0:00:04 > 0:00:07Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's just an ordinary house, it could be anywhere in the country,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34but this is a house that's filled with fakes. And you may not know it,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36but your home could be full of them too.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39During the series we'll be investigating the criminals
0:00:39 > 0:00:43trying to get their hands on your cash by using forgeries,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45frauds and fakery. I'll be showing you
0:00:45 > 0:00:48how you can avoid being taken for a ride.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Today on Fake Britain.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56We reveal the fake X-ray device intended for British dental clinics.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Spraying X-rays around the room.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01People are liable to develop cancers, tumours,
0:01:01 > 0:01:02all sorts of health problems.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07We tell the tale of one of the biggest art forgers of modern times.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10He admitted painting four or five paintings a week for five years,
0:01:10 > 0:01:15so we were aware there were probably over 1,000 paintings out in the art market.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And you'll hear the story of the mystery Chinese fakers
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and their extraordinary fraud on a South London high street.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26A member of the public had seen a suspicious vehicle in Compton Road by Wimbledon library.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29He had seen wires coming out of the bonnet of the car.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32He suspected it may be involved in terrorism.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Does anyone actually like going to the dentist?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I mean, having someone poke around inside your mouth
0:01:43 > 0:01:46with pointy little implements and then there is injections
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and X-rays. Wouldn't it be even worse and more worrying
0:01:50 > 0:01:54if it turned out that those tools were in fact fake?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57As you might expect, from the Fake Britain house,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00all of these are, and it's amazing the lengths
0:02:00 > 0:02:03the fakers will go to to wipe the smiles off our faces.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14On Fake Britain, we've featured the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18or MHRA, because of their war on counterfeit drugs.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21We've been with them as they've carried out numerous raids
0:02:21 > 0:02:24to bring the dealers of fake medicines to justice.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But they are also engaged in a less well-known battle
0:02:27 > 0:02:29against counterfeit medical equipment.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Terrifyingly, during a recent raid in Portsmouth,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39the enforcement team seized a shipment of fake X-ray devices,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42destined for UK dental clinics.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Advertised online as being made by Kodak,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46they are actually cheap copies.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49One of the scanners has been brought here to King's College London
0:02:49 > 0:02:52to be tested.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Dental X-ray units are used to capture images of patient's teeth.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01They emit powerful X-rays and can be either wall-mounted or handheld.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Whilst the fake was being sold for £300,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08genuine machines cost thousands.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11They contain sophisticated lead shielding to protect patients
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and operators from radiation.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The scientists at King's College are concerned that as well
0:03:17 > 0:03:21as being a fake this cheap counterfeit unit could be dangerous.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Testing the unit is radiation expert Donald Emerton.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28There are suggestions that this is not an adequately shielded unit,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31not enough protection to stop radiation getting to the operator,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and we are concerned about the dose to the patient as well.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Donald and his team are setting up an experiment to test
0:03:37 > 0:03:39the radiation exposure levels.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42We are going to place these detectors around the skull phantom
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and the unit to detect the radiation dosages and leakage.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49We are going to put it where there are radio-sensitive organs
0:03:49 > 0:03:52on the patient and where the operator's hands and body would be.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Sensors are placed in key areas sensitive to radiation -
0:03:56 > 0:03:59the eyes of the patient, and the hands and body of the operator.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Once they are all in place, the experiment begins.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We have come round to this side as this is lead acrylic glass
0:04:08 > 0:04:12so we are actually protected from the radiation here.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Donald takes an exposure.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18The radiation readings are off the scale.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22He's genuinely shocked.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24We would have expected all of those sensors
0:04:24 > 0:04:26to stay within the green markings. The fact that any of them
0:04:26 > 0:04:30went beyond that is an issue of concern to us.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Donald is particularly alarmed by the massive exposure
0:04:33 > 0:04:34to the patient's eye.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37We would expect there to be some dose to the patient's eye,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40but nowhere near as high as we were showing there.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43But it's not just the power of the X-rays -
0:04:43 > 0:04:45it's the huge area they're covering.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49The fake unit sprays X-rays across the patient's entire face,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52irradiating their brain and eye.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Continued exposure to this could leave someone blind.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The cornea of the eye is sensitive to radiation,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01so any damage to it can lead to impaired vision.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03But the readings reveal the most devastating effect
0:05:03 > 0:05:06would be to the operator - the person using the machine
0:05:06 > 0:05:11every day and repeatedly exposed to the powerful X-rays.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The results so far are showing that there is an increased dose
0:05:15 > 0:05:17to the operator, which is unacceptable.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Over time, an operator using this in a dental practice
0:05:21 > 0:05:24would receive a higher dose of radiation, and this would lead
0:05:24 > 0:05:25to a greater risk of cancer.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28The results of the test have been sent back to Danny Lee Frost,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33head of enforcement at the agency. He's understandably appalled.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Further testing also revealed another dangerous fault.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42This is the on/off switch that starts the exposure,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45so the dentist would hold this part,
0:05:45 > 0:05:50the assistant may be holding the scanner itself.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53The dentist then opens the switch and presses the button
0:05:53 > 0:05:58to start exposure. After a few seconds, stops.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02However, when this was tested, the whole thing was live,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and the exposure was running as soon as the cover was released.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10So even though he hasn't pressed the button, the thing is still
0:06:10 > 0:06:13exposing everyone to X-rays.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18In practice, this could be horrific.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Unshielded devices spraying X-rays around a room - people are liable
0:06:22 > 0:06:26to develop cancers, tumours, all sorts of health problems.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32But the scanners weren't the only thing seized on the raid.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Tens of thousands of counterfeit low-grade dental tools were also
0:06:36 > 0:06:40found at the address - all intended for British dental clinics.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45The CE mark on the products, a European validation of safety,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48is completely fake.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50This is a dental drill.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Anyone who has been to the dentist will have
0:06:52 > 0:06:57seen one of these. Big long cable on the end. A variety of attachments
0:06:57 > 0:07:01can go on this point - drills, cleaning, polishing - all sorts.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It's actually got a CE mark on it. That is fake.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08This has been nowhere near a CE mark body.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It's so poor quality, that as soon as this would be plugged in to the
0:07:12 > 0:07:16power unit, so pressure coming through here to turn the little wheels in here,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20the whole thing is liable to explode. It's such poor quality.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24If the whole thing comes apart when it is in someone's mouth, there
0:07:24 > 0:07:27could be some serious consequences not only for the patient,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31but the person holding it. It's going to explode in their hand!
0:07:31 > 0:07:33If the drill had any sharp implements
0:07:33 > 0:07:37attached at the time, the results could be tragic.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Essentially that's going into somebody's mouth.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41If this component part explodes,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44the dentist will be holding that, it's going to explode,
0:07:44 > 0:07:45it's going to go everywhere
0:07:45 > 0:07:49and that's going to go through the side of somebody's face.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52The full range of different tools they found are very poor quality
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and not fit for use in ANY dental surgery.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59That would probably snap after a couple of uses like that.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It's very soft. A couple of pokes about in someone's mouth,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06that's liable to snap. These things are shoddy,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10poor quality, liable to disintegrate, fall apart,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14explode, break, snap in somebody's mouth,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17which if you think about it, if you're lucky,
0:08:17 > 0:08:22you'll spit them out, if you're not they will end up inside you.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Despite this discovery, no-one really knows
0:08:24 > 0:08:27how much fake equipment is already out there
0:08:27 > 0:08:31being used in dental surgeries across Britain.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34If any dentist has bought any of this, then let us know.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38If any dentist is thinking of buying it, then don't. Products such
0:08:38 > 0:08:42as these should only be bought from a recognised, reputable source.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52What do you think? I think he's captured my likeness perfectly.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54It's a fake, and you know what?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Art fraud is a lot more common than you might think.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Experts tell us that fakes are being sold online and at auctions
0:09:01 > 0:09:05all the time, and many of them go undetected for years.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08But when you are the most prolific faker of modern times,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11eventually you'll end up with a red face.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16John Meers is a keen art collector.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18He often buys pieces online,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21so when he spotted a painting by a famous Moroccan artist,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Jilali Gharbaoui, at a very good price,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25he jumped at the chance to buy it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30We bid on it, bought it, did a bit of research on the artist.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Thought, "Hmm, I think this is actually worth quite a lot of money."
0:09:35 > 0:09:38John paid £600 for the piece.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Not long afterwards, he spotted another well-priced painting for sale online.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46This time by Indian painter SH Raza,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50one of the Bombay Progressive Movement of painters from the 1950s,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53as I'm sure you know.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Similar - abstract, very bright, colourful.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It didn't strike me at the time that it was coming from the same area of the country.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02John bid on it and bought the picture.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07I think it was...around £1,200, 1,300, I think.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12More than I would normally have paid, in all honesty,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15but it was a lovely picture.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The paintings were potentially worth quite a bit of money.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19John loved the pictures,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22but wondered if it might be time to capitalise on them.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26We had works to do on the house, so we felt that it might be worth
0:10:26 > 0:10:29taking them to Bonhams and saying, "What do we think?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31"Are they worth selling?"
0:10:31 > 0:10:34The auction house was impressed, and the pictures were entered
0:10:34 > 0:10:38into an auction in Dubai, where they sold for £20,000.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41John Meers couldn't believe his luck.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44You can actually follow the auction live and you look at the screen
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and you think, "That much money!"
0:10:47 > 0:10:51We felt ecstatic, basically. It was great, you know.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53We had suddenly had 20,000 in the bank.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57We could put in the new kitchen and do the decoration we wanted to do.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Everything begins to roll and you get carried away.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04You think, "I've done it once, we can do it again."
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Another picture claiming to be by the same Indian group of artists
0:11:09 > 0:11:11soon turned up online.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Believing he was on a winning streak, John snapped it up.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It was a picture entitled Barney The Doorman.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Which was a portrait pertaining to be of the doorman of a club
0:11:21 > 0:11:27in London, to which most of the artists at that time went to.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The picture was supposedly by Francis Newton Souza.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33John splashed out another £1,600.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35It was more than he had paid before,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39but he believed he had stumbled on another neglected masterpiece.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43It had been owned by an old lady, who was in a home,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45who was the wife of an art dealer,
0:11:45 > 0:11:51who had basically willed all of this collection to the old people's home,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55who then when it had closed down had sold them off at a local sale.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58The seller told John he had more paintings from the same collection,
0:11:58 > 0:12:03so he bought two more, and was soon tempted to sell them as well.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05We had been on holiday to Turkey
0:12:05 > 0:12:09and thought a holiday home in Turkey would be lovely.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11John's local auctioneers thought Barney alone
0:12:11 > 0:12:16could be worth £40-60,000, so he sent them off to London.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18But this time there was a problem.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Charlie Moore, an expert in the paintings of the Bombay Progressive Group,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25who was working at Bonhams at the time, was concerned.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29An abnormally large number of paintings by the group
0:12:29 > 0:12:33had been coming onto the market. All had slightly strange features.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37So when John Meers's painting "Barney" turned up, Charlie
0:12:37 > 0:12:41immediately spotted there was something not quite right about it.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46There are numerous elements to this painting that are very strange
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and are not in keeping with works you'd see by him
0:12:50 > 0:12:54from the early '60s. The date is 1961.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59The signature, whilst it bears resemblance to signatures by Souza
0:12:59 > 0:13:03from that period, is not fine. It's not a very good example.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Souza was known for putting paint on the canvas with a palette knife.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11But Charlie noticed something strange about the surface of the piece.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14From afar, it appears that the paint has been applied
0:13:14 > 0:13:15with a palette knife.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Whereas upon close inspection, you can see that it's actually
0:13:19 > 0:13:22been applied with a paintbrush, which is another tell-tale sign
0:13:22 > 0:13:25that there's something not quite right.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Bonhams were also concerned by the fact that none of the paintings
0:13:28 > 0:13:32had any supporting documentation saying where they had come from.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Sensing a fraud, Charlie and his team returned John's paintings
0:13:36 > 0:13:40and contacted the famous Metropolitan Police Art and Antiques Unit.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Coming up, we hear how the unit unravelled one of the greatest
0:13:46 > 0:13:49art frauds of recent times.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52This was a huge operation, almost a conveyor belt.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Every so often a member of the British public spots something
0:14:01 > 0:14:06that doesn't quite look right, and if they have the nous to report,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10it can unravel a crime that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13That's exactly what happened on the streets of south London
0:14:13 > 0:14:17where a system was in place to help people cheat
0:14:17 > 0:14:19on the exam for British citizenship.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22They were helping to create Fake Britons.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Everyone's heard of Wimbledon
0:14:26 > 0:14:30thanks to the tennis, the Common and the Wombles,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33but it's not so well-known for high-tech fakery.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34All that was about to change
0:14:34 > 0:14:39when Inspector Dominic Washington received a strange phone call.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42A member of the public had seen a suspicious vehicle
0:14:42 > 0:14:44in Compton Road by Wimbledon Library.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46He had seen wires coming out of the bonnet of the car
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and he was unhappy with it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50He suspected it may be involved in terrorism, so he called police,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54so I decided to go to the call to find out exactly what was happening.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I pulled up in Compton Road just along here
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and I found the car exactly where the gentleman had said.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02The vehicle, the BMW, was parked here,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06just outside the library in a side street, next to Wimbledon Library,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and it had as described, the wires coming from under the bonnet,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12three people in it. They had computers,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15they had electronic equipment all around them in the car.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17In the front were two people, a man and a woman,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and in the back was one gentleman on his own.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22The scene looked very suspicious.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Dominic asked the people to step out of the car
0:15:25 > 0:15:28so he could question them.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30When I got the couple out of the car,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32they were very pleasant and polite.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34They said it was a simple misunderstanding.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38The father of the lady who was with them
0:15:38 > 0:15:42was simply looking for premises nearby to buy a restaurant, a Chinese restaurant.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46They were watching on their computers some Chinese television
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and that is why they had all the wires and the aerials and the receivers,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54just to pick up the signal for Chinese television.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Dominic was unconvinced by the story and called for back-up.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03One of my colleagues discovered the older gentleman, who couldn't speak English,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07was carrying £1,000 in cash. Again, this was quite odd
0:16:07 > 0:16:09cos that's quite a large amount of cash.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11When I asked the couple what this was all about,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15they said it was a deposit for a premises they were trying to secure
0:16:15 > 0:16:19as a restaurant. That didn't ring true either because £1,000,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21whilst being a lot of money,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24isn't enough to pay a deposit if you were buying a premises.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The three people were arrested on suspicion of fraud,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31but as they were leaving the road, something strange happened.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33As we neared the junction with Wimbledon Hill Road,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37we saw another man, also of Chinese appearance.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41He'd came round the corner from the main area of Wimbledon.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43He stopped and looked at the van,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47the people we had arrested in the van appeared to recognise him.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50We decided to stop and talk to this gentleman as well.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52One of my colleagues jumped out, spoke to the man,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54he didn't speak a word of English.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55Dominic believed the man
0:16:55 > 0:16:59could also be involved in whatever kind of fraud was taking place.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02He was also arrested, and Dominic set off for the police station
0:17:02 > 0:17:05with a very puzzling case on his hands.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08We now had four suspects in custody on their way back to the station.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Two could speak English, two couldn't.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14We had a vehicle full of equipment that we didn't know its capabilities or what it was.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We had to get it all back to the station to examine it thoroughly
0:17:17 > 0:17:20to get some technical advice so we could deduce the capabilities
0:17:20 > 0:17:23of the equipment, and from that, further the investigation.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26But we still didn't really know what it was capable of
0:17:26 > 0:17:28and what they were actually doing.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34The case was passed to Detective Sergeant Grant Donnachie
0:17:34 > 0:17:37at Wimbledon CID, an expert in fraud.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41The clock was ticking. He had only 24 hours to question the suspects,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44but was confronted with the same strange evidence.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47A car filled with sophisticated-looking surveillance equipment
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and four Chinese suspects.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55To make matters worse, as soon as they arrived at the police station,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59the two English speakers didn't say a word.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00They were calm and collected
0:18:00 > 0:18:04until they came to the police station and at that point
0:18:04 > 0:18:08they put the barriers up and did not interact or communicate with us.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Grant sent officers to the addresses of all the suspects.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13At the address of the English speaking couple,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15they found more quantities of cash
0:18:15 > 0:18:20and more high-tech equipment including minute cameras.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23There was logbooks, transaction books -
0:18:23 > 0:18:28a lot of the material was in Chinese so we needed to get that later,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30but at first glance you could tell
0:18:30 > 0:18:33they were running a very successful business.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36But just what that business was
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and the purpose of the equipment remained a mystery.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43We knew it was covert surveillance-type equipment
0:18:43 > 0:18:47but we weren't 100% sure as to what and how it was being used.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Then Grant had a breakthrough.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54One of the Chinese-speaking men, the one Dominic had spotted
0:18:54 > 0:18:57coming round the corner, asked to be taken back
0:18:57 > 0:19:01to Wimbledon High Street. He had a confession.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05He had deposited clothing with surveillance-type equipment
0:19:05 > 0:19:08in the changing rooms of a local shop.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The man explained he had been in radio contact with the couple in the car.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15When they'd been caught and the signal went dead,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18he'd panicked and bolted into a nearby clothes shop.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22During a subsequent interview the full story finally emerged.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27Wimbledon Library is a location for Life In The UK tests,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31exams immigrants wishing to become UK citizens must pass.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35For a price, Chinese fraudsters Steven Lee and Rong Yang
0:19:35 > 0:19:39were helping people fake their exam papers and cheat the system.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41They would provide that individual
0:19:41 > 0:19:46with a small earpiece worn in their ear, not overt,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48not obvious to the average member of the public.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53At the same time, the customer was given a shirt.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57An everyday shirt, but sewn into the lining and the button
0:19:57 > 0:20:04was a camera which transmitted back to the computers and equipment
0:20:04 > 0:20:06that they had in the car.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10So the customer having been given the earpiece, the camera,
0:20:10 > 0:20:16would go off and was able to sit in front of a computer screen,
0:20:16 > 0:20:23was able to take a test by virtue of the camera capturing questions asked,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26relaying back to them in the car,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30from which they would then tell the answer into the earpiece.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Customer passes exam, monies are paid.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39The result was fake British citizens.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Lee and Yang would advertise their services in local Chinese newspapers
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and via word of mouth.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50They charged £1,000 to help people pass the Life In The UK test,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53which set them on the path to full UK citizenship.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56With that comes access to all sorts of things
0:20:56 > 0:20:58including the benefit system and the NHS.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05Steven Lee and Rong Yang were jailed and forced to repay £100,000.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Had Dominic's team not had the call from the concerned passer-by, they
0:21:09 > 0:21:13may never have discovered the fakers and their sophisticated crime.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Earlier, we saw how collector John Meers couldn't believe his luck
0:21:24 > 0:21:28when he bought some cheap paintings by famous Indian artists online.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But an expert at an auction house spotted a number of strange things
0:21:31 > 0:21:35about the pictures and alerted the police.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38DC Michelle Roycroft of the Met Police's
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Art and Antiques Unit began to investigate.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44So these are the first three paintings
0:21:44 > 0:21:46that Charlie Moore wasn't happy with.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49All the paintings had labels on the back from galleries
0:21:49 > 0:21:52and past exhibitions that seemed to authenticate them.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56However, upon closer inspection, they also held a vital clue.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00It was this particular Husain that when we examined,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03the rear of the painting
0:22:03 > 0:22:07was able to assist us in our investigation.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10What we found was the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery stamp.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13When we contacted Nicholas Treadwell,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16he was able to tell us this wasn't in fact his gallery stamp.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Treadwell confirmed with Michelle
0:22:18 > 0:22:22that his stamps always consisted of his complete address,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25including the number of the building and the full postcode.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29This was yet more evidence that the paintings were bogus.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Next, Michelle contacted those who had bought the pieces,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36including John Meers up in Whitley Bay.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I didn't really begin to think there was a problem
0:22:40 > 0:22:44until I received the email, and then the penny dropped.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48John was soon faced with the awful reality
0:22:48 > 0:22:51that all the paintings he'd bought were fake.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Having found out that potentially
0:22:54 > 0:22:58all of them were fake, the response
0:22:58 > 0:23:05was a feeling of dread, basically, because I knew that clearly
0:23:05 > 0:23:08we had money we weren't entitled to
0:23:08 > 0:23:12and it was very likely that someone would want it back, but of course
0:23:12 > 0:23:15we'd actually spent a fair chunk of it.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18To make matters worse, the remaining paintings which John
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and his wife had fallen in love with had to be confiscated.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25It was heartbreaking seeing them bagged up, the Barney,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29the Husain, which was of a small white dove
0:23:29 > 0:23:31in whites, which was beautiful.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34From John and other customers like him,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Michelle took details of the online art vendors.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40At first glance, they all appeared to be completely different people,
0:23:40 > 0:23:46different names, and so we started our investigation with eBay.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It was then that we discovered that the eBay sellers were
0:23:49 > 0:23:54all from one particular town in West Sussex, in Littlehampton.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Michelle contacted the local police
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and was told that a year earlier, the sellers had a brush with
0:23:59 > 0:24:02the law for selling a fake painting to a lady in Wales.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05One of the group, William Mumford, had claimed that he had just
0:24:05 > 0:24:08restored the painting and they were let off.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11From years of investigating art fakers, Michelle knew
0:24:11 > 0:24:16the so-called restorer could be key to unravelling the crime.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18As soon as I read his interview
0:24:18 > 0:24:22and he said he was a restorer of paintings, my experience immediately,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24there were alarm bells ringing
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and I knew this was probably going to be the artist.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Michelle was closing in on the artful dodgers.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34They had painted themselves into a corner.
0:24:34 > 0:24:35Our investigations led us
0:24:35 > 0:24:40to a particular pub in Littlehampton where we discovered that
0:24:40 > 0:24:43the majority of our suspects were all working. Billy Mumford,
0:24:43 > 0:24:48he was the chef, there was a fellow chef Anthony Resse, there was one
0:24:48 > 0:24:52of the cleaners, Martin Petrskovsky, and his wife Karen Potter.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Michelle organised a co-ordinated dawn swoop on four addresses.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02But she focused on Mumford's flat.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It was a very small maisonette, immaculately kept,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08but the rear bedroom had been turned into an artist's studio,
0:25:08 > 0:25:13complete with easel, hundreds of books, all different artists,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16paints, Victorian paints.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20The books revealed how Mumford had been able to match
0:25:20 > 0:25:22the signatures of each artist.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25There was a particular book that specialised in signatures for
0:25:25 > 0:25:28the Indian Progressive Art Group.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Particularly with Husain, as he got more elderly,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33naturally his signature had changed
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and Mumford was able to re-create the signatures,
0:25:37 > 0:25:38almost through the ages.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Michelle also found all the tools Mumford used to create
0:25:43 > 0:25:46the backs of the paintings, including a book of Victorian paper,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50an old typewriter and numerous art gallery stamps.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53This was one that he used quite a lot, the gallery one.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57We were able to establish that the artist had exhibited at all
0:25:57 > 0:25:59the galleries that he had made the stamps for.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01So his research had been meticulous.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05During his interview, the forger admitted just how prolific
0:26:05 > 0:26:08he had been at churning out fakes.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Mr Mumford admitted to painting four or five paintings a week
0:26:11 > 0:26:14for five years. So we were aware there were probably
0:26:14 > 0:26:17over 1,000 paintings out in the art market.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20This was a huge operation, almost a conveyor belt.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25He also had in his garage stacks of paintings just waiting
0:26:25 > 0:26:29for him to re-paint or add a signature to.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Mumford had carefully chosen his helpers for their different skills.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36The cleaner at the pub was his IT man.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39A fellow chef had proved a smart salesman, offloading
0:26:39 > 0:26:41the pieces to auction houses.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44He identified Anthony Resse as a very charming,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48very personable young man, who was very good at taking the paintings
0:26:48 > 0:26:52into the provincial auction houses, where he would come up with a story,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55usually a sob story on every occasion.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58When Michelle's team raided Resse's house, they discovered
0:26:58 > 0:27:01a whiteboard charting his part in the fraud.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06Here, he had listed all the auction houses that he had visited,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10names of paintings he had taken into the auction houses,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13the date of the intended sale, and how much the estimate
0:27:13 > 0:27:16was going to be for that particular painting.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Forger William Mumford was jailed for two years.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Fellow chef Anthony Resse, and cleaner Petrskovsky,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26also received jail sentences.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30This was a very big case and it was a very satisfying conclusion
0:27:30 > 0:27:32to see that it had been taken seriously.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35During the court case, Mumford explained that he had tried
0:27:35 > 0:27:38to make it as an artist in his own right and failed.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42In his words, people weren't interested in the paintings,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46they were just interested in who had signed it. So he thought
0:27:46 > 0:27:47he'd give them what they wanted.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Mumford's victims stretched around the globe.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Hundreds of paintings are still thought to be out there.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Fortunately John Meers was able to reach an agreement with Bonhams
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and he didn't have to pay back all the money.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05However, the whole episode has been traumatic
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and John has learned a lot from the experience.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14Always spend only what you can afford to lose, basically.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17If you lose the money, it doesn't actually make
0:28:17 > 0:28:20a lot of difference to you financially. I think
0:28:20 > 0:28:23that's the thing, set yourself limits and stick to them.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31That's all from Fake Britain. Bye-bye!
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd