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.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Police! Don't move!
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Get down! Get down
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Put your hands behind your back now!
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Here at the Fake Britain house, things might look familiar,
0:00:28 > 0:00:30but don't be taken in.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Because this is a house that's filled with fakes.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37In this series, I'll be revealing the counterfeits, copies and cons
0:00:37 > 0:00:40that are flooding the market, fooling the public,
0:00:40 > 0:00:45making money for the criminals and maybe even putting you in danger.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48We'll be investigating those fraudsters who are cashing in
0:00:48 > 0:00:50by selling us something that isn't real.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And we'll be showing you how to avoid falling for a fake.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Today, on Fake Britain, fraudsters faking their gas meter readings.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03There's several small holes and, essentially, what they're now doing
0:01:03 > 0:01:05is providing a fake reading.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10And the disastrous consequences this can have on innocent people.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Do you want to move back now?
0:01:11 > 0:01:15There was a loud bang and the house just shook.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Have you felt the force of the fakes?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21We reveal how fake film posters have become a bit of a hit.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I immediately knew, as soon as this was unwrapped and come out the tube
0:01:25 > 0:01:26that this was fake.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I felt quite conned.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31And we uncovered the shocking truth about the fake cheese
0:01:31 > 0:01:33that could be on your pizza.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34They had ingredients which were fake
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and it isn't actually cheese at all.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Almost every house and commercial property in Britain
0:01:45 > 0:01:49has one or both of these tucked away in a cupboard somewhere.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The gas and electricity meters.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55They calculate how much energy we're using
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and so how big our bills will be.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00But, across the country, meters are being tampered with
0:02:00 > 0:02:04to produce fake readings and get those bills down.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08It's been estimated £400 million worth of energy
0:02:08 > 0:02:11is stolen in the UK each year.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12As we've discovered,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16getting those fake bills could put people's lives at risk.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21This is what could happen if you tamper with your gas meter.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25I was going to say, the house meter's still in 114.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Can you all move back now?
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Firefighters were called to an explosion
0:02:28 > 0:02:30at a house on Dundas Road in Sheffield,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33a terraced street on the outskirts of the city.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Sylvia Dixon was at home just across the road.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43There was a loud bang and the house just shook.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It frightened me. It frightened me.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49So I thought, is it a bomb?
0:02:49 > 0:02:50Has somebody set a bomb off?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53The entire street was thrown into chaos
0:02:53 > 0:02:57as a suspected gas leak blew this house wide open.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Move back. Come on. It's dangerous. Move back.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02There could be another explosion.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06And then I saw all the smoke and the fire
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and then I saw the young man that lived there
0:03:08 > 0:03:12more or less blown out of the house into the middle of the road.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This man was in the house where the explosion took place
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and suffered serious burns.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Four other people, including children, were hospitalised.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And 50 residents were evacuated.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I don't think they'll ever forget it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31You know, the people who lived there, they will never forget it.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Deputy Chief Fire Officer Chris Blacksell is shocked by what he saw.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Really significant type of incident to arrive at,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43because there's clearly the blast damage on the house,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45there's clearly a serious fire still ignited.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47You don't know at that stage, probably,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50whether there's someone still in the property.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51After the dust had settled,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54a complex investigation was carried out,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57which traced the explosion back to the gas meter.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It showed signs that it had been tampered with.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02So, what you're looking at here is the gas meter itself
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and the pipe which would be sat on top of the gas meter,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08which is known as an anaconda to many people.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But it's a pipe that actually goes onto the gas meter itself.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14So we're looking at someone deliberately tampering with the meter.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16And this wasn't the only one.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The investigation also found tampered gas meters
0:04:20 > 0:04:22at five other houses in the same street.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26I think one of the really worrying things about that case was that,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28as part of the ongoing investigation,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30there were a significant number of houses down the street
0:04:30 > 0:04:34that had their meters tampered with to try and fake their meter readings.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36So we did see in other houses down that street
0:04:36 > 0:04:38where gas meters had been bypassed,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41where there'd been inappropriate pipework put in place
0:04:41 > 0:04:42and where there was, again,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45the risk of that happening again down the same street.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50And it could be happening at a house near you.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Around 25,000 tampered meters are found in the UK each year,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58for the sole purpose of faking the meter readings.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It's estimated that thousands more go undetected.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04You may save a bit of money in the short term,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07but can put yourselves, your family, at the risk of dying.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But the authorities are fighting back.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's 11am somewhere in the Midlands.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16British Gas protection officers Richard Cook and Joel Brown
0:05:16 > 0:05:18are clamping down on the criminals
0:05:18 > 0:05:20putting innocent people's lives at risk
0:05:20 > 0:05:23by faking their energy meter readings.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27It's an offence that can lead to thousands of pounds in fines
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and five years in prison.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Richard and Joel have received intelligence that suggests
0:05:32 > 0:05:34a number of fast-food outlets in the Midlands
0:05:34 > 0:05:36have been tampering with their gas meters
0:05:36 > 0:05:38to deliver fake meter readings.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44The first stop is a fast-food takeaway.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Their gas consumption, their yearly gas consumption
0:05:47 > 0:05:50is very low for the type of property that they're trading as.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54So their gas consumption should be probably ten, maybe 12 times
0:05:54 > 0:05:55what they're actually using.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Joel and Rich suspect this business could be using one of many methods
0:06:00 > 0:06:02to fake their meter reading.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05British Gas, for the gas meter, mate.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Come through. The gas meter is just in there, mate.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Just in there, yeah?
0:06:10 > 0:06:13In the UK, the average high street food outlet
0:06:13 > 0:06:16uses around £4,000 worth of gas each year.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It's hardly surprising, then,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22that there are some people who are faking it to save on those bills.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24M016K...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26..003167.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It's not long before Joel spots something suspicious.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Yeah, there's several.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- There's several drill holes under there.- Exactly.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35You want to have a look?
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Yeah.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42What we've found with this meter is, underneath the index here,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46this houses all the gearing which sort of calculates
0:06:46 > 0:06:47the amount of gas that's used.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Now, underneath here, it should just be completely sealed up.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54What we've found is, down here, there's several small holes.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57It looks to be three or four small holes.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Joel knows the holes are a means of interfering
0:06:59 > 0:07:02with the gas meter's readings.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Essentially, what they're now doing is providing a fake reading.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09But there's worse to come, because Joel fears this tampering
0:07:09 > 0:07:12could be putting the staff and customers in danger.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16They've damaged the integrity of the meter.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Obviously, it's part of a Gas Safe installation,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21so there is the potential for a gas leak.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24This is exactly the type of unsafe practice
0:07:24 > 0:07:27that Joel, Rich and the team are determined to stamp out.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28Is it all right if I have a look
0:07:28 > 0:07:30at what you've got running on gas out the back?
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Is that all right?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34But the visit's not just about safety.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The theft of the gas itself is also of concern.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Rich needs to have a look around the kitchen to see how much gas
0:07:40 > 0:07:42the business is actually using.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Then he can work out the amount that's been stolen
0:07:44 > 0:07:46by the fake meter readings.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48You don't turn it on? Have you got a...
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Just your water boiler and that's it, mate, there's no more now?
0:07:52 > 0:07:53That's everything?
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Outside, Rich has calculated how much gas this kebab shop has used
0:07:58 > 0:08:00since they've been with British Gas.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02A period of over two months.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05So, basically, with interfering with the meter,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08he's actually created, ultimately, a fake reading.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11So we've billed you for the shortfall of gas
0:08:11 > 0:08:13that he's prevented from being recorded on that meter.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Calculations complete,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Rich is about to find out the true cost of this faking operation.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22So that's the bill there for the customer.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25It's for £2,617.66.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27It's hardly loose change.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31But news of the bill is not the only thing Rich and Joel need to deliver.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34So, right now, we're going to switch all the gas appliances off.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Make it safe.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36We've got to disconnect the meter.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38We're left with no choice, OK?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40My colleague's going to come round
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and start switching everything off and I'll get the work started, OK?
0:08:45 > 0:08:47If Richard and Joel discover a meter's been tampered with,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51they have to cut off the supply and make the premises safe.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54The police will also be informed about the theft of gas
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and the meter tampering
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and may decide to investigate.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So the meter's all been removed now.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03They've got no further gas supply until it's all resolved.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06For now, they are going to hit this business where it hurts.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09With no gas supply, it's going to be forced to close.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11They won't be able to carry on trading
0:09:11 > 0:09:13until they make their full payment.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15And they are going to have to answer to
0:09:15 > 0:09:17whichever police investigation comes forward.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But there'll be no more trading from this property.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And they are not the only ones.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28In 24 hours, Joel and Rich's sweep through the Midlands
0:09:28 > 0:09:31uncovered a number of tampered meters and fake readings.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36The meter's now under-registered.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It means any readings given are now also fake.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40They are on a very busy stretch of a high street
0:09:40 > 0:09:42so, if anything were to go wrong with this meter,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46it could be quite catastrophic, obviously, towards innocent people.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Not only were they highly dangerous,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51they were stealing tens of thousands of pounds' worth of gas.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57The bill is £1,297.07.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01How much is it?
0:10:01 > 0:10:03£9,088.54.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05You don't have to pay this right now.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06But, at the same time,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08we don't have to leave you with a gas meter right now.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Later, we find the extraordinary lengths
0:10:15 > 0:10:17some fraudsters are willing to go to
0:10:17 > 0:10:20in order to fake their meter readings.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22What's happened here is the customer
0:10:22 > 0:10:24has decided to use a bicycle inner tube
0:10:24 > 0:10:27to bridge the position where the meter would be.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30In terms of danger, these are lethal.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34And find out who ultimately pays the price for the fakes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36The person who's actually faking bills, if you will,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39is actually taking the money straight out of the pockets of us all.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41As consumers, we are all victims in that.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49SNIFFS
0:10:49 > 0:10:50That smells good.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53There's nothing like a freshly cooked pizza.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55This one's a cheese and tomato,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58which you might think is a bit boring.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59But it's far from boring.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It's our next story.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Because it's a fake.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Not the pizza, but the cheese.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06And, as we're about to show you,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09so-called cheese that isn't cheese at all
0:11:09 > 0:11:12is being sold to us all over Britain.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15OK, so we didn't invent it.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18But, clearly, we love a slice of pizza.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's estimated nearly two-thirds of Brits
0:11:21 > 0:11:24eat at least one pizza every month.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28A basic pizza consists of a dough base,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30tomato sauce and, of course, cheese.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Usually mozzarella.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36And, at this South London pizzeria, that's exactly what you'll get.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42But, sadly, there are pizza sellers all over the UK
0:11:42 > 0:11:44who are telling us we are getting cheese
0:11:44 > 0:11:47but, in reality, giving us a fake.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Something known as cheese analogue.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55It looks and smells like cheese, but is missing one vital ingredient.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Dairy fat.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58And, therefore, in the eyes of the law,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00it can't be labelled as cheese.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Here at Fake Britain, we're getting a bit fed up with it.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And so is Trading Standards' lead officer for food and nutrition, Corinne Lowe.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Trading Standards have been finding cheese that's been mislabelled
0:12:14 > 0:12:18in takeaways and restaurants and mobile catering vans
0:12:18 > 0:12:19across the country.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Cheese analogue is a much cheaper ingredient than real cheese.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Therefore, they've got a bigger profit margin,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29if they still charge the consumer for the price of real cheese.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34So, the fraudsters are motivated by money. No surprise there, then.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38What's more, this cheese analogue has minimal nutritional value
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and isn't even a suitable alternative
0:12:40 > 0:12:42for those with a lactose intolerance.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Here at Fake Britain,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48we decided to find out just how widespread the problem is.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53We visited three major cities around the country to purchase some pizzas.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56We went to Sheffield, Birmingham and London.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02We bought ten cheese and tomato pizzas clearly labelled as cheese.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And we took them to Kent Scientific Services,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08where head tester Jon Griffin agreed to inspect them
0:13:08 > 0:13:11to see if they were actually cheese or if they were fakes.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14They're saying it's with a cheese topping.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I would expect that to be a dairy cheese topping.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21After testing for the presence of dairy fat in the cheese,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Jon found that one in five was fake.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27They contain cheese analogue rather than dairy cheese.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29They had ingredients which were fake.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32In this case, it was cheese being described as cheese
0:13:32 > 0:13:33and it isn't actually cheese at all.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's a significant percentage
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and you have only got to extrapolate that across
0:13:38 > 0:13:41the number of products being sold out there in the UK,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44you can actually mount up and see how big a problem it could well be.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47That's exactly what we did.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And, if my basic maths is correct, that means we could be consuming
0:13:51 > 0:13:54around 100 million fake cheese pizzas every year.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Yeah, it is concerning.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I, personally, think that food fraud is certainly on the increase.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Everybody has to eat.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05And the cost of food is getting higher.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08So there is a way of companies and individuals
0:14:08 > 0:14:11making a quick profit out of this.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And the person who suffers, obviously, is the consumer.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18We're not the only ones to be a bit suspicious about cheese.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Lancashire Trading Standards
0:14:20 > 0:14:23recently carried out tests on 20 pizzas.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Ten from Chorley and ten from Preston.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And their results were even worse than ours.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33They revealed a staggering 19 out of 20 contained fake cheese.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Cheesemonger Hero Hirsh thinks that, ultimately,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44it's our taste buds that pay the real price for the fakes.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The milk is linked quite strongly to the flavour of the cheese.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51The area in which the cows or the goats have grazed
0:14:51 > 0:14:55will also be reflected in the flavours of the cheese.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Customers would be losing out to cheese analogue.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Jon fears that the use of fake cheese is growing
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and it might not just be pizza that's falling foul of the fakers.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07If we look wider and looked at different products,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11you could actually find the same fake cheese on other and in other foods.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13To me, it's an authenticity issue.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16So the consumer is just not getting what they're paying for.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Earlier, we saw the devastating effects
0:15:24 > 0:15:28tampering with energy meters can have on innocent people.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31I thought, is it a bomb?
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Has somebody set a bomb off?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And we followed British Gas as they discovered businesses
0:15:36 > 0:15:38faking their meter readings.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40They've damaged the integrity of the meter,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42so there is a potential for a gas leak.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47In Leicester, British Gas revenue protection boss Mark Andrews
0:15:47 > 0:15:50has seen his fair share of tampered meters
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and knows all the tricks the criminals use
0:15:52 > 0:15:54to fake their meter readings.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57And there are a number of ways
0:15:57 > 0:16:00that people can choose to tamper with their meters
0:16:00 > 0:16:03in order to create a fake meter reading
0:16:03 > 0:16:04and generate a fake bill.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08One of the ways is to tamper with the index reading itself.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The index is the box with the dials on it,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14which registers how much gas you're using.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16And what the criminals have started doing
0:16:16 > 0:16:19is tampering with the mechanism inside the box
0:16:19 > 0:16:22to reduce the amount of gas use it clocks.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26If Mark simulates gas being passed through the meter,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28in this case with air,
0:16:28 > 0:16:29you can see the tamper in action.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33What's happening is the gas is going through the meter.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It's not all being recorded. The customer's happy.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38They're creating that fake meter reading,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41which is giving them a fake bill at the end of the day.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44But, in order to clock the meter,
0:16:44 > 0:16:45you need to remove the blue seal,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48which is like holding up a huge sign saying,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50"I've tampered with my meter."
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So, the fakers have a crafty trick to cover up their tracks.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58To hide the damage that they've done to the seal,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01the customers are using these fake seals,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04which they're able to buy from the internet,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and just putting them in place afterwards to look as new.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12These criminals may be saving a few pounds,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15but tampering with your gas meter is not only illegal,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17it's highly unsafe.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Unfortunately, Mark's seeing more and more fake meter readings
0:17:22 > 0:17:24created by a highly dangerous method
0:17:24 > 0:17:27that involves tampering with the gas supply pipes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29And what's happened here is
0:17:29 > 0:17:32the customer has decided to use a bicycle inner tube
0:17:32 > 0:17:36to bridge the position where the meter would be.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39And this would go to the internal appliances at the property.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Whoever has done this is really riding his luck.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Replacing the meter pipe for the inner tube
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and then rotating the two over the course of the year.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50And what happens then, of course,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52is that they've created this fake meter reading
0:17:52 > 0:17:55by the fact that most of the gas they've used
0:17:55 > 0:17:57during that quarterly read period
0:17:57 > 0:18:00has gone through the bypass rather than the meter.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03If they registered that no gas at all was being used,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05the authorities would immediately spot a fake.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Not only is it a poor quality bicycle inner tube that's been used
0:18:09 > 0:18:11to replace a proper copper pipe,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14it's held on here with a hose clip.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18In terms of danger, these are lethal.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Clearly, there's no gas-tight seal here.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And an explosion is a likely consequence of this type of tamper.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28By doing this, the fraudsters are risking their lives.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32And it's not just bike inner tubes that they're using, either.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Mark's seen washing machine waste pipes
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and sophisticated tap systems installed.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The perpetrator here has even put a little on-off valve
0:18:40 > 0:18:44so he can control the amount of gas going through the bypass.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Sadly, it's not just the people faking their meter readings
0:18:49 > 0:18:51that are cashing in on this market.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We recently found this bypass on an online auction site,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59advertised as "dreaming of free gas".
0:18:59 > 0:19:02And the person selling it is so sure he won't be prosecuted,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05he'd even put his company name on the front of the bypass.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08The seller might be bold as brass,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11but fitting it is fraught with danger.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Especially if the homeowner is buying it to fit themselves.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18If that's your gas meter, fitted in situ,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21this is a perfect replacement for it.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And I can't think of anything else that could be used for,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26other than to create a fake meter reading.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31We looked on the internet
0:19:31 > 0:19:33to find out just how big the business is
0:19:33 > 0:19:36of selling parts needed to fake your meter reading.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41A couple of clicks later, we found an online auction site
0:19:41 > 0:19:44littered with an array of different fake seals
0:19:44 > 0:19:46going for around £10 each,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49as well as entire meters up for sale.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54These are illegal to fit yourself, but they come wound back to zero,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58a very primitive way of faking your meter reading.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01What was more shocking was that,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05when we searched for "how to fake your gas meter guides",
0:20:05 > 0:20:08we were falling over web pages and videos
0:20:08 > 0:20:10giving instructions on how to do it,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14including this video illustrating the wind-back method
0:20:14 > 0:20:17to fake your meter using a domestic vacuum cleaner.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Tony Thornton, Chairman of the UK Energy Theft Trade Association,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29says it's people who pay their bills who ultimately pay the price.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34The person that's actually stealing energy, faking bills, if you will,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36you know, is actually taking the money
0:20:36 > 0:20:39straight out of the pockets of us all, you know?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So, as consumers, we're all victims in that,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43because that cost's getting socialised.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So, each and every one of us
0:20:46 > 0:20:49that is legitimately paying for the energy we're using
0:20:49 > 0:20:52could also be footing the bill for energy stolen
0:20:52 > 0:20:55as a result of people faking their meter readings.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57And that's estimated to be, wait for it...
0:20:57 > 0:21:00..a whopping £400 million each year.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03If that's passed on to us,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06it's an extra £30 being slapped on everyone's bill.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Now, that's a sizeable sum of money. That affects us all.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12It impacts everybody's pocket at the end of the day, you know?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14And it affects all our bills.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It's not a crime that's going unpunished.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19In Northern Ireland,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21a man was recently given a 12-month prison sentence
0:21:21 > 0:21:23for tampering with gas meters
0:21:23 > 0:21:27in order to fake the meter readings and steal gas.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31So, for those faking their bills,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33they may think that they're actually getting away with it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36But the reality is they won't.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Those that are interfering with the supplies, you know,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40they will be prosecuted, they will be found,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43we will be doing more of those prosecutions going forward,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I have no doubt.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46But it's not just those
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that are having their meter readings faked who are cashing in.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Criminals are making money
0:21:51 > 0:21:54by offering to come and tamper with gas meters for a fee.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57These people do make a business out of doing it until, of course,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59we track them down and involve the police
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and then that business, hopefully, is soon terminated.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Some of the fraudsters claim to fake as many as 15 meters a day,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10charging between £10 and £500 a time.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Some have gone as far as to start advertising their services in newspapers,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19offering to come and fix your gas meter and lower the bills.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Like this one Mark found in a Mandarin-language newspaper
0:22:23 > 0:22:25distributed in the UK.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31And some of the translations from these read as follows...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34"Get the super energy-saving device to control the meter.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36"One-off installation.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37"A lifelong benefit.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39"Conquers expensive British bills.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41"100% safe and reliable."
0:22:43 > 0:22:46They might claim they're 100% safe and reliable,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50but Tony says that, in reality, they're anything but.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53To let somebody into your property to interfere with the supply,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55to effectively create a time bomb,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57you know, that could go off at any moment,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58it's seriously not worth it.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01It doesn't stop with gas.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Later we find out the fakery's gone dual-fuel,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08as we go on the road with Western Power
0:23:08 > 0:23:11to uncover highly dangerous electricity meters.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14They melt. They catch fire.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15You could be asleep at night
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and this could be happening to your meter if you're tampering.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Movie posters.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28When the film's moved on from your local cinema,
0:23:28 > 0:23:29most will be forgotten.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32But, for a memorable or successful film,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35the original poster can become valuable.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Like these... Star Wars and Pulp Fiction.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Both worth thousands.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Or they would be, if they were real.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45They're both fakes.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47It takes an expert to tell the difference
0:23:47 > 0:23:49and that's why posters like these
0:23:49 > 0:23:51are fooling collectors across the country.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56From box office blockbusters to budget B-movies,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01the market for original vintage movie posters in Britain is huge.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02And, in West London,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06poster dealer Lisa Tessie knows exactly why they're in demand.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13Everybody has a favourite actor, actress, movie, moment in the film.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So, an original movie poster is a tangible reminder
0:24:16 > 0:24:18of our favourite film.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21It's like you're owning an actual piece of history.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And they come at a price.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24Rare posters,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27like this Audrey Hepburn classic, Breakfast At Tiffany's,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30will go for around £25,000.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34This original British poster for From Russia With Love,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38one of the most collectable and rare UK quad posters.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41In fact, it's not unheard of
0:24:41 > 0:24:47for some early cinema classics from the 1920s to fetch over £400,000.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54But this lucrative market has been hijacked by the fakers,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57with swarms of cheap modern reprints being sold
0:24:57 > 0:24:59as if they are original posters.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Poster collector-turned-dealer Mark Hochman
0:25:04 > 0:25:07has been buying vintage movie posters for over 20 years
0:25:07 > 0:25:11and has first-hand experience of being duped by a fake.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Mark was in the market for a highly sought-after original
0:25:16 > 0:25:20of the 1990s cult classic Pulp Fiction.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I just think the poster is a fantastic piece
0:25:24 > 0:25:27of what I would, honestly, call artwork.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31This particular poster, in its original form, is extremely rare.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Probably only 100 to 150 originals are now known to exist.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Mark thought he'd bagged himself a bargain
0:25:40 > 0:25:43when he struck a deal with an online seller for the poster,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45which retails at around £1,000.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49When I bought this poster,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I genuinely believed I was buying an original poster.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The photographs that I was sent were those of an original poster.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01So, having checked out the picture, Mark parted with his money.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03When the poster arrived, he was less than impressed.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07It just didn't feel right. It didn't look right.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I immediately knew, as soon as this was unwrapped and come out of the tube,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12that this was fake.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I felt quite conned. I'd asked all the right questions.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I'd been sent photographs of what I thought was an original poster.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24What turned up wasn't an original poster.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Mark was out of pocket
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and his expert eye was quick to spot the subtle mistakes
0:26:31 > 0:26:32that make it a fake.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Firstly, when it comes to fake movie posters, size does matter.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Whatever the fakers do, for some reason,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44they cannot get the size right.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48This poster, although it is minor,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52actually comes in at just under 27 inches.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56The original is just over, by about a quarter to an eighth of an inch.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59The same with the height.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03What should be 40 inches is, again, a touch short.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Even though we're dealing in only fractions,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10it makes a difference between what is an original and a fake.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13And that's not the only mistake.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15The film may have been a huge hit,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18but the print quality on this fake isn't going to win any Oscars.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20No matter what the fakers did,
0:27:20 > 0:27:25whether it was a fault on the printing press or the printing process,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27all of these fakes have the white speckle.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30It's got a foggy look to it.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Generally out of focus.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34It's just...
0:27:34 > 0:27:35It's not right.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Mark's isn't an isolated case.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Poster dealer Lisa has seen her fair share of fakes
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and knows just how convincing they can be.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Unfortunately, many of these fakes were done so well that, in fact,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55many auction houses and top poster dealers have been fooled.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58One of the most widely faked posters in existence
0:27:58 > 0:28:00is the original Star Wars poster,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04known in the business as the Star Wars style C.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Star Wars was extremely popular
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and, therefore, would have been very profitable to fake.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14At the time when they would have printed these fakes,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17they would have printed, you know, thousands.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18Perhaps tens of thousands.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22So it's likely thousands of collectors out there
0:28:22 > 0:28:25have, unknowingly, purchased these fakes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28But, unlike the fake poster Mark bought,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32this one is the exact same size as the original,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35which could fetch around £5,000 at auction.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39However, there's one subtle giveaway.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46On the fake, the easiest giveaway is this hairline here,
0:28:46 > 0:28:47on Princess Leia's back.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50That's the immediate giveaway for the fake.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52As opposed to, on the original...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55As more buyers are purchasing online,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58so Lisa's seeing more counterfeits doing the rounds.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Most people nowadays are being fooled by the online auction site.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06There are no poster police out there,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10so there is nothing to stop these opportunist dealers
0:29:10 > 0:29:13selling these fakes on online auction sites.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16There are hundreds, if not thousands,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18of collectors and movie buffs out there
0:29:18 > 0:29:20getting their fingers burnt by these fakes.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23But, as Lisa points out,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26most don't even realise they've bought a fake
0:29:26 > 0:29:28until they come to sell it.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31When they bring it into us to resell and we tell them of that news,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34of course, they're extremely disappointed.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37And one of these fakes is this lobby card.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41A lobby card is a smaller poster designed for cinema lobbies.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45And it purports to be from the 1983 hit Scarface.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47So, it's over 30 years old.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52I took a look at his lobby card and I said,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55"Sir, you know, just so you know, this is actually not an original."
0:29:55 > 0:29:58And, of course, you know, he was horrified.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02To the untrained eye, the fakes and the originals look the same.
0:30:02 > 0:30:03But, if you know what you're looking for,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05there's always a telltale sign.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07This is an interesting one
0:30:07 > 0:30:12because it's quite obvious that you can tell this one is a fake.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16This is what we call pretty much minty white on the back.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19This is a giveaway that these are not originals.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21So, the paper looks brand-new.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25Far too bright for something that's supposed to be 30 years old.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28They might be known as minty whites,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30but, for the unfortunate people buying them,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33there's nothing refreshing about these fakes.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36It's not really worth anything. Maybe £5 or £10.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39And they've spent hundreds of pounds on acquiring it.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41So it's going to be very disappointing for someone
0:30:41 > 0:30:44who has spent their hard-earned money on a fake.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Is not an experience Mark would like to repeat.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51It was an expensive mistake but one that I've learned from.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55And I do not buy that many posters from online sellers now.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58It is a minefield.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07You might not have seen one of these before.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12It's an egg incubator and it's all the rage for the growing market
0:31:12 > 0:31:16of people who keep and breed their own chickens at home.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17But, as the saying goes,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22This is a fake.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23It's dangerous.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27And, like other fake egg incubators, it's being sold all over the UK.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30Although there are no precise figures,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34it's estimated that around 3 million households in Britain
0:31:34 > 0:31:35now keep chickens.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36And why not?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38They provide a ready supply of fresh eggs
0:31:38 > 0:31:41as well as being great fun for the family.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Incubator manufacturer Ian Pearce knows all about the appeal.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47They're pets. You know, people get to know their chickens.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49They tick a lot of boxes for a lot of people, really.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54There are some Brits who want to go one step further
0:31:54 > 0:31:56in their quest for the good life.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58They don't just keep chickens for eggs,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01but breed the chickens themselves.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03And, in order to hatch your own eggs,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06many breeders use one of these, an egg incubator.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09Well, if you take a fertile egg,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12the natural process is that the bird sits on it in a nest.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15So it's kept warm and the bird controls the temperature of the egg.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18An artificial incubator has to replicate that,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20has to ensure that the egg is at the right temperature.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23So, you just pop your eggs inside,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25plug it in and leave it to do its thing.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27After three weeks, fingers crossed,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30you've got seven chicks hatching out.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31How marvellous!
0:32:32 > 0:32:34I think a lot of people buy small egg incubators
0:32:34 > 0:32:38simply for the fascination of seeing eggs hatch.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41You know, watching life actually unfold in front of your eyes
0:32:41 > 0:32:45is really attractive and interests a lot of people, especially children.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48But, believe it or not, this growing market
0:32:48 > 0:32:51has encouraged unscrupulous manufacturers and retailers
0:32:51 > 0:32:53to churn out fake incubators
0:32:53 > 0:32:56that not only fail to work as they should
0:32:56 > 0:32:59but are also potentially highly dangerous.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Someone who's had first-hand experience of this
0:33:02 > 0:33:06is self-sufficient smallholder Chris Webster.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08About five years ago,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Chris had to take early retirement due to ill health
0:33:11 > 0:33:13and decided to make up for his fall in income
0:33:13 > 0:33:17by breeding geese and turkeys, as well as chickens.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21With Christmas fast approaching, Chris devised a plan
0:33:21 > 0:33:24to breed some top-notch turkeys
0:33:24 > 0:33:26as presents for his family and friends.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29So, he bought an egg incubator.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Come on, goose! Goose! Goose! Goose! Goose!
0:33:33 > 0:33:38I looked for five or six weeks into various online sites,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42to try and find a decent incubator
0:33:42 > 0:33:44that would do what I wanted it to do.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Thinking he'd done his homework,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Chris chose this 48-egg incubator,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52which set him back just under £120.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56He loaded the incubator up with his prized eggs
0:33:56 > 0:33:59and set the machine running.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02But a couple of weeks into the three-week incubation period,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05things took an unexpected turn.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07We kept the incubator in the living room
0:34:07 > 0:34:10so we could keep an eye on the hatching chicks.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15And we smelt burning and the alarm went off on the incubator.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17The alarm indicated that the temperature was too high.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19But, rather than the machine cutting out,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22it continued to heat and began to melt.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27You can see here and here where the plastic has started melting.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Luckily, Chris was at home at the time.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Things could have been a whole lot worse.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36God forbid we hadn't been in the house that day,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40because I hate to think what could have happened.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Chris was determined, though,
0:34:43 > 0:34:46and contacted the company he'd bought it from.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47They said it must have been a one-off
0:34:47 > 0:34:50and sent him a replacement, which seemed to work a treat.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52But, around three weeks later,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56when Chris was expecting hatching turkeys, he had another shock.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00The majority of them were dead in the shell.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05And it, basically, looked like the humidity hadn't been correct
0:35:05 > 0:35:09for them to be able to break out of the shells easily.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Chris suspects the inconsistent temperature caused
0:35:12 > 0:35:15all of the 25 unborn turkeys to die.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18It's heartbreaking. You know, they're fully formed.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21You know, the only thing they are not doing is breathing.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24I'd lost all the Christmas presents
0:35:24 > 0:35:28that we were going to give to friends and family of a nice turkey.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30It was a great loss to us.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Across the country in Weston-super-Mare,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Trading Standards officer Chris Gwenlan
0:35:38 > 0:35:41had also heard about the extraordinary trade
0:35:41 > 0:35:44in faulty and dangerous egg incubators.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45He decided to act.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48We carried out the testing of a number of egg incubators,
0:35:48 > 0:35:49as you can see here.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54We were quite amazed at the results that we found.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55Nine units were tested.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59And all nine failed to comply with European safety regulations.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02What's more shocking is that they were all stamped
0:36:02 > 0:36:04with fake CE marks.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08One of them is this hexagonal 60-egg incubator.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11The problem with this incubator is that the fan and the motor
0:36:11 > 0:36:13are easily accessible.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18There's no protection for anybody using this item from that fan.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20A child could get access to this quite easily,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22they could get access to the moving parts,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26and then would suffer the risk of electric shock.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30The instruction manual also tells you to wrap up the incubator
0:36:30 > 0:36:32in a blanket to keep it warm.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35However, there's no thermal cutout in the machine.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39So wrapping it up could have disastrous consequences.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41So, basically, what it means is that
0:36:41 > 0:36:46if it gets too hot it wouldn't cut out and would just burn up.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50So there's a risk of fire associated with this product as well.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Basically, the CE mark that's applied to this is a fake.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59And it isn't the only one.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00This seven-egg model,
0:37:00 > 0:37:02with its colourful packaging and bright lights,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04even plays a tune,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06which, unfortunately, we can't play for you,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09as the plug and fuse are both fake and dangerous.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The major concern is the fact that
0:37:13 > 0:37:17this incubator needs a reservoir of water
0:37:17 > 0:37:21in order to create the humidity for the eggs to hatch.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23The resulting problem could be
0:37:23 > 0:37:27that you could get water into the electrical parts of the product.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32There is a great risk here of electric shock occurring.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Considering the fact that it's a brightly-coloured model,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37plays tunes and has lighting on it,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39it would be clear to me
0:37:39 > 0:37:42that this is an incubator that's designed for the children's market.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45It's a bit worrying.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49For such a niche market as egg incubators,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53the fact that all the models that we tested
0:37:53 > 0:37:55failed in some way, shape or form,
0:37:55 > 0:37:56is very concerning.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Earlier, we saw just how dangerous
0:38:05 > 0:38:08the practice of faking gas meter readings can be.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11In terms of danger, these are lethal.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Clearly, there's no gas-tight seal here.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17And an explosion is a likely consequence of this type of tamper.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21It's not just gas meter readings that are being faked.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Electricity readings are, too.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It's 9am, again, somewhere in the Midlands.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Western Power enforcement officers Gavin and Steve
0:38:32 > 0:38:36are responsible for making sure the electricity network is safe.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40They've just received an emergency callout -
0:38:40 > 0:38:42a tip-off from a member of the public
0:38:42 > 0:38:44saying that a property on their patch
0:38:44 > 0:38:47may have had its electricity meter interfered with.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51We've had a report that the meter's actually been bypassed.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55So the actual readings that you'd be getting out of the meter are fake.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Faking electricity meter readings is not only illegal
0:38:59 > 0:39:03but, as with gas meters, it's also highly dangerous.
0:39:03 > 0:39:09You've always got the potential of the overloading and catching fire,
0:39:09 > 0:39:13the danger of electric shock to anybody that goes near it.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14Serious stuff.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17It's imperative the men get to the meter as soon as possible.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Arriving at the property, they gain access to the meter cupboard.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And the first signs aren't good.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30The actual meter itself, the security seals are missing.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34And then, if you look underneath, the outgoing live tail,
0:39:34 > 0:39:36they've dropped it down, there's copper showing on it
0:39:36 > 0:39:41with marks where, at some stage, they've had a bypass on it.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44So they probably would have had a wire between the top of the fuse
0:39:44 > 0:39:47to the outgoing tail there
0:39:47 > 0:39:48to get free electric.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54Steve knows that putting a bridging wire between the supply and the meter
0:39:54 > 0:39:57is one of the most common tampering methods used.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01It means it might only register a fraction of the electricity
0:40:01 > 0:40:03that's being supplied.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And, as Gav safely removes the meter from the wall,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10the risks of the suspected tamper are clear to see.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14With the copper exposed, if anybody touched that there,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17they'd immediately get an electric shock.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20This is very serious indeed.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Anyone could have got access to the live wires
0:40:23 > 0:40:25in this unsecured cupboard.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28But the man who let them into the property
0:40:28 > 0:40:31is adamant there's been no tampering
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and claims he put money on the meter only that morning.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36What's the point in wiring it up if there's credit on it?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38We've been paying for this meter.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42Although there is credit on it now, that meter has been interfered with.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44And then we put another £3 on this morning.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46£3 and then another £10.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50You're not listening. At the end of the day, that meter's been interfered with.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54We will come back again within the next six months. Yeah?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57And, if it's been done again, you're cut off.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01It's Gav and Steve's job to make the supply safe.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03I'm just replacing the meter.
0:41:05 > 0:41:11Removing the parts of the tails that have been bypassed.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16So as we can preserve any evidence, if needs be,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19It's now up to the supplier to determine
0:41:19 > 0:41:22whether any electricity has been supplied to the house
0:41:22 > 0:41:23but not paid for.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26The man at the address denies any wrongdoing.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29The police will be informed about what they've found here
0:41:29 > 0:41:31and may decide to investigate further.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35This being tampered with, it will go into the evidence bag.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37And, if prosecution is required,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40this meter can be accessed at any time.
0:41:40 > 0:41:45With the meter bagged and tagged, Steve and Gav's work here is done.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47We can go to sleep tonight rest assured
0:41:47 > 0:41:48that this house is not going to set on fire
0:41:48 > 0:41:50and there'll be no danger of anyone getting killed
0:41:50 > 0:41:52or getting an electric shock.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55They've got to this one in the nick of time.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57But Mark Andrews has seen what happens
0:41:57 > 0:42:01when people faking their meter readings are not so fortunate.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05People feel that to tamper is a safe practice.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I think these meters prove that that's not the case.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10These are all meters that we found recently.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12The bypass still in place.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14And because the loading of these cables is not sufficient
0:42:14 > 0:42:17to take the current that's going through them,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19they melt, they catch fire.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23You could be asleep at night
0:42:23 > 0:42:27and this could be happening to your meter if you're tampering.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31With risks like this, it's no wonder Tony Thornton is campaigning
0:42:31 > 0:42:33to stamp out the meter cheaters.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We're not just talking about the financial consequences.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39You know, we're talking about risks to life and limb and property.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40Ticking bombs, effectively.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43You know, when you interfere with the supplies
0:42:43 > 0:42:44and you go to bed at night, you know,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46you don't know what's going to happen.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Is it really a risk worth taking?
0:42:54 > 0:42:55That's all from Fake Britain.
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Goodbye!