0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Get down! Get down!
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Get on the floor now! - Put your hands behind your back now!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29It's just an ordinary house, it could be anywhere in the country,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34but this is the Fake Britain house and it's filled with fakes.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37You may not know it, but your home could be too.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39In this series, we'll be investigating
0:00:39 > 0:00:44the criminals trying to get their hands on your cash by using fraud,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47forgeries and fakery,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51and I'll be showing you how you can avoid being taken for a ride.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Today on Fake Britain,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56the fake fundraising web pages
0:00:56 > 0:00:59stealing from those who need it most...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I would want them to come and meet Elliot
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and see what opportunities they were taking away from him.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06..fake horse passports making money for criminals
0:01:06 > 0:01:10and causing misery for owners...
0:01:10 > 0:01:13We thought the worst. We were worried he'd either gone
0:01:13 > 0:01:15to an abattoir or been exported out the country.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19..and how illegal and dangerous furniture
0:01:19 > 0:01:22is sold on our high streets.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27This non-compliant furniture risks the lives of people in their homes.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29It's very, very dangerous indeed.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38We Brits are amongst the most generous nations
0:01:38 > 0:01:39when it comes to giving.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43A recent survey showed that more than three quarters of us
0:01:43 > 0:01:47made a donation to a good cause in a typical month.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51So, it's not surprising that people who really need to raise money
0:01:51 > 0:01:56turn to the public for help, and one family did just that
0:01:56 > 0:02:00to help fund life-changing medical help for their son.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04But, they were outraged to discover that their online
0:02:04 > 0:02:08money-raising efforts had been hijacked by the fakers.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Six-year-old Elliot Gower suffers from cerebral palsy
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and can't walk unaided,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20but, recently, his parents, James and Morwenna, have had news which
0:02:20 > 0:02:24has given them hope that Elliot's condition could be transformed.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Elliot has been selected by Great Ormond Street
0:02:27 > 0:02:32for a life-changing operation to remove the spasticity permanently
0:02:32 > 0:02:36in his legs that should enable him to walk, independently is what we hope.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The procedure itself isn't funded, unfortunately,
0:02:40 > 0:02:41by the NHS at the moment,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44so we need to raise money to have that done, but one of the big aspects
0:02:44 > 0:02:48of what we're raising money for is his post-operative physiotherapy.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51He will need intensive physiotherapy for about two years after
0:02:51 > 0:02:54the surgery in order to make it fully beneficial.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Can you help me go shooting, Dad?
0:02:56 > 0:02:59For Elliot, the operation would be life-changing.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03He watches other children play
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and do all the things that normal children do
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and I think he really wants to do that,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and we would do anything to give him that chance to do it.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20The family needed to raise just over £60,000,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24so they began to investigate what options were out there.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28We asked some charities if they would help us,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32but you can't be a charity for one person,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34you have to be a charity for a group of people,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37so Elliot didn't come into that category.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42So, we went down different routes of fundraising, like crowdfunding,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45which you can do through the internet and social media.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Crowdfunding is primarily used to raised money for business ventures,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53but it's become increasing popular for those seeking funding
0:03:53 > 0:03:55for good causes.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58The success of crowdfunding lies in its simplicity.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01If you want to launch a crowdfunded project, you pick your
0:04:01 > 0:04:06crowdfunding service, design your page and launch your bid online.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09If the public likes your business idea or charitable cause,
0:04:09 > 0:04:10they fund you.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Successful projects are usually funded by small
0:04:13 > 0:04:15contributions from many people.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19There are now over 30 crowdfunding sites based in the UK alone
0:04:19 > 0:04:23and they generate over a billion pounds for fundraisers
0:04:23 > 0:04:27seeking money for new ventures, gadgets, and charitable causes.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31'The Gowers set up their crowdfunding page, called
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'Operation Elliot, in just 24 hours.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38'They used a reputable crowdfunding website called Fundraise,
0:04:38 > 0:04:43'and, shortly after launching their page, they'd raised £1,800.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47'But, just a week after the launch,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'the Gowers received an unexpected phone call.'
0:04:49 > 0:04:53And in the evening, we were sitting talking about how the day had gone
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and some friends rang up and said did we have anybody fundraising
0:04:56 > 0:04:58for us in America because they'd come across another site online.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04So we checked it out and then we discovered that, actually,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07there were four or five different sites using similar names
0:05:07 > 0:05:10using the same pictures that we were using on our site,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15information about Elliot...none of these were people that we knew.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18And we kind of got into a bit of a blind panic on that evening.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The Gowers went online and were horrified to see
0:05:22 > 0:05:26eight different crowdfunding sites, some American, some British,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29appealing for money for Elliot's operation.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The fakers had carried out a screen scrape,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36stealing Elliot's story and images from his own web page
0:05:36 > 0:05:38and using them for their own gain.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41This is one of the copies.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43You can see it's the same information
0:05:43 > 0:05:45we used on the crowdfunding site.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48They raised 495...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51..money that hasn't come to Elliot.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I think it's the pictures that are the hardest thing actually,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58reading some of the information they've got, they've copied directly
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and got spelling mistakes in, it's not quite right, but seeing
0:06:01 > 0:06:02some of our favourite pictures,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05like this one here of Elliot down on the beach,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07that's really hard to keep seeing that.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10We showed some of the fake Operation Elliot sites to
0:06:10 > 0:06:12the Fundraising Standards Board,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16who regulate charity fundraising in the UK.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Chief Executive Alistair McLean says what happened to Elliot
0:06:19 > 0:06:23is rare, but still a matter for concern.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Crowdfunding's a new
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and very exciting platform for charities to raise funds,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30but, like all things, where there's opportunity like that,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32there's always a propensity for some fraud.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35If you are suspicious, do some research, see if they're members
0:06:35 > 0:06:38of the United Kingdom Crowdfunding Association.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40If it's a charity, it may well be a member of
0:06:40 > 0:06:42the Fundraising Standards Board.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Check to look for the Give With Confidence tick logo.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The Gowers have managed to get some, but not all
0:06:49 > 0:06:54of the crowdfunding sites hosting the fake Operation Elliot appeals
0:06:54 > 0:06:57taken down, but the damage has already been done.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Hundreds of pounds of donation meant for Elliot's surgery have
0:07:01 > 0:07:04already been diverted into the accounts of the fakers.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Elliot's parents have since moved Operation Elliot
0:07:07 > 0:07:10to the JustGiving website, but they, understandably,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12remain angry about what's happened.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I think if we did find the people who had been doing this,
0:07:16 > 0:07:17I would want them to come
0:07:17 > 0:07:19and meet Elliot and see what opportunities
0:07:19 > 0:07:22they were taking away from him, because I think if you met him and
0:07:22 > 0:07:26saw what a lovely little boy he is, what good fun he is, what good spirit
0:07:26 > 0:07:30he's got, that would really shame you for having done something like this.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38This is a horse passport.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Every horse, pony and donkey in the UK has to have one.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47They were introduced in 2004 to prevent the sale of
0:07:47 > 0:07:51stolen horses, but this one is a fake.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It was obtained fraudulently to beat the system
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and make money for the fakers, and we have evidence that
0:07:58 > 0:08:00plenty of other people are doing the same thing.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Alexis Jacobson is a horse fanatic. She's ridden from an early age,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and has enjoyed many happy years riding her own beloved horse, Oscar.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16But, as he got older and medical conditions arose,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18she decided he shouldn't be ridden so much.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Oscar was an elderly horse at the time, he was 18,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25he had been diagnosed with a back problem,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28which meant it wasn't ideal for him to be ridden often.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30We thought he might be in some discomfort.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34We decided that we would put him out on loan as a companion only.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37He would accompany another horse in a field,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39maybe be very lightly ridden, but no more.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Alexis found a woman willing to take Oscar on loan from her
0:08:44 > 0:08:48and she agreed to this, but some weeks after saying goodbye
0:08:48 > 0:08:51to him, she wanted to see how he was settling in.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54When she rang up the lady, however, she got no response,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56despite persistent calls.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Terrified something might have happened to Oscar,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Alexis contacted Horsewatch, an equine crime prevention network.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Alarmingly, they'd had numerous complaints from other owners
0:09:10 > 0:09:13about the same woman doing the same thing to them,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17taking horses on loan and then losing contact.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20We thought the worst, so we were worried he'd either gone to
0:09:20 > 0:09:23an abattoir or been exported out of the country.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Alexis decided she'd do anything to find Oscar.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I trawled through the internet looking at horses that had
0:09:32 > 0:09:34been advertised online.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39I posted on horse forums, we had articles in horse magazines...
0:09:39 > 0:09:43After four full years of searching, Alexis had a breakthrough.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48I had posted his photo on a horse group in Facebook,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52and someone got in touch with me to say that she recognised him
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and that she knew where he was.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57And when Alexis collected him,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01she discovered why she'd not been able to find Oscar for four years.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04At some point after she'd loaned him out,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07he'd been sold on using a fake horse passport.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Oscar originally had an Irish horse passport.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15He was imported from Ireland as an Irish sports horse.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18All the information in this passport is totally accurate.
0:10:18 > 0:10:25When Oscar was taken on loan, he was then issued with a new passport.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28This is a pet ID passport. As you can see, it's got "Sid."
0:10:30 > 0:10:32The fakers had applied for a new passport,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35but faked Oscar's vital statistics.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Not only had they altered his name, but also his breed,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41height and his age.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44This meant it would be almost impossible to trace him
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and, crucially, he could be sold as a younger, fitter horse
0:10:47 > 0:10:49for more money.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50OSCAR SNORTS
0:10:50 > 0:10:54He then was ten years younger than he actually was,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and, obviously, much more appealing to prospective buyers.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Alexis discovered what had happened to Oscar
0:11:01 > 0:11:03over the four years he'd been missing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08He went through a horse dealer, then was sold to a riding school,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11so was being ridden in a riding school for a year...
0:11:11 > 0:11:13it was just really heartbreaking.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16To get a horse passport,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19your application must be signed off by a vet, but it's difficult
0:11:19 > 0:11:23for them to be sure of the age or provenance of a horse.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It's not helped by the fact there are 75 different issuing bodies
0:11:27 > 0:11:32for the passports, with different standards and no central register.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Roly Owers is from the charity World Horse Welfare.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39He thinks the UK horse passport system is a mess.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42We know that through a survey we ran last year where 20% of
0:11:42 > 0:11:47horse owners said they had passports with irregularities in them.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49We know that one passport issuing organisation
0:11:49 > 0:11:53issued 7,000 passports after they were closed down
0:11:53 > 0:12:00and, with at least 75 issuing organisations in the UK with
0:12:00 > 0:12:02very, very different standards
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and no central register or database, it's a complete fraudster's paradise.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Alexis, however, is just pleased to have Oscar back safe and sound.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13He's really well-rested, relaxed,
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and can live out the rest of his retirement days really happily.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Pet ID Equine, the company that issued the passport,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25told us they were issued when...
0:12:31 > 0:12:32They said...
0:12:44 > 0:12:46They said they've echoed Roly Owers' call...
0:12:54 > 0:12:57We thought that dangerous flammable furniture was
0:12:57 > 0:13:01a thing of the past, thanks to tough British safety standards.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06But it turns out we were wrong, because Fake Britain's found out
0:13:06 > 0:13:11that top retailers have been selling illegal and dangerous furniture.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Are you sitting comfortably?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20In a special Fake Britain programme shown previously,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23we were alerted to serious concerns about the fire safety
0:13:23 > 0:13:27of some furniture on sale in the UK.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Trading Standards alerted us to a case in West Yorkshire where an
0:13:30 > 0:13:34independent retailer was prosecuted for selling unsafe furniture.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Maria Houston purchased two dream sofas from a branch
0:13:37 > 0:13:40of the independent retailer in Bradford.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48These two couches were absolutely stunning.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the price as well.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55But when the sofas arrived, Maria was unhappy with the quality
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and the service she'd received, so she contacted Trading Standards.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Officers in West Yorkshire began examining
0:14:02 > 0:14:04the type of sofa she'd bought.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08They had no idea what they were just about to find out.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11We decided that we had real concerns about the safety,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13so we visited the premises,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15and we seized a sofa.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17We submitted it to our testing service here,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20who carried out the testing on the furniture.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25To see if sofa foam complies with the UK fire safety regulations,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27the law says it must be tested like this.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31A small wooden crib is ignited and, if the sofa is safe,
0:14:31 > 0:14:32it shouldn't catch fire.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But when Trading Standards tested the sofa they'd seized,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47they made a shocking discovery.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It failed the test and it didn't just fail it a little bit,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51it failed it very badly.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58What you can see is that, having lit the crib,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01it's already flaming away and what should happen is the crib
0:15:01 > 0:15:05should go out, but this is untreated foam, so...
0:15:05 > 0:15:06it's away.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11After just two minutes, the fire had escalated dramatically.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13That would be out of control in a house.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18It had what the test house described as accelerating ignition,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20which, to you and me, would mean a fireball.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Had it been in a house near some curtains, it would have been
0:15:23 > 0:15:27a massive ignition source and it would have burnt the house down.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Maria's sofas were never tested, but she's worried they may be unsafe.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35We showed her the test footage.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37It's unbelievable.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39God!
0:15:40 > 0:15:42If my grandkids were here and we had a fire,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44you just think the worst, don't you?
0:15:44 > 0:15:45I'm gutted.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50The consequences could be real danger
0:15:50 > 0:15:54for anybody, not just me and my grandkids, or my nieces and nephews.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Anybody.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58The independent retailer she'd bought them from
0:15:58 > 0:16:00had five shops in Yorkshire.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04They were successfully prosecuted and fined.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Both Maria's sofas, and those purchased by Trading Standards,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09carried fire resistant labels claiming that
0:16:09 > 0:16:12they met the UK regulations.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15With at least the tested sofa, we know this claim was fake...
0:16:16 > 0:16:19..and it wasn't the only one.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22We caught up with Northampton Trading Standards prosecuting
0:16:22 > 0:16:26a furniture distributor for also selling unsafe furniture.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31They tested one of UK Sofa Distribution Ltd's sofas
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and the tests found that the foam filling didn't meet
0:16:33 > 0:16:35the fire safety standards.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Northampton Trading Standards say non-compliant furniture is
0:16:40 > 0:16:41a big problem for them.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46So, over the last three years, we found quite a high failure rate
0:16:46 > 0:16:50of the furniture that we have sampled and had tested.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Um, it's in...about 50% or above,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58we've found have not complied with the relevant legislation.
0:16:58 > 0:17:04UK Sofa Distribution Ltd were fined £4,000 plus £5,500 costs
0:17:04 > 0:17:07for contravening the Consumer Protection Act.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11The company's accountant Brian Pound told us it can be hard for
0:17:11 > 0:17:14suppliers to police products coming in from abroad.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19It's not as easy as it looks to comply in this industry.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Just because it comes in with a label that says that it's fit,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24doesn't mean it's fit.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26In the last two months alone,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30we've turned away probably one and a half lorry worth
0:17:30 > 0:17:32of furniture which we've looked at and said,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34"Well, actually, we don't think that's up to the standard
0:17:34 > 0:17:36"that we need to comply to."
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It should be inconceivable that any sofa sold in Britain today
0:17:41 > 0:17:44could fail the legal tests, because, in the 1970s and '80s,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47after a series of deadly fires,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50laws were passed to help protect us from dangerous furniture.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56SIRENS WAIL
0:17:56 > 0:17:58In May 1979,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02a fire broke out in Woolworths in the centre of Manchester.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Fire crews arrived to find smoke billowing
0:18:04 > 0:18:07from the six-storey building.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Can everybody here move away from the building? Urgent!
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Bob Graham was one of the senior fire officers who
0:18:13 > 0:18:15responded on that day.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20What first struck me on arrival is the intensity of the fire,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24and the amount of smoke that was coming out of the building.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It was tremendous
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and there were approximately 500 people in the building
0:18:30 > 0:18:33at the time the fire started...
0:18:33 > 0:18:35so you can imagine the confusion.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The situation turned to horror as people were
0:18:39 > 0:18:42trapped behind bars in an office at the rear of the building.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46They were trapped and the fire was spreading across the floor,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50they couldn't open the door onto the remainder of the fire floor, cos
0:18:50 > 0:18:53they would have been killed instantly by the heat that was in there.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58The urgent thing there was to get the bars off the window
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and to get the people out,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02and the crews did that very efficiently.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The firemen went inside to reassure the people that they were
0:19:05 > 0:19:08going to be safe and, gradually, they were brought down to the ground.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Elsewhere in the building, ten people lost their lives
0:19:13 > 0:19:14and 47 were injured.
0:19:16 > 0:19:22The coroner at the inquest said anyone who was on the second floor
0:19:22 > 0:19:27three minutes after the fire started was unlikely to escape.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29That's how fast the fire grew.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Investigating the incident, Bob Graham soon discovered that
0:19:33 > 0:19:37furniture was at the heart of the disaster.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39He became a leading figure in the campaign for
0:19:39 > 0:19:41tougher fire safety regulations
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and was awarded an MBE for his work.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49We reconstructed what was in Woolworths, set fire to it,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and monitored the effects.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And that showed us that
0:19:53 > 0:19:57the furniture was the main contributor to this fire.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59The Woolworths fire took ten lives.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04There were another 700 at that time dying in their own homes
0:20:04 > 0:20:06throughout the UK.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Campaigners persuaded the government to change the law,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and now manufacturers are obliged to make furniture using
0:20:12 > 0:20:17fire resistant foam and materials in order to protect us.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'Chief fire officer Paul Fuller from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
0:20:21 > 0:20:24'is the president of the Chief Fire Officers' Association'
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and an expert in fire prevention.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32In 35 years in the Fire Service, I've seen the devastation
0:20:32 > 0:20:36caused by fires of all sorts and it is never a good thing.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41It is worsened if the materials that are inside rooms
0:20:41 > 0:20:46burn more readily, such as non-compliant furniture.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Paul knows just how dangerous a fire involving this furniture can be.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54The catastrophic effects are demonstrated by this
0:20:54 > 0:20:57living room fire test carried out before
0:20:57 > 0:20:59the regulations came into force.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Very, very quickly, the room in which that furniture is
0:21:04 > 0:21:07involved will become completely uninhabitable.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11You can't breathe, you can't see, it's too hot,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14you can't find your way around and you're choking to death.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Non-compliant furniture risks the lives of people in their homes.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21It's very, very dangerous indeed.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Many children dream of mastering a musical instrument like the piano
0:21:34 > 0:21:38and their dedicated parents can spend up to £50 an hour
0:21:38 > 0:21:42on piano lessons week in, week out for years.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Even though it's Largo, which is slow,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46you need it just a fraction quicker.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50To help their child achieve their musical ambitions
0:21:50 > 0:21:52and go from sounding like this...
0:21:52 > 0:21:54SHE PLAYS TUNELESSLY
0:21:54 > 0:21:55..to this.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56PIANO MELODY PLAYS
0:21:56 > 0:22:00All that effort for an official certificate that says,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02"You're now pitch perfect."
0:22:02 > 0:22:04But what if that certificate was a fake
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and not even worth the paper it was printed on?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Among the hills of Lisburn in Northern Ireland,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14a seemingly perfect piano teacher was putting
0:22:14 > 0:22:18local budding musicians through their paces.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Claire Thompson was a music graduate,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24she was a qualified teacher, she was a very highly regarded teacher,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and she'd worked in a local music college
0:22:26 > 0:22:29here for some years before beginning to teach privately.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31So, for all intents and purposes,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33she was a highly regarded person in the community.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38But Claire Thompson was not all she seemed.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42She would end up betraying her young students and their parents,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46like this mum, who was looking for the best musical education
0:22:46 > 0:22:47for her daughter.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50My daughter was showing great talent in music
0:22:50 > 0:22:55and we decided that we'd send her to lessons.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59She was getting the results up to grade 4 and getting great marks.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04After nearly two years of being taught by Claire Thompson,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07the big day finally arrived for the young pianist...
0:23:07 > 0:23:12her grade 5 piano exam, which was to take place in a local church hall.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18So far, so good, but it was what happened after the piano exam
0:23:18 > 0:23:21that made the student's mum suspicious.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22I said, "How did it go?"
0:23:22 > 0:23:24And she says, "It was really good, actually."
0:23:24 > 0:23:30She said that the examiner was able to tell her that she'd passed
0:23:30 > 0:23:33and that they all went out for lunch afterwards, had a great chat
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and it was all very nice.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And I kind of just thought,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41"Well, that was really a little bit strange." Any of the exams
0:23:41 > 0:23:46that they'd had before, it was very formal, very serious,
0:23:46 > 0:23:52and, you know, they would never had been told the result on the day.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57As it turns out, she wasn't the only parent who was concerned.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The Police Service of Northern Ireland was starting to
0:24:00 > 0:24:02receive phone calls from a number of parents
0:24:02 > 0:24:06suspicious about their children's music exams.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'They felt that there was something wrong with the exams.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10'Some of the families hadn't received certificates'
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and they had made enquiries with the examining
0:24:13 > 0:24:17boards to see where the certificates were and what the hold up was.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20And, when they made those enquiries, it became clear that the children
0:24:20 > 0:24:24were not registered with the examining body, nor was the teacher.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Realising they could be dealing with a serious fraudster,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34the police began to spread the word amongst local concerned parents.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I phoned the next day the London College of Music
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and to be told, "Yes, unfortunately, your daughter doesn't have
0:24:42 > 0:24:47"grade 5 piano," and that she wasn't registered.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'So, all of a sudden, a bomb had kind of dropped.'
0:24:49 > 0:24:54After all the hard work, she didn't have anything to show for it.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The London College of Music is the largest specialist music
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and performing arts institution in the UK.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It's part of the University of West London, which was,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08until recently, known as Thames Valley University.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12The college is one of a small number of official examining bodies
0:25:12 > 0:25:15authorised to award graded exams in music.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Claire Thompson's students thought they'd be getting
0:25:18 > 0:25:21official certificates from the London College of Music,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23but for those few students who did eventually
0:25:23 > 0:25:27get their certificates, something wasn't right.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The London College of Music was actually very helpful to us
0:25:30 > 0:25:31during the whole process.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35They came to Northern Ireland, they looked at the certificates,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and they were very quickly able to say that the certificates
0:25:39 > 0:25:41we had in our possession were fake.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46With fake certificates now in their possession, the police had
0:25:46 > 0:25:50all the evidence they needed to search Claire Thompson's house.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52During that search, the computer was seized,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55a music diary was seized, some personal documentation,
0:25:55 > 0:26:02and certificates in various states of preparation.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Amongst the documents seized were a fake London College of Music
0:26:06 > 0:26:10scoring chart and the fake certificates themselves.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14The middle document is the most important document
0:26:14 > 0:26:17for the investigation, because it is the fake music certificate
0:26:17 > 0:26:20that was passed to the families by Claire Thompson.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25As you can see, it's a fairly professional and impressive looking document.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27The police had enough hard evidence to bring
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Claire Thompson in for questioning.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Claire Thompson's demeanour generally was calm and collected
0:26:32 > 0:26:35as she denied any dishonesty whatsoever.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39Claire Thompson had even duped the examiners of the tests,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41telling one of them that they were doing a mock exam
0:26:41 > 0:26:43under strict exam conditions,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46while the students thought they were doing the real thing.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Thompson was brazen enough to fake the tests in a church hall
0:26:50 > 0:26:53that turned out to be just opposite the police station where
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Inspector Johnston was working.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59In court, Thompson eventually pleaded guilty
0:26:59 > 0:27:03to 14 counts of fraud by false representation
0:27:03 > 0:27:06and two further counts of using a false instrument.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09She was given a two-year probation order.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13But although she was brought to justice, this is
0:27:13 > 0:27:18a story of fakery that's ended on a sad note for one of her victims.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22My daughter stopped playing piano two years ago
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and has never touched the keyboard there since...
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and that is sad.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34You'll get bigger frauds, you'll get more complex frauds,
0:27:34 > 0:27:35you'll get victims, you know,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37probably even more vulnerable victims,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40old people or disabled people, but this impacted on the children
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and that's what left a bad taste in my mouth about this investigation.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Whilst music exam fraud is rare, it is happening elsewhere.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55Fake Britain's uncovered other cases across the country, including
0:27:55 > 0:28:00that of a fake examiner, which is currently under investigation.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Before your child takes their music exam, you can check
0:28:03 > 0:28:07with the awarding body to make sure the examiner is registered
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and the exam itself is genuine.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.