running a service known as "flashing".
0:01:48 > 0:01:53Flashing is modifying games consoles, such as Xboxes,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and hard drives to play fake computer games.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59The team are briefed, and set off to the address.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04We are off to the house, where we believe there may be a factory flashing or chipping,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07modifying the consoles to enable them to play copied games.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Once at the property, officers from all agencies move in fast.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17There is no answer, and they get ready to force the door.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Yes, got him, looking through the window.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Then the man is sighted.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I am from the Trading Standards, I have a warrant here to enter these premises
0:02:26 > 0:02:31and look for evidence of offences under the Copyright and Patents Act.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Officers enter the property looking for evidence of flashing games consoles.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The man is quick to deny the offence.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41- BLEEP- you're out of luck here today.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45- I'm out of luck? Why's that, mate? - Cos I don't even do it.- All right.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47The Trading Standards officer cautions the suspect.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54something which you later rely on in court.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand that? - Yes.- OK.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03The gaming industry is one of the recent successes of British business.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08It generates £400 billion per year, twice as much as the music industry.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12However, gaming piracy is threatening this economic growth
0:03:12 > 0:03:16at a critical time for the country, as John explains.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21This is costing the games industry millions of pounds in lost sales.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Not just the industry, but the Government in lost taxes,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28the retailers in lost sales and in these straitened times,
0:03:28 > 0:03:34success or failure of a company can depend on the money they make from making this game
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and if they don't make a profit, well, we don't get any more games.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42The team have found plenty of evidence of piracy inside.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45As another parcel arrives for the man, he tells our film crew to leave.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- You...- BLEEP!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51John and his team load the seizures into the car.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54We have some Xbox 360 drives, which have been sent in.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58People have taken them out of their console and sent those in to be flashed.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And then we have a number of copied games
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and paperwork relating to sales as well.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09So at the moment it's quite a lot and there's still more to come -
0:04:09 > 0:04:11the computer for starters.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16This is the PC that he was using.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's a good day's work for the team.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24The total value of goods seized amounts to almost £10,000.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27The games consoles and computer will be forensically examined.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31The man could face a hefty fine, or even prison.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36Later on we re-join John as his team uncover a man
0:04:36 > 0:04:39running a factory in his front room
0:04:39 > 0:04:42modifying consoles and churning out pirate games.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47An aspiring businessman - he's even offering a 10% discount.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The next flash of your console, he will do it for only £10!
0:04:58 > 0:05:04Experts believe up to 50% of works sold on the art market could be fake.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08History is littered with audacious attempts to fool collectors.
0:05:08 > 0:05:15Ian Lawson is the head of the Metropolitan Police's world-famous Art and Antiques Unit.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's his job to track down the fakers.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20The unit was formed in 1969.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I believe it was formed after a large robbery involving some stamps.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30The division is famous for its expertise in solving cases of counterfeit art.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The primary role of the Art and Antiques Unit is the protection the London art market
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and the protection of London museums.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38We deal with a number of international enquiries,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41we have a number of countries contacting us on a daily basis
0:05:41 > 0:05:44attempting to identify where their stolen artwork is.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Over the years, Ian has discovered the extraordinary lengths
0:05:48 > 0:05:53fraudsters will go to to fake art and fool the market.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Top of their list is giving their forgeries a believable history, or provenance.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Provenance is the history of the piece -
0:06:00 > 0:06:04where it's been from the time it was created to the time it's being sold.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07This is one of the paintings created by John Myatt,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10a famous fraudster going back to the late 1990s.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14You can see the back of the frame the canvas is very aged.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18You can see the gallery so "Ben Nicholson, Still Life, 1956, Ohana Gallery".
0:06:18 > 0:06:20All these were made by the fraudsters
0:06:20 > 0:06:26and put on the back of the paintings to make them look more authentic.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30And they would create that ageing by perhaps leaving it outside, or dipping it in tea,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33or whatever they can do to create this particular ageing.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37The forgers are even prepared to forge ancient works of art
0:06:37 > 0:06:40stretching back thousands of years.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This Egyptian mask was alleged to be from 1,000 BC.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47In fact it was made in 2008.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51This was created by John Andrews and sold for £5,000.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55And accompanied with this was a certificate of authenticity.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59John Andrews stated that it had actually been acquired from an Egyptian museum in Cairo.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03He also created and produced this letter,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06purportedly authenticated by Wallace Budge,
0:07:06 > 0:07:11of the British Museum, dated 18th August 1920.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17And it says the item is a genuine sarcophagus belonging to a young woman
0:07:17 > 0:07:19who died during one of the dynasties in Egypt.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24One of the unit's most famous recent cases centred on forger Shaun Greenhalgh
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and his family who sold his artwork.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Working from a shed in Bolton,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Shaun went to incredible lengths to re-create
0:07:32 > 0:07:36lost masterpieces and sell them as the genuine items
0:07:36 > 0:07:38for an enormous profit,
0:07:38 > 0:07:44as the tale of the Risley Parks Lanx, a lost Roman artefact, illustrates.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49The story was that in the 1800s this item was found in Derbyshire
0:07:49 > 0:07:52by some farm workers, and as payment for their work,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56they divvied this item up into 26 different separate pieces.
0:07:56 > 0:08:03The actual plate was lost, but Greenhalgh heard about the artefact and set about to recreate it.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07He actually created it in 26 pieces and soldered them together,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12and that was to fit in with the story that was published.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17And what he did is he melted down Roman coins and silver
0:08:17 > 0:08:20to give it an authentic look,
0:08:20 > 0:08:26so if it was examined, the silver would actually stand up to any scrutiny.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30And if genuine, this probably would have been worth in the region of £1 million.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33But every forger slips up eventually.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Greenhalgh was finally caught out when he misspelt a cuneiform inscription
0:08:38 > 0:08:41on a fake Assyrian relief he had created.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45He created three of these and took them to the British Museum,
0:08:45 > 0:08:50but unfortunately there was a very slight spelling mistake in the writing at the top.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53And this was picked up by experts at the British Museum.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58They identified this spelling mistake, the police were informed.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00The value of the three stone reliefs -
0:09:00 > 0:09:03which allegedly date back to Assyrian times
0:09:03 > 0:09:07was about £350,000 if the sale had gone through.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11We conducted an investigation, and we started to identify a number of other objects
0:09:11 > 0:09:14that had been sold by Shaun Greenhalgh.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17These included a goose allegedly by Barbara Hepworth,
0:09:17 > 0:09:22a piece by Lowry, and a bust of American President, John Adams,
0:09:22 > 0:09:28which sold through a major London auction house for £97,000.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Greenhalgh was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Parents, George and Olive, received suspended sentences for their part in the fraud.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Coming up, we reveal the forgery case involving the world-famous street artist, Banksy,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and the enthusiast who helped solve it.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52It's early morning in the Midlands,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56and inside Sandwell Police Station, officers from UKIE
0:09:56 > 0:10:00the computer games industry's anti-piracy body -
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and Sandwell Trading Standards are getting ready for a raid.
0:10:03 > 0:10:10Their target is suspected of modifying games consoles, such as Xboxes, to play fake copied games.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13As soon as we actually get in there and we secure the individuals,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16we will be looking at securing the IT systems.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Making sure nothing can actually be turned off.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22He is also offering what we believe to be one of the first cyberlockers in the country,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25which is why the warrant for today is so important.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28A cyberlocker is an illegal online area
0:10:28 > 0:10:32full of copied computer games to download.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The potential damage to legitimate companies from these sites is huge.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42The team set off while it's still dark, hoping to take today's target by surprise.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45They arrive in force and wake up the suspect.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- We've got a warrant to search the address.- For what? - I'll tell you when I come in.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59We have identified yourself as flashing gaming consoles.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01You do not have to say anything,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The team immediately find evidence of piracy and fake games.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17Proper flashing system, it's all set up as we go in there, consoles on the side.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21He's got Jungleflash on his machine, he's told us, and there's loads of copied games.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26In the front room there is setup for flashing Xbox 360 consoles
0:11:26 > 0:11:30and the computer machine was operating when we went in there.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The team have discovered a mini factory in the man's front room.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36He appears to be burning counterfeit games,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40as well as modifying games consoles to play them.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44John suspects the man is then selling the games online.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50The copied games are all well packaged, so there is a good indication he is in fact
0:11:50 > 0:11:53supplying those copied games, along with the flashed consoles,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56so you've got the whole operation if you like.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01It's getting heated inside and the man's wife tells our film crew to stop filming.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Dude, turn the camera off! You've been told!
0:12:06 > 0:12:11The suspect and his partner are rather upset about the matter,
0:12:11 > 0:12:16but that is the consequence if you engage in these illegal activities.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The copying equipment and evidence is brought out.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Some Xbox 360 consoles, and an Xbox 360 drive.
0:12:24 > 0:12:30There is quite a large amount of copied games here, which presumably will turn out to be
0:12:30 > 0:12:33his masters from which he made illegal copies.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37This is what we call a burning tower which is used to make the copied games.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43The computer will be examined for evidence of cyberlocker activities.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48John also finds business cards that offer discount rates on flashing, which is illegal.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52He is saying that the next flash of your console,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55he will do it for only £10!
0:12:55 > 0:13:00A special offer, which is an illegal business incentive, obviously.
0:13:00 > 0:13:07It's offering a professional service in the area in which he lives and surrounding areas, it says.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09He is obviously into this business in a big way.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13All the evidence will be taken away and examined.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16The man is later cautioned for offences under the Trademark Act
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and the Copyright Designs and Patents Act.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25We have had jail sentences, suspended jail sentences and hefty fines.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28These issues can be quite serious,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32because of the amounts of money people make doing this thing.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It's a very successful operation for the team
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and John has a clear message for cyber criminals.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43If you think you're online and you're safe, then you're not.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46We will find you and we will take appropriate action,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51linking in with the enforcement agencies such as Trading Standards and police.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00We've all heard tales of women being defrauded online
0:14:00 > 0:14:03by those pretending to be US soldiers.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05But in Haywards Heath, Sussex,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08a man's relationship with a notorious serial faker
0:14:08 > 0:14:12was about to destroy a family, deliver financial ruin
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and have a devastating impact on his health.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Sacha Thompson has always been close to her grandad.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22When her grandma died, the family saw even more of him.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26But one day, James Saunders stopped coming round.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Sacha's mum, Penny, popped round to see if he was OK.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33He was at home, but his car was nowhere to be seen.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37He used to have a black Golf GTI car and it had vanished.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40So my mum said to him, "Where's your car?"
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And he said, "I've lent it to a friend."
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Now we knew they didn't have many friends locally,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52so my mum said, "What friend?" and he said, "Danielle".
0:14:52 > 0:14:55James had posted a message in a lonely hearts column
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and befriended a lady calling herself Danielle.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03But it was to turn out Danielle was not who she seemed.
0:15:03 > 0:15:10The family discovered she had asked to borrow James' car six weeks earlier, but had not returned it.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Apparently it was in a lockup garage in London.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Because she had been taken ill,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and had been taken to a private hospital at Gatwick.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21He told me she was having a kidney transplant.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I didn't believe any of it.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25The car was eventually returned,
0:15:25 > 0:15:30but there was more evidence the new relationship was bad news.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Penny happened to check her dad's bank balance at a cashpoint.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36She was horrified by what she saw.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41When my mother died, we had this arrangement that I'd be on his bank account with him.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45This particular day I went to the bank, pulled off the mini statement,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and the balance said £3.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I phoned him up immediately and said, "Whatever's happening?"
0:15:52 > 0:15:56There should have been thousands in the bank account,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59but £500 had been withdrawn continuously over a series of days.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03James confirmed he had given the money to Danielle.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06She'd told him she was waiting for a large inheritance.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10The family were very worried and decided to visit him
0:16:10 > 0:16:12to warn him about Danielle.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14But there was no reasoning with him.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16He was so horrible to us.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18It was like it wasn't him,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21it was like he was brain-washed by this woman.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23But it was to get worse.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29Some months later, Penny received a phone call from the housing association where James lived.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33They wanted to know who the woman was who was living in James' flat.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36She did mention Danielle, and I thought, "Oh God, it's the same woman."
0:16:36 > 0:16:41The lady told Penny James had not paid his rent for six months
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and owed the company £3,000.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Worse still, Danielle had told them James was gambling
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and stealing from shops.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Sacha and her mum could not believe what they were hearing.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56My grandad had never gambled in his life.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00My nan done the Lottery, and that wasn't his thing.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05He'd been in the army, he has always had a good, well paid job,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09he had savings. You know, it was ridiculous.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13The family was convinced Danielle was taking James for a ride
0:17:13 > 0:17:18taking his money and blaming him as his debts mounted up.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Penny received another phone call to tell her his Council Tax
0:17:21 > 0:17:22had not been paid for over six months.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27She was conning my father, there were no ifs and buts.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30At this stage there was definitely something suspicious about her.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37Penny discovered Danielle was subjecting James to unbelievable cruelty.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Despite him being 83 and having skin cancer,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44she was forcing him out at 7 o'clock every morning
0:17:44 > 0:17:47to wander about in the sun until it was dark.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I'd bumped into him in Brighton and I went over to him
0:17:50 > 0:17:54his face was bright red, sunburnt.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56I said, "You're burnt to a crisp, what's happened to you?"
0:17:56 > 0:18:02Later on we found out the reasons she had been sending him out every day
0:18:02 > 0:18:08is she'd been ordering from catalogues and online websites,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11clothing, all sorts of different items,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15under false names - Danielle Ryan, Louise Ryan,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18even Louise Saunders, my grandad's name.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21One day Penny saw her dad on a bus.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23She hauled him off and confronted him.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27He sort of broke down and cried, and I said, "What on earth is happening?"
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And I think it all just flooded over him.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36He did get out of his wallet this IOU that Danielle had written out
0:18:36 > 0:18:39that she owed him £10,000.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45He also said to me he had noticed from her bank card this other name, Loraine Upritchard.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Sacha was at the computer when her mum phoned to say what had happened.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53She entered the new name, Loraine Upritchard, into a search engine.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56She could not believe the results.
0:18:56 > 0:19:04Bang! Up came all the national press, magazines - conwoman, gold digger.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06I started to read the story
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and I just felt sicker and sicker and sicker.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15Every fear that we'd had over the last 18 months was there
0:19:15 > 0:19:18in front of me in black and white.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23Loraine Upritchard was a serial conwoman - a fake lonely heart.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28In 2009, she had swindled pensioner Leonard Hesling out of thousands of pounds
0:19:28 > 0:19:31after meeting him through another romance column.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34She was caught when he hired a private detective to track her down.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39The next morning Sacha and her mum marched James to the police station.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43We hadn't been there very long and suddenly the CID were involved.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And "Crumbs, what's all this about?"
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Apparently, Loraine Upritchard was wanted by the police.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Dave Springett is the Detective Constable who took charge of the case.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Loraine Upritchard had absconded from her previous conviction, an 18-month community order,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02and was a wanted woman.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05We realised this was a persistent fraudster
0:20:05 > 0:20:08that needed to be dealt with quickly and properly.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The police made their way to James' flat,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14but Upritchard had become suspicious by his absence and left.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The faker was on the run.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Meanwhile, Penny took her dad to the bank to sort out his finances.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24There was nothing left in his account,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27but the bank presented them with two bounced cheques,
0:20:27 > 0:20:28each for over £7,000.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32But there was something odd about them.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35The writing was not my father's writing at all.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39It was too big, he writes very small, so it wasn't his.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44On the back of the cheque was a stamp for a bed and breakfast in Haywards Heath.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It was a clue to where Loraine Upritchard was hiding.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53She had stolen James' chequebook and tried to use it to cash cheques at the B&B.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The police raced down there and arrested her.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00During the court case another man admitted Upritchard
0:21:00 > 0:21:03had taken £30,000 from him.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05The faker was jailed for three years.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11The judge described her as a "wicked and despicable gold-digging con artist".
0:21:11 > 0:21:14When she got sentenced to three years, everybody was ecstatic.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19We were just like, "You messed with the wrong family this time."
0:21:19 > 0:21:21This is a very sinister offence.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25The suspect has lived with the victim for the best part of 12 months.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29We were very glad that Miss Upritchard received the three-year custodial sentence.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Upritchard was jailed for fraudulently signing the bounced cheques,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39but in total the Thomsons know she took a lot more money from James.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42He earns so much a month from his pension.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Every single penny of that was taken, probably for about 18 months.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51He didn't pay his rent, he didn't pay his utility bills, he didn't pay his phone bill.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54She sold the car, he bought her a car.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57She had a credit card of £13,000,
0:21:57 > 0:22:03she had got him to get her a bank loan of £13,000,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06we have rounded it up to be
0:22:06 > 0:22:10in the region of £60,000.
0:22:10 > 0:22:16Colin Woodcock is head of the Anti-Fraud Unit at the Special Organised Crime Agency.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19He is an expert in this kind of fakery.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23We have recently completed some work with Leicester University
0:22:23 > 0:22:26which shows us that probably
0:22:26 > 0:22:31200,000 people can be affected a year in the UK.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Research has also revealed that anyone young or old, male or female - may be targeted,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and vast sums of money can be involved.
0:22:41 > 0:22:48We've had one loss of nearly a quarter of a million pounds.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50And whilst that is the biggest,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52there are plenty that go towards that -
0:22:52 > 0:22:54several hundred thousand pounds.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The impact on victims once they realise they've been conned can be huge.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03It's cruel, it's heartless, it's a wicked crime.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It goes a lot beyond just losing money.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11There is a huge shame that is perceived in this.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17The results of finding out that you've been defrauded in love
0:23:17 > 0:23:21is exactly the same as a bereavement.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26The realisation Loraine Upritchard was a fake was too much for James Saunders
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and his health worsened.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33It's been hard for him to realise not everybody's what they say they are.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38He was very vulnerable, always crying.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43I think he felt, you know, that he had been stupid.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48He was devastated, he saw a counsellor,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52he was on anti-depressants, he was a broken man.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56And my mum had to help him pick up the pieces,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and deal with all the bailiffs, all the debt.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07For a year afterwards, James' health continued to worsen.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11One day, he collapsed in the street and suffered a massive heart attack.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15He was taken to hospital and died four days later.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20After all the pain he had suffered, the family believe it was a relief for him to escape it.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Being here today, with him now gone, I feel he is at peace.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30He is with my nan and he is certainly out of the clutches
0:24:30 > 0:24:33of any other women like Loraine Anne Upritchard.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35For people like James, using lonely hearts columns
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and the internet to try and find love,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Colin Woodcock has some important advice.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Lonely hearts columns, anything like that where you're trying to meet someone,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48people have to take sensible precautions.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Tell people where you've gone,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54hand on the mobile phone numbers and e-mails of people.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00If you've met somebody online, you stay talking on the website,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02the dating site,
0:25:02 > 0:25:08stay within that chat area, do not give your details out.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12And the biggest thing of all is do not send any money.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16There is no reason on earth why you should send money to somebody
0:25:16 > 0:25:18to justify a relationship.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29It's just before dawn, and inside this police station different agencies have gathered
0:25:29 > 0:25:34to combat the growing problem of dealers selling fake perfume online.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40Trading Standards officer, Nigel Cotton, has caught the scent of a fake fragrance dealer
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and this morning he and colleague, Rose, are joining forces with police
0:25:43 > 0:25:45to raid the man's property,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49where he is believed to be running his lucrative online business and keeping his supplies.
0:25:51 > 0:25:57If you look at the item in particular, it is a poor quality finish.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01A member of the public has passed Nigel a dodgy bottle of scent bought from the dealer.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06It's part of the evidence Trading Standards need to carry out the operation.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08The bottle is not quite full
0:26:08 > 0:26:14and the code numbers correspond to known counterfeit code numbers.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24The team are unsure of the size of he operation they will find, or who is involved.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27As a result, they are taking no chances.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33They race across town to the suspect's address.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Once at the property, Nigel sees signs of movement,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39but no-one is answering the door.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Something doesn't smell right.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Fearing the suspect may be escaping through the back,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47officers move to cover the rear of the property.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54He's not, but the team are concerned he could be upstairs destroying evidence.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00The officer calls for specialist door-breaking equipment.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01Can you open the door?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Eventually a lady does answer the door,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08but not the male suspect Nigel is looking for.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Morning, I'm from Trading Standards.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12I'm afraid I've got an entry warrant to come in.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Can I step in please?
0:27:16 > 0:27:21Our camera team follow Nigel inside, but the lady refuses us entry.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Inside the house, Nigel and the officers locate the suspected faker,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30believed to be running the online company selling the fake perfume.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Upstairs in a bedroom,
0:27:32 > 0:27:38we've found several boxes of the counterfeit goods we're looking for.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42The individual has told us there are some counterfeit goods in the car,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45so we're just going to have a look in there now.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48She immediately finds what she is searching for.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54It looks as though there's some remnants of some packaging here.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57There are some boxes of perfume.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Quite clearly the Paco Rabanne.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Rose also discovers what appears to be orders from customers for counterfeit perfume.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12In the car, we've got some pieces of paper
0:28:12 > 0:28:14that are clearly receipts and order numbers
0:28:14 > 0:28:17for more of the counterfeit product.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20So we'll be taking all that as well.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Rose finds a number of different branded perfumes.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24All are thought to be counterfeit.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30She logs each item individually, while inside Nigel continues to question the suspect
0:28:30 > 0:28:33thought to be behind the racket.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36It's not long before all the evidence is brought out to the car,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40ready to be taken away and examined by the team.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42These sorts of hauls are being found
0:28:42 > 0:28:45by police and Trading Standards across the country.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49They are evidence of a huge new burgeoning industry in counterfeit perfume -
0:28:49 > 0:28:53sold online through websites, but run from suburban houses like this.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56The gentleman was served with a warrant.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59We then conducted a search of the property.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03He took us to an area of the house where a number of boxes were stored.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08If you were to check his website, you'd see he advertises a vast amount of branded perfumes.
0:29:08 > 0:29:15£60 to £70 pounds for a bottle of Paco Rabanne for instance, and we've probably got 30 bottles here.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20That totals almost £2,000.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25When you take into account his orders down the year, he's probably made a nice tidy sum out of it.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29But the man is unlikely to come out of this smelling of roses.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34Fakery of this kind can carry a severe sentence, as Nigel reveals.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37It does carry quite a hefty penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment
0:29:37 > 0:29:41and obviously if they get caught they will be punished by Trading Standards.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44It's a good days work for Nigel and the team.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50But before the man can be charged, they have to be sure the goods he is selling are fake.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55The suspect items are brought here to Staffordshire Scientific Services.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Testing the goods will be expert, John Lovatt.
0:29:59 > 0:30:06John has purchased a genuine perfume to compare with the suspect bottles to determine they are fake.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09First, he compares the packaging. The fake is on the right.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16The type of gold used on the two different boxes appears to be different.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19The genuine product has a much lighter gold.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22On the right product, we don't have the flammable symbol.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Next, John compares the dispensers.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29We have again a different type of gold.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34The paint on the potentially fake product has come away.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Just from the packaging and bottles, there are big differences.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Next, John must compare the liquids inside.
0:30:42 > 0:30:47To do so, John places a sample from the real perfume and one from the suspect scent
0:30:47 > 0:30:49in a hi-tech comparison machine.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52The results are delivered straight to his computer.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58The process will also reveal any dangerous substances present, like methanol or chloroform.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Luckily in this instance, there doesn't appear to be anything dangerous in the product.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08But there are big differences between the two samples.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13We can see on the screen the top profile is the bottle brought in by Trading Standards
0:31:13 > 0:31:17and the bottom profile is from a genuine article.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21The differences in profiles means that they will potentially smell differently
0:31:21 > 0:31:29and if it was the genuine product, the manufacturers wouldn't allow to happen.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31The brand is too important for them to do that.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34John has a theory about how this other perfume was created.
0:31:34 > 0:31:40What may have happened here is they have taken a number of cheaper products
0:31:40 > 0:31:44and put them together and sold it under this brand name.
0:31:45 > 0:31:50Based on the differences we have found with the packaging and the contents of the bottles,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52this product is a fake.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57It's official. The suspect goods are fake. That's an offence under the Trademark Act.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Trading Standards now intend to prosecute the dealer.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05His products stink and people across Britain are being ripped off.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10It's time for Nigel and the team to take them off the market for good.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Welcome to Britain's largest postal hub.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22It handles hundreds of thousands of packages every week.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26Chris Bagley is head of the UK Border Agency team at the hub.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31It is his team's responsibility to spot fake goods coming into Britain.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34A hole in the bank balance, not a hole in one.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37It says, "Made in Italy" there. Well, they're not, these are manufactured in China.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42Chris and his team are on the frontline in the battle against counterfeiters
0:32:42 > 0:32:45desperate to get their fake goods into the UK.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50This area here represents about three or four days' worth of activity
0:32:50 > 0:32:53by UKBA officers here at the postal hub
0:32:53 > 0:32:59and it has all been checked by the rights holders and it has technically now been declared as fake.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03The range of goods Chris finds is enormous and many of the products
0:33:03 > 0:33:06could be dangerous if they got through to consumers.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Copies of the Gillette Mach 3 razors, produced in China.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Gillette have confirmed that these are counterfeit. Razors are dangerous, quite clearly.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20There is no way of knowing how these are produced, whether they meet those standards.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25The colouration on the packet is slightly different from the original.
0:33:25 > 0:33:32But for most people they wouldn't know until they use the product by which point it is too late.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35For Chris and his team, some of the fake goods are easy to spot.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41We've got a selection of brands in here, the main one though is these Burberry branded goods.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44As you can see, if you have a look at this product,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47it is of very poor quality, very plasticized.
0:33:47 > 0:33:54You see these joints here where the leather meets the studs, all very poorly put together.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59With other items, it's more difficult to determine whether they are counterfeit or not.
0:33:59 > 0:34:05Here we've got these Beats headphones by Dr Dre. Really, really popular.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10As you can see from the packaging, it all looks pretty convincing.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14We got the manufacturers down, they said no, they are fakes.
0:34:14 > 0:34:20The quality of the actual speakers and these hinges is inferior.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26When these are manufactured and they are fake, they don't invest the money in the component parts,
0:34:26 > 0:34:32people might think they're wearing the real deal, but you know they are actually being conned.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37In each case of suspected fakery, a rep from the real company
0:34:37 > 0:34:40will come down and confirm the goods are fake.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46Amongst the astonishing haul are some extraordinary examples of fakery.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51Here we've got GHDs. We've been tackling these for some time now.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Every time GHD bring out a new style, a new colour,
0:34:54 > 0:34:59we are seeing the fake version within a matter of a couple of weeks.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01They are that quick at responding to new lines.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06But again the fakes can be very dangerous.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Often on these they either don't work properly, or they get too hot
0:35:09 > 0:35:14and there is a risk of either burning the scalp, or melting the hair.
0:35:14 > 0:35:21Sometimes the fakers disguise the actual contents of the packages to bypass customs checks.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26It's Chris and his team's job to spot these cunningly disguised counterfeit goods.
0:35:26 > 0:35:34This is the component parts for making up pouches of hand-rolling tobacco.
0:35:34 > 0:35:40So what you see here are the Golden Virginia sleeves.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45And then in another we've got the actual tobacco.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50So the tobacco comes in bulk, these are actually disguised as tea.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54I don't know whether you can see this on the actual packages.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00This is packaged as tea, but when we make an incision in it, it's clearly not tea.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04It's hand-rolling tobacco. There is not a tealeaf in sight.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09This is about 20 kilos in weight. This is worth about £6,000.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Chris is seeing shipments like this almost every day.
0:36:14 > 0:36:21That means his team has intercepted millions of pounds worth of counterfeit tobacco this year alone.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26This isn't a one-off shipment, this is organised criminal activity
0:36:26 > 0:36:33and a systematic attack in an attempt to flood the UK with this counterfeit tobacco.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38Chris and his team are also engaged in seizing weapons and Class A drugs,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42but, as he reveals, all these criminal activities are linked.
0:36:42 > 0:36:48People don't realise there is a clear link between organised crime groups using the proceeds
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and the profits from fake counterfeit products and re-investing that
0:36:51 > 0:36:55into trafficking Class A drugs, people, or weapons.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58They don't care about the consumer. It's all about profit.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03So whether it's Class A drugs one week, or counterfeit shoes, bags or makeup the next,
0:37:03 > 0:37:04it's irrelevant to them.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07All they're interested in is the money.
0:37:15 > 0:37:21Street art has rocketed in popularity in recent years and can now have huge commercial value.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25No one is more famous in this area than graffiti artist Banksy,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28who shot to worldwide fame throughout the past decade.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Prints of his work are now sold for up to £100,000.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37But with fame comes fakery, as Patrick Nguyen,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41a street art collector turned amateur detective, discovered.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Could I get a small latte, please?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Patrick received a tip-off that fake copies of a particular Banksy screenprint
0:37:47 > 0:37:52were being sold on the internet as genuine limited editions.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57I was informed about a counterfeit screenprint by Banksy called Laugh Now,
0:37:57 > 0:38:04it features a monkey with a sandwich board that says: "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge."
0:38:04 > 0:38:09I posted a warning on a message board where there are a lot of people interested in street art.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14Patrick was flooded with e-mails from people concerned they had bought a fake version
0:38:14 > 0:38:20of this print and began to gather together information about the sales and the people behind them.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25The prints were always being sold for slightly less than market value.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28In order to generate loads of sales.
0:38:28 > 0:38:34If the market value at the time was worth for an unsigned print £1,500,
0:38:34 > 0:38:39they would sell it for a "buy it now" price for about £1,200.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44So they were selling them very, very quickly. Many of them had bought them on eBay.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49I started to put together a dossier of details of these sales of what turned to be fakes.
0:38:50 > 0:38:56As Patrick gathered the information, he discovered many more prints were being faked
0:38:56 > 0:39:00and he started to see recurring details in the sales.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05I saw some common names and also common e-mail addresses, common user IDs on the message boards,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10so I started to work out who, more or less, was responsible for selling these fakes.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Patrick worked out the fraudsters were using multiple online identities
0:39:15 > 0:39:18to recommend themselves as trustworthy sellers.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23What they were doing was creating many user IDs and more or less having conversation with themselves,
0:39:23 > 0:39:28basically backing each other up, and saying, "Hey, this guy is great to deal with."
0:39:28 > 0:39:31One of Patrick's friends had been sold a fake print.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36So he confronted the men and they agreed to meet him and give him the money back.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41Whenever there was a problem, or doubts as to the authenticity of the works they were buying,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44they would repay them immediately in order to keep them quiet.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So that there would not be any noise on the message boards.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Patrick met them in a pub behind Victoria Station in London.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55He got the money back, snatched a photo of one of one of the men,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and passed all the info he'd gathered to Ian Lawson
0:39:58 > 0:40:01at the Met Police's Art and Antiques Unit.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04We had the prints looked at by the authenticating body,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06a company called Pictures on Walls,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10identified that they were fake and then the investigation began.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14What we have here is a Banksy Gulf Sale print, a very popular print.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18You have the Banksy tag in the corner here,
0:40:18 > 0:40:20we have the limited edition number
0:40:20 > 0:40:24and you also have a forged Banksy signature as well.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28All these items are fake, the print is a reproduction,
0:40:28 > 0:40:30it is a fake print.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35The Banksy tag has been stamped on, the limited edition number
0:40:35 > 0:40:38has been handwritten on and the signature is forged.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41The fraudsters were also providing fake documents
0:40:41 > 0:40:44to create the vital provenance for the pieces.
0:40:44 > 0:40:51TomTom is a gallery that in about 2003, 2004 sold Banksy prints.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55But the suspects created this document on their computers,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59printed out blank receipts, then dated,
0:40:59 > 0:41:04put the print they were intending to sell and signed it with a false signature.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09Using Patrick's pack of information, Ian traced the fraud to Eastbourne.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Ultimately, the money was going into one large Paypal account
0:41:13 > 0:41:14and we were able to trace the money,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18and identify who the two fraudsters were.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Early one morning, Ian paid them a visit.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26We found a large quantity of evidence fake Banksy prints,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28the blank Banksy prints.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31We had tracings with the limited edition numbers on.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35We found fake provenance documentation and we took away their computers
0:41:35 > 0:41:40and we found evidence on those suggesting they had sold a large quantity of prints.
0:41:40 > 0:41:46The fake prints had been made by simply copying genuine prints at a local printing shop.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50The fraudsters would then add all the extra details to them.
0:41:50 > 0:41:56Grant Champkins-Howard and Lee Parker were given 240 hours community service
0:41:56 > 0:42:00and slapped with a restraining order for selling anything on the internet.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05The judge described them as "a couple of old fashioned conmen".
0:42:05 > 0:42:09If there was satisfaction it may have been initially when they were picked up by the police.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14The problem with counterfeits is that it does affect the confidence in the market,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16it devalues the existing prints that are out there.
0:42:16 > 0:42:23The case caused Banksy to set up a new company to authenticate his works, Pest Control.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26They gave us this message:
0:42:50 > 0:42:54That's all from Fake Britain today. Bye for now.