0:00:03 > 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!
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Get your hands behind your back now!
0:00:24 > 0:00:29It's just an ordinary house - it could be anywhere in the country,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33but this is the Fake Britain house, and it's filled with fakes.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37You may not know it, but your home could be too.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40In this series, we'll be investigating the criminals,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42trying to get their hands on your cash,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46by using fraud, forgeries and fakery.
0:00:46 > 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 > 0:00:57lorry drivers faking their working hours records...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Hello, it's the police. Can you open it up, please?
0:00:59 > 0:01:05The driver had been on duty for some 111 hours, 44 minutes.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..and the devastating effect this illegal tampering
0:01:09 > 0:01:11can have on innocent road users.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The dangers are astronomical and, in some ways,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17these are ticking time bombs on our roads.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Who can you trust to book your travel?
0:01:20 > 0:01:25We hear how a family of 11 fell victim to fake holiday tickets.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30I stood there thinking, "It's not happening. It's not happening to me."
0:01:30 > 0:01:34And are all degrees worth the paper they're written on?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36We expose the truth about fake degrees
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and the damage they're doing to Britain's job market.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43There are people taking jobs in this country who are not qualified,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45don't have the skills and are liars.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54This is a tachograph - there's one
0:01:54 > 0:01:56in every lorry on Britain's roads,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00and it produces a written record like this,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04with details of every journey the vehicle takes.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06This can be checked to make sure that the driver
0:02:06 > 0:02:09isn't driving too fast, or for too long.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13The system is designed to make Britain's roads safer.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19But what happens if this has been tampered with, making this a fake?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Essex, 1pm.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Police and Vehicle Agency officers
0:02:25 > 0:02:28are carrying out a stop-check operation
0:02:28 > 0:02:32on lorry drivers, to see if their vehicles and records are legitimate.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Traffic officer PC Alastair Cuthbertson's heading to
0:02:36 > 0:02:39a vehicle check site, where officers have stopped a driver
0:02:39 > 0:02:42that they suspect has been faking his tachograph chart.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Colleagues from VOSA have stopped a Portuguese-registered lorry
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and, on checking, they found that his driver's hours are false -
0:02:51 > 0:02:53they're fake records.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57We need to confirm when he was at rest and, as a result,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00we'll have a chat with him and see what we can find.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02The South East of England
0:03:02 > 0:03:05is a thoroughfare for truck drivers from overseas,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08but all must abide by EU laws when it comes to how many hours
0:03:08 > 0:03:12they can drive and when their rest periods should be taken.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15It seems one driver's got a total lack of respect for the law.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18They've asked me to come up here and help them deal with it,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20which is what we're going to do.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Tachographs were introduced in the late '70s,
0:03:22 > 0:03:27to cap drivers' working hours, in a bid to make Britain's roads safer.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Lorry drivers can operate up to nine hours a day,
0:03:30 > 0:03:35with a maximum of 56 hours a week, or 90 hours a fortnight.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But fraudsters have developed ways to manipulate
0:03:38 > 0:03:42the tachograph recording device, to fake the charts - an offence that
0:03:42 > 0:03:46can carry a punishment of a £5,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Habla Ingles? Habla espanol?
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Espanol.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Espanol. Me poquito espanol.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59OK? Muchos problemas.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- No.- Si. Si.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06The Portuguese driver may be denying faking his tachograph,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10but officers back at base have seen photos from police cameras
0:04:10 > 0:04:12that show the lorry was moving,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16even though his tachograph chart shows it was at rest.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Basically, you're driving your truck - 13:16, you weren't asleep.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21Not resting.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27OK? Dartford Tunnel - again, we have a photograph of this, of you driving.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Yeah?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You were driving in Epping, and you weren't recording your driving.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Fabricado... Not the truth. Yeah?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Alastair suspects the Portuguese driver has used
0:04:41 > 0:04:45one of the more basic methods to fake his tachograph,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48which requires a simple bar magnet.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52To enable the records to be faked, you put a magnet on what is
0:04:52 > 0:04:54the gearbox sending unit.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It sends the impulses up to the tachograph unit in the cab.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00By using a bar magnet,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02the driver can put the tachograph unit to sleep,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04which will stop his hours from being recorded
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and start creating a fake tachograph chart,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10which could pocket the driver and his company
0:05:10 > 0:05:14more cash by keeping the lorry on the road around the clock.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Hello?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Convinced the driver's adopting this method, Alastair's hoping
0:05:19 > 0:05:23the driver's boss will be able to persuade him to come clean.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24I don't want to make life difficult,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27but I would like him to give me the magnet, yeah? OK?
0:05:27 > 0:05:33Why don't you speak to your driver now and explain the situation,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and you tell him what I want, please.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I'd like honesty.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46After a quick chat, the driver finally sees sense.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48OK. Muchas gracias.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Here we go - this is the magnet that he's used to make his records fake.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57He's now surrendered it, on his company's instructions.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59It's just a simple block magnet, quite strong,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03and that will clamp on and stop the records being correct,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05make fake records by using a magnet.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08With the magnet safely in custody,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Alastair's stopped this illegal driver in his tracks.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16On this occasion, he's going to issue a warning and a fine,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19but more prolific fakers have ended up in prison.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Clamping down on drivers faking their tachograph records
0:06:25 > 0:06:28is now a priority for Essex Police,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31after it witnessed one of the worst lorry crashes in recent years.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It involved an exhausted driver,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39who'd been behind the wheel for one and a half times the legal limit.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42And that was one of the most complex scenes
0:06:42 > 0:06:45that I've ever arrived at - four goods vehicles,
0:06:45 > 0:06:51six cars. We didn't know how many people were injured at the time.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It's a day Keith Mouthton, from Ilford in East London,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57will never be able to forget.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00On that Friday, my dad was driving the car,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03so I was in the passenger seat.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08We was coming off at the Lakeside turnoff, and there was a queue
0:07:08 > 0:07:12of traffic getting off of the motorway, onto that junction.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14And the only thing I can remember
0:07:14 > 0:07:18was being violently shook to one side.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21And then I see what I thought was a trailer coming towards me,
0:07:21 > 0:07:22and then I blacked out.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26From that moment on, I don't really remember
0:07:26 > 0:07:27too much about it, to be honest.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32The CCTV caught the details of what Anton Maizen,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35a driver from Germany, had done behind the wheel.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Investigators found he'd failed to apply his brakes,
0:07:38 > 0:07:43as his lorry ploughed into the back of stationary traffic
0:07:43 > 0:07:45at a speed of 56 miles per hour.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47He'd left Germany the previous day,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and had covered 840 miles over the last 23 hours,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54with the previous 15 spent behind the wheel.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Many of us are drivers,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00and we can only imagine driving 800 miles in one 24-hour period.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We would know that we were fighting the effects of sleep,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and that we're endangering ourselves and everybody else around us.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12My dad was laying on my side, and cos I couldn't move,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14he was just laying there - his head was here.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18And I tried to talk to him, but nothing was coming back.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22And the next thing I remember was going to the air ambulance,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and after that, I don't remember a thing.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27One of the moments that I came round,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30the first thing I asked is how my dad was.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And that's when they told me.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37Keith's father Ronald didn't make it out alive.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39It's the little bits and pieces that I really miss, you know,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and they're never going to come back,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and I have to realise that.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48I've got very good memories of Dad, and they're the ones I keep.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49I miss my dad a lot.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Anton Maizen had used multiple tachograph charts,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56so that the authorities wouldn't know
0:08:56 > 0:08:58how many hours he'd been driving.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01We found one tachograph chart screwed up in his sock.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04We found another hidden in the seat of his cab,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and one actually in the tachograph head.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I can only guess that he wanted to cover his tracks,
0:09:09 > 0:09:14self-preservation, and hide those fake records.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Keith spent 18 days in hospital with a fractured pelvis,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21broken ribs and a punctured lung.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25One year on, his health is still suffering.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29I'm undergoing counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34because I'm finding that actually dealing with the accident itself
0:09:34 > 0:09:38and the aftermath of it was very, very difficult.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40My wife does her best to cheer me up, but sometimes,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42the feelings are overwhelming
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and nothing can be done, and I just have to get through it.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Words can't describe what I feel for my wife.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58Anton Maizen was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00For these drivers that are breaking the law
0:10:00 > 0:10:02by going over on their tachos, fiddling their tachos,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I'd like to get hold of them and shake them,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07just to make sure they understand
0:10:07 > 0:10:08where I'm coming from,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11as I've been on the receiving end of it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Making fake records leads to tiredness,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18fatigue and this type of crash.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Later, we see the outrageous
0:10:21 > 0:10:23number of hours behind the wheel
0:10:23 > 0:10:26some tachograph fakers are clocking up.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27The areas marked in red
0:10:27 > 0:10:31are those areas where the driver had actually driven,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34but had used the tachograph interrupter device
0:10:34 > 0:10:36to create a fraudulent record.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And we show that not only do their interrupter devices
0:10:39 > 0:10:41fake the tachograph records,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44they can also transform the lorry into a death trap.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48We should be the slowest vehicle on this road.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51At this minute in time, we're the fastest vehicle on the road.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Suntan lotion, a good book,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01shades,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03all very important for a great summer holiday,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05but not as important as this -
0:11:05 > 0:11:08your ticket to sun, sea and sand.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Unless, that is, it turns out to be like this one - a fake.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14As one family of 11 found out,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17that means your holiday never gets off the ground.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22From Barcelona to the Bahamas,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25when it comes to Brits holidaying abroad, we are spoilt for choice.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29On almost every High Street in every town in the country,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33there'll be someone, somewhere, set up to sell you a holiday.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37But not all travel agents are there to send you to paradise.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Some are fakers - they just want to pocket your hard-earned cash.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45When Maureen Keay, from Hull, downsized her house,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49she decided to spend the extra money on a holiday, but she didn't fancy
0:11:49 > 0:11:54just going by herself, she wanted the whole family to come with her -
0:11:54 > 0:11:56all 11 of them.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59There was myself, my daughter,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02her partner, my granddaughter,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05my grandson and their two partners,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07my great-grandchildren,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and my other grandson.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13How generous, and a lovely treat for the family.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16With a little help from her eldest daughter Debbie,
0:12:16 > 0:12:17Maureen took to the web,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21and it wasn't long before she found something worth writing home about -
0:12:21 > 0:12:24a five-star resort in Antalya, in Turkey.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And before you ask, no, it's not a fake.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30We'd never been together before and I thought it'd be really exciting,
0:12:30 > 0:12:35we'd be able to let our hair down and everything like that.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Really looking forward to it.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Now, we've looked at the dangers of booking through
0:12:40 > 0:12:42fake online travel agents before,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44but this wasn't going to be a problem for Maureen
0:12:44 > 0:12:47as she knew who she wanted to book through -
0:12:47 > 0:12:50a High Street travel agent called Ellen Harrison,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53who was based in Hull.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Maureen had booked through her before and was impressed.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Yeah, why not? She's got you
0:12:59 > 0:13:02loads of deals previously, and really good deals as well.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Within two hours, she came back with a price for us all.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08And I said, "Grab it with both hands."
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Maureen paid £6,800 all-in,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14and to top it all,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Ellen Harrison agreed to book the flights, the hotel,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21and the transfers, so they could enjoy a fuss-free family holiday.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24We was just over the moon. Really, really over the moon.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29The family printed the vouchers for their hotel, transfers,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31and their all-important E-tickets.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32They were now set to jet.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36But when they arrived at the airport check-in desk the following morning,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39events took an unexpected turn. They were told that
0:13:39 > 0:13:42the flight booking number on the E-tickets didn't exist.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It looked like they'd just fallen for a fake.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They took one look at the paperwork and said,
0:13:48 > 0:13:49"That's not one of our flights."
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And with that, it was the most sinking,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54heart-wrenching feeling you can imagine.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I went into a shock mode, I just couldn't speak.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I just stood there thinking, "It's not happening.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03"It's not happening to me. It's not happening to my family."
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Think of the worst moment in your life and that is what it was like.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Once the dust had settled,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Debbie took the paperwork relating to the holiday booking,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14which she now suspected was fake,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18to Detective Constable Steve Bromby at Humberside Police.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21On the surface, it all appeared to be legitimate.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It looks like a genuine booking.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25It's got a booking reference number,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29it's got the destination of where they're travelling to and from.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33So, for example, this is from Manchester Airport.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It gives the departure and return dates.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39It gives the lead name and all the people who are travelling.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Looking at that, looks a genuine documentation.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44But as Steve Bromby dug a little deeper
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and contacted Flightline, the company Ellen Harrison
0:14:47 > 0:14:49was claiming she'd booked the flights through,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52it became clear the tickets weren't what they seemed.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56The reference number relates to another holiday.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01The font, in relation to the outward and inward, is incorrect,
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and there's information here relating to pricing
0:15:05 > 0:15:07which is completely missing off this
0:15:07 > 0:15:11but, on the genuine booking, would be in there.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So the flight details Ellen Harrison had given the family
0:15:14 > 0:15:18were as fake as a spray tan.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20And it was about to get a whole lot worse, as Steve discovered
0:15:20 > 0:15:25the hotel voucher and transfer vouchers were also fakes.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Manchester Airport - all sat on their cases
0:15:27 > 0:15:28with their hands on their faces,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32and I just said to Debbie, "I'm going to book another holiday."
0:15:32 > 0:15:35So Maureen booked another trip to Turkey
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and they flew out that day,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40but the new holiday cost Maureen a further £8,000.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Coupled with the cost of the fake holiday,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47she was just shy of £15,000 out of pocket.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Personally, I didn't enjoy the holiday.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51My children did, but I did not.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I just thought, "How could she do that to me?"
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I just couldn't comprehend how somebody could do that
0:15:57 > 0:15:58to somebody who they know.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02But the actual detail on it...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05By looking at it, you would never realise how fake it was.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10As for Ellen Harrison, DC Steve Bromby had all the evidence
0:16:10 > 0:16:13he needed to prove she'd faked the tickets.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15She was given 120 hours' community service
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and ordered to pay Maureen compensation.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21It's not the fact that it's the money,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25it's the fact that she ruined the holiday.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28A holiday that we all was really looking forward to.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And that is the hurting part about it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Earlier, we saw Essex Police catch a driver
0:16:38 > 0:16:42who'd been faking his tachograph records.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45This is the magnet that he's used
0:16:45 > 0:16:47to make his records fake.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51But it's not just happening in Essex.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Superintendent David Moore
0:16:54 > 0:16:59is also waging war against the fakers, a battle he intends to win.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04In Northern Ireland, we have detected 50 vehicles being driven
0:17:04 > 0:17:07unlawfully in this manner in the last five years.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12We have active investigations running against seven haulage companies.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15And this is much more than about road safety,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18it's also about the fitness of these companies to operate,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20the fitness of the directors to run companies,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24it's about a level playing field in the commercial sector.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26But I want to bring it back to road safety.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28These people don't belong on our roads.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Steven Spratt, Operations Manager at the Driver Enforcement Agency,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Northern Ireland's equivalent of VOSA, can spot a faker a mile off.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43And after being the driving force behind recent prosecutions
0:17:43 > 0:17:45against drivers faking their records,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48he now knows all the tricks that they can use.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Here's an example of an array of interrupter devices.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57In some instances, we have hard wiring -
0:17:57 > 0:18:01a simple relay device that operated through a toggle switch,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05it may have been a fog light switch, reversing light switch, whatever.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09And the effect of that was simply to switch off the signal
0:18:09 > 0:18:11going to the tachograph itself.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15These simple switches blend into the dashboard, and can create
0:18:15 > 0:18:19fake charts by cutting the signal to the lorry's tachograph recorder.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22But some fake-makers are even more sophisticated.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28This one uses RF technology, where it's a radio signal.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Typically, that would send a signal to your garage door.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33It sends a signal to this receiver device.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35The device itself will be hidden
0:18:35 > 0:18:37somewhere inside the vehicle's construction
0:18:37 > 0:18:41and will operate as a simple remote switch itself,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43but very, very effective.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46And very, very clever.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Stick it in your pocket and it looks just like the key to the yard,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54so if the driver's stopped, they're less likely to get rumbled.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56But the DVA's been fighting back,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and has already prosecuted two firms for sing these devices -
0:18:59 > 0:19:04Dewart Transport Limited and Arnold Transport,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06where both the drivers and the firms' owners
0:19:06 > 0:19:08received suspended prison sentences.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11In these cases, once they'd discovered
0:19:11 > 0:19:13the tachograph faking equipment in the lorries,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Steven and his team had to prove that
0:19:15 > 0:19:19they'd actually been used by drivers out on the road.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21What we were able to do, in this particular case,
0:19:21 > 0:19:26was to acquire GPS tracker records, to determine a minute-by-minute
0:19:26 > 0:19:28movement of the actual vehicle itself.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32In this case, a separate GPS tracker had been installed
0:19:32 > 0:19:34in the lorry by the haulage company.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37It's the same technology found in your average sat nav,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and gave the team a true record
0:19:40 > 0:19:43of where and when the lorry had been driven.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47When the team compared it to the suspected fake tachograph charts,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49they got a bit of a shock.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54In this particular case, there was 50% more driving done
0:19:54 > 0:19:57than what was actually shown on the tachograph record.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00The areas marked on the chart in red
0:20:00 > 0:20:03are those areas where the driver had actually driven,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06but had used the tachograph interrupter device
0:20:06 > 0:20:08to create a fraudulent record.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14And the inspectors would have seen this chart, as opposed to this chart.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Not only is this highly illegal, but also very unsafe,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21as the drivers were using the fake charts to cover up the fact
0:20:21 > 0:20:25they were working over twice the legal limit for driver hours.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27During another similar investigation,
0:20:27 > 0:20:33the driver had been on duty for some 111 hours, 44 minutes,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35over a five-day period,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38where he had only taken a maximum rest period of five hours.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40If my maths is correct,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45that means he was driving an average of just over 22 hours a day.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Studies have shown that almost 20% of accidents
0:20:48 > 0:20:51on Britain's roads are related to tiredness,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55and 40% of those involve commercial vehicles.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59No question about the extent of fatigue and sleep deprivation.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04And it's more shocking when you find out it's a fairly familiar story.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07We met a lorry driver who was convicted of faking
0:21:07 > 0:21:08his tachograph chart.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10For his protection,
0:21:10 > 0:21:11we've obscured his identity.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13At his haulage firm,
0:21:13 > 0:21:14it was company policy to use
0:21:14 > 0:21:17an electronic tachograph interrupter device.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The boss come over and just says to you on the quiet,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24"If you run out of time, this is what you do
0:21:24 > 0:21:27"so that you can get your load finished."
0:21:27 > 0:21:30He says, "It's no big deal, everybody's doing it."
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Our anonymous driver claims he started using it
0:21:33 > 0:21:35due to pressure from his boss
0:21:35 > 0:21:37to get the deliveries done.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39But slowly and surely, he was sucked into
0:21:39 > 0:21:41the fraudulent world of the faker.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44You're stressing and you're worrying about it,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and if you dwell on it, you get to the stage
0:21:47 > 0:21:49where you're near physically sick.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54End of the day, you have to learn to live with what you're doing.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It gets to be a way of life.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57You just accept it and get on with it.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Faking it became the norm,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04and drivers learned how to exist on barely any sleep.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06You could pick lottery numbers, so you could,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08as to just how many hours...
0:22:08 > 0:22:13You're legally allowed to do nine or ten hours driving a day, depending.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15There's drivers could do 20-plus.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19I've heard of drivers going out on a Sunday
0:22:19 > 0:22:23and not getting to bed till midweek - Tuesday or Wednesday.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27You just grab 20/30 minutes, a wee power nap sort of thing.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32You're driving, windows down, cups of coffee - usual story.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37But it's not a story, it's the reality.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38And it's not only the drivers
0:22:38 > 0:22:42putting the lives of innocent motorists at risk,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44it's the lorries themselves.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Once fitted, the tachograph faking device
0:22:48 > 0:22:51can turn the lorry into a lethal machine,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53as built-in safety systems are disabled,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56along with the lorry's speed limiter.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00PC Mike Rennie's taking out a lorry from a previous investigation
0:23:00 > 0:23:04that's rigged with a tachograph interrupting device,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06to see just how dangerous it can be.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09145, we're about to head off. Could you reset your trip?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11This is a risky operation.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Three police vehicles are travelling in convoy with the lorry,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17to make sure they're safe at all times.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's just giving us a safer environment to work in.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27It's to act as a safety barrier for any other road users.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Mike activates the tachograph faker which is hidden in the lorry,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and immediately, the speedometer is disabled.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35The test is now on.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38You can actually physically feel yourself
0:23:38 > 0:23:40being thrown into the back of the seat.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Almost instantly,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46there's an issue with one of the lorry's most vital safety systems.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48If you look at the dashboard in front of me,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51the top right-hand corner, there's a brake warning light came on.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56That is showing that there is a possible problem with the ABS.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01ABS is the lorry's anti-lock braking system.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Failure can cause the wheels to lock when the brakes are applied,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07causing the lorry to skid. Not good.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09With the device fitted,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12all the lorry's safety systems are in meltdown.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15But that's not the only danger here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18More worryingly, the lorry's speed limiter has also been disabled,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21meaning it can now travel at speeds well above
0:24:21 > 0:24:24the legal restriction of 56 miles per hour.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29The traffic car behind us has now told us
0:24:29 > 0:24:31we're travelling at 80 miles per hour.
0:24:32 > 0:24:3485.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38You don't get the concept of the speed we're travelling at.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41The ramifications if anything happened in front of us
0:24:41 > 0:24:44would be severe, trying to stop such a heavy vehicle at this speed,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48hence the reason we have the closure in place.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52It's lucky, as the lorry's stopping distance
0:24:52 > 0:24:54is now double what it should be.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57We're overtaking everything on this road, which should not be the case.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59We should be the slowest vehicle on this road.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03At this minute in time, we're the fastest vehicle on the road.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Look how quick we are catching up with that car.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08That should not be happening.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10The dangers of travelling at this speed
0:25:10 > 0:25:12don't even bear thinking about,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16and as the surrounding police cars pave a safe route for the lorry,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Mike is in for quite a shock.
0:25:18 > 0:25:2095 miles an hour - I'm going to ease back.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We've just peaked at 100 miles an hour...
0:25:31 > 0:25:36..and truth be told, that came as quite a surprise,
0:25:36 > 0:25:37because there was no concept of
0:25:37 > 0:25:41having travelled at that sort of a speed.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44This vehicle is being test driven in a controlled environment,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46by an advanced police driver.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49But clearly, the speed has taken its toll.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50The lorry's hit a problem.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55- We've an engine malfunction there, Mark.- Yeah.- It's all right?
0:25:55 > 0:25:57What's the temperatures like?
0:25:59 > 0:26:00The battery light's came on.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Temperature's down.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Excess speed, tired drivers, and major mechanical faults,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12it's no wonder that Superintendant Moore is working hard
0:26:12 > 0:26:14to drive these fakers off the road.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16I don't want to get over-dramatic here,
0:26:16 > 0:26:21but imagine a comparison made with the commercial aircraft industry.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25A 40-ton vehicle being controlled by someone who is exhausted,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30where all the safety systems, designed though experience
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and learning over many years, have simply been disabled.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And in a way, it's even more dangerous,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38because these things aren't operating high in the sky,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41they're operating feet away from primary schools,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45inches away from other road users in much smaller vehicles.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48The dangers are astronomical, and in some ways,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51these are ticking time bombs on our roads.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Later, we follow the authorities as they raid a haulage firm
0:26:55 > 0:26:58suspected of faking their records on an industrial scale.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02This is what's known as a tachograph interrupter device.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Take a look at this.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13It's a degree certificate - the gold standard in higher education.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17But as you may have guessed, as this is the Fake Britain house,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20this one is a fake. Now, we've dealt with
0:27:20 > 0:27:23bogus qualifications before on Fake Britain,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27but what we're finding now is the production of these
0:27:27 > 0:27:29is so widespread and so sophisticated
0:27:29 > 0:27:33that it's causing a real problem in the job market,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36not least for those genuine students
0:27:36 > 0:27:40who spent time and money getting a real degree.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44It's reckoned that by having a degree,
0:27:44 > 0:27:49you'll earn around 61% more than your non-university-educated peers.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52So it's no wonder there are fakers out there
0:27:52 > 0:27:53trying to cash in on the job market.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Something which is of concern to Jane Rowley,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00who runs a government-backed organisation
0:28:00 > 0:28:03responsible for verifying people's qualification,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07called the Higher Education Degree Datacheck.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10We've got tens of thousands of students and graduates
0:28:10 > 0:28:13paying a lot of money now for a university degree
0:28:13 > 0:28:16from the UK, who are potentially being disadvantaged
0:28:16 > 0:28:20in the job market by people with fake degrees.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22So they're not getting job opportunities
0:28:22 > 0:28:24because a fraudster is getting in ahead of them.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And it could be happening in a workplace near you,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30as a recent survey of university graduates found that
0:28:30 > 0:28:33two thirds felt the increase in tuition fees
0:28:33 > 0:28:37is making buying a fake degree certificate more tempting.
0:28:37 > 0:28:4114% confirmed they knew someone who had bought one,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43or who was considering it.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45For undergraduates like Ryan, Max and Olivia,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49at the University of Manchester, that doesn't come as welcome news.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52It's almost like our degrees are quite insecure, in a way,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56because we work really hard for three years
0:28:56 > 0:28:58to get a good qualification,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01and if somebody can come and get exactly the same thing
0:29:01 > 0:29:07by spending 50 quid, then it demerits our degrees.
0:29:07 > 0:29:13And with a degree costing students a whopping £27,000 in fees alone,
0:29:13 > 0:29:16it's not surprising they want to protect themselves from fakers.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18It's a global problem.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23The UK has a very strong reputation in the world for higher education,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27so there's a real advantage in having a UK degree, even if it's a fake.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Jane's seen hundreds of example of fake degree certificates,
0:29:31 > 0:29:33and they're getting better.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36I've got a certificate here from the University of Nottingham.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40This is a real university, and this is someone who has used
0:29:40 > 0:29:44a real Nottingham certificate as the basis for a fake certificate.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47It's got the right crest, it's got the right hologram,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49and all the details are correct.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Nottingham have confirmed to us that the student
0:29:51 > 0:29:53named on this certificate
0:29:53 > 0:29:56has not ever been enrolled at Nottingham University,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59so it is wise to check with the issuing university.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Even when the certificate looks real, you can still be looking at a fake.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07Degrees targeting the international job market are also in circulation,
0:30:07 > 0:30:12with fake university names, based on well-known British places.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Chelsea University, which of course is not
0:30:15 > 0:30:18and has never been a real university in the UK.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22No, but it does come with a package of other fake documents
0:30:22 > 0:30:25which do make it look, well, authentic.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27It's then backed up with a full transcript
0:30:27 > 0:30:29of the marks of this individual.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34Not only that, it's got two letters of recommendation from doctors
0:30:34 > 0:30:36and professors at Chelsea University.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Now, if you had all of these documents together,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42you might be convinced that this is a real student
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and not check back to see that Chelsea is a fake institution.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49This is what's known as a degree mill, or bogus university,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and it has no official accreditation in the UK.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57It just churns out fake degrees for a fee, most commonly bought online.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It's a lucrative business and, in fact,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01they do compete with each other.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03There are so many degree mills out there
0:31:03 > 0:31:06that they've started to compete against each other, saying -
0:31:06 > 0:31:10we provide better fake qualifications than another site down the road.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15There are around 130 of these fake institutions in the UK,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18and they're getting more and more sophisticated.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21On first glance, you might think this is a certificate
0:31:21 > 0:31:24from the University of Wolverhampton, but if you look closely,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26you can see that there isn't a "P"
0:31:26 > 0:31:27in the word "Wolverhampton",
0:31:27 > 0:31:29so this is a fake certificate
0:31:29 > 0:31:30from a degree mill.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33What we have got for the University of Wolverhamton, without a "P",
0:31:33 > 0:31:35is a back-up website.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39The wording and the photos are, in fact, copied from
0:31:39 > 0:31:42the real University of Wolverhampton's site -
0:31:42 > 0:31:44the one with the "P".
0:31:44 > 0:31:48But on the fake site, there's a clever additional feature.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51And it also has a section where you can check this certificate.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56If I got to "search profile", and enter that student ID...
0:31:58 > 0:32:02..it will pull up the named student on this certificate
0:32:02 > 0:32:06and the marks the student obtained, to say - yes, we are authenticating
0:32:06 > 0:32:09this student from the University of Wolverhamton.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12So if an employer wants to check that the student did attend
0:32:12 > 0:32:16the university, they just log on to the fake website, and...
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Within seconds, I've got a verification
0:32:18 > 0:32:22that the certificate I've got in my hand is a real student,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24a real graduate from that university.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Unfortunately, they're both completely fake.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30We took to the web to find out just how easy it is to buy
0:32:30 > 0:32:34one of these fake degrees. A couple of clicks later,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38we'd found a catalogue of websites offering replacement degrees,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40replica degree certificates and - my personal favourite -
0:32:40 > 0:32:42genuine fake degrees.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47UK plc itself is being duped because there are people taking jobs
0:32:47 > 0:32:51in this country who are not qualified, don't have the skills
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and, at its most basic level, are liars.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56It's illegal in this country
0:32:56 > 0:32:59to present yourself with a fake degree,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and it can carry a sentence of up to ten years.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06One place where a degree faker was found
0:33:06 > 0:33:09was the seaside town of Torquay,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12more associated with summer fun than scam artists.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17But not if you're DC Nicola Zuliya, of Devon and Cornwall Police,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20when she received a call from a local school
0:33:20 > 0:33:23claiming a teacher had tried to use fake degree certificates.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It hit our hat peg right at the end of the day,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29as we were about to go home, and it was apparent that
0:33:29 > 0:33:31it wasn't something that could sit around and wait
0:33:31 > 0:33:35cos we didn't want her continue teaching vulnerable students,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38if it was a genuine allegation.
0:33:40 > 0:33:4241-year-old Dr Julia Rawlinson -
0:33:42 > 0:33:45or, at least, she was claiming to have a doctorate -
0:33:45 > 0:33:47had been working at the Westlands School in Torquay
0:33:47 > 0:33:49on a temporary basis,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52helping biology students with their coursework,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54when she applied for a permanent job.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58She gave photocopies of her degree certificates to the school,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01claiming she'd lost the originals in a flood.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04So the school provided me with these certificates.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06She had one in a Doctorate of Science Psychology,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08and a Master of Science Psychology,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11both from Glasgow Caledonian University.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15The photocopies would have been the first flag to the school, really.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18That's what led them to contact the university
0:34:18 > 0:34:21and ask them, "Did she study with you?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23"Did she obtain this qualification?"
0:34:23 > 0:34:27The answer the university gave to the school was very simple -
0:34:27 > 0:34:29no, she didn't study there.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31And after closer examination,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34they discovered a few things that weren't quite right.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Things like the text on them was wrong,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40the imagery on it was just not correct.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43And, in fact, it's been signed by the chancellor and the principal,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45and they bear no resemblance either,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49so the certificates that she provided were really, really poor.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52As the saying goes, the devil's in the detail,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56and there was something else that Julia Rawlinson had overlooked.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01She alleged that she got her Doctorate in July 1996,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and the Masters in August 1993.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Those courses didn't run in those years,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11so she hadn't paid attention to the minute detail.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Nicola carried out a search of
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Julia Rawlinson's house
0:35:15 > 0:35:17and discovered a folder containing
0:35:17 > 0:35:19a whole catalogue of fake degrees
0:35:19 > 0:35:22that looked like they'd been cut and pasted together at home
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and photocopied to cover her tracks.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29And they weren't just limited to British universities either.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34She had three from South Africa, but again, with one fatal flaw.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Actually, when you look at the dates,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40she obtained two different degrees
0:35:40 > 0:35:42in July and October of 1990
0:35:42 > 0:35:44and one in November 1987,
0:35:44 > 0:35:48and that would be nigh-on impossible to complete.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Unless, of course, you're faking it.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52And along with the certificates,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Nicola unearthed a stack of fake CVs,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56but what was concerning was that
0:35:56 > 0:35:59one of the jobs was genuine.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Julia Rawlinson had been working for Edexcel,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05marking GSCE and A-level exam papers.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09It was worrying at the time, because we didn't know what sort of impact,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11especially with her marking papers,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14whether things would have to be recalled
0:36:14 > 0:36:16and papers would have to be re-marked.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Nicola contacted all the universities from which
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Julia Rawlinson had a certificate.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27She was told that not only were all five of the degrees fake,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30but that Julia didn't have a degree to her name,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32so therefore wasn't a real doctor.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35She'd even faked her qualified teacher status,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37so she didn't have the proper credentials
0:36:37 > 0:36:39to teach in the first place.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43But there was one certificate that appeared to be real.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46One of the certificates that we found at her home, along with
0:36:46 > 0:36:48the forged documents,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51was a genuine Postgraduate Certificate in Education
0:36:51 > 0:36:54from De Montfort University.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57We contacted De Montfort University
0:36:57 > 0:36:58and it became apparent that
0:36:58 > 0:37:01that would not be a valid qualification now
0:37:01 > 0:37:04because she obtained her place on that course through deceit
0:37:04 > 0:37:07and didn't have the qualifications
0:37:07 > 0:37:09in which to complete the PGCE in the first place.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Nicola had seen enough.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Armed with the fake degrees, it was time to give Julia Rawlinson
0:37:15 > 0:37:19a different type of interview, where she pleaded guilty to fraud
0:37:19 > 0:37:22and was given nine months at Her Majesty's pleasure.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27As for the children she'd been helping at Westlands School
0:37:27 > 0:37:29whilst faking it as a qualified teacher,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33her arrest and prosecution had caused a major disruption
0:37:33 > 0:37:36to their lives, just as they were about to take their exams.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39She hadn't just forged a document to obtain a bit of money,
0:37:39 > 0:37:45she'd had an impact on 60 or 80 children's lives.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48They didn't obtain the grades that they wanted to obtain,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and I think the custodial sentence
0:37:50 > 0:37:52reflected the severity of what she'd done.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Earlier, we saw just how dangerous lorries can become when fitted
0:38:02 > 0:38:06with devices that enable the driver to fake the tachograph records.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10These are ticking time bombs on our roads.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15And here in Northern Ireland, the authorities are preparing
0:38:15 > 0:38:17to investigate a haulage firm
0:38:17 > 0:38:21suspected of using sophisticated tachograph interrupter devices
0:38:21 > 0:38:23to fake their charts.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26The police aren't taking any chances.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28The threat level here is severe,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and to that end, ballistic body armour is to be worn
0:38:31 > 0:38:34if you are outside.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Over 30 police and DVA officers have been assembled
0:38:38 > 0:38:41for this major intelligence-led operation.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46The objective is to seize documentation and computers,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and also, any relevant vehicles which have been involved in
0:38:49 > 0:38:51any sort of tachograph fraud.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54When the team arrives at the yard,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57every single one of the firm's lorries will have to be examined
0:38:57 > 0:38:59to see whether they contain electronic devices
0:38:59 > 0:39:02used to create fake records.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07With months in the planning, this is the biggest operation
0:39:07 > 0:39:09of its kind in Northern Ireland.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12- Hello?- Hello!
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Hello, it's the police, we've got a warrant to search the premises.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Can you open the gate, please?
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Could you open it up, please?!
0:39:19 > 0:39:22The team are in and waste no time getting down to business.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Each cab has to be searched to see if it contains
0:39:26 > 0:39:30a tachograph interrupter device which could lead to fake readings.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34DVA tachograph expert Mickey McGuinness
0:39:34 > 0:39:37starts stripping down the lorries.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39For a start, pull the fuse box out.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42A feel of where the loom...
0:39:42 > 0:39:45What he's looking for is any additional wiring
0:39:45 > 0:39:48coming in or out of the tachograph recording unit,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51which is located behind the speedometer.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55They've been cut. This has been cut.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59It appears Mickey's arrived a little too late.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03He suspects the tachograph faking device has been removed,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06sparking fears their operation may have been rumbled.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10It looks like there may have been one at another time.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12The armoured cable looks fairly fresh,
0:40:12 > 0:40:14as if it has been replaced at a stage.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17But it's not over yet.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20In another lorry, Mickey thinks he's found something.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24There are two wires protruding from the back of the tachograph
0:40:24 > 0:40:26that shouldn't be there.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Bingo. He's found what looks like
0:40:28 > 0:40:31evidence of a tampered tachograph recorder.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Wires have been added to the back panel and a switch installed
0:40:36 > 0:40:38that could allow the unit to be turned off.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42We have traced the wires back further in
0:40:42 > 0:40:45and, on removing this part of the panel,
0:40:45 > 0:40:50this wiring here is connected to just an ordinary looking switch.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52This is what's known as a tachograph interrupter device.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55By flicking this switch,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59the driver can start creating a fake tachograph chart.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03This means that the driver can drive for longer than he's permitted.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10In another lorry, PC Mike Rennie's found a stash of tachograph charts.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14We have a box of previous tachographs.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18It gives us a rough idea of the driver's movements.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22The trace that's shown at the end of the pen would be a speed trace.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24That tells us how fast the vehicle was going.
0:41:24 > 0:41:25Then we have the mode trace
0:41:25 > 0:41:27that tells us what the driver's been doing.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32These charts could contain crucial evidence in the case.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Investigators will compare these against records seized
0:41:35 > 0:41:38from the firm's office to determine whether the devices have been used.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42If the driver uses a device, that's the line,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45that's the trace we would see there, the vehicle at rest,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47when in fact, the vehicle has been moving.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49In that situation, a driver could work
0:41:49 > 0:41:53until his heart's content, whilst producing a fake tachograph chart
0:41:53 > 0:41:56to fool the authorities if he was stopped.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57Meanwhile, Mickey's found
0:41:57 > 0:42:00what he thinks could be an interrupter device.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Can you space those? There's two going to this switch here.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06You see that one there?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Oh, that looks like it. That looks like one, all right.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11With another device in the bag,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15the team is quickly putting the brakes on this faking operation.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Over in the offices, the financial investigation team
0:42:18 > 0:42:22has bagged and tagged the firm's computers and driver paperwork,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26which will also be analysed as part of the investigation.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28We have tachograph charts in the bag.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31That's relating to the drivers' hours.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Also relating to vehicle movements, distances the vehicle's travelled.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37There'll be tachographs relating to every vehicle
0:42:37 > 0:42:39that we've seized today,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43so there's a good bit of evidence contained within the bags.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45After combing a number of cabs,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49the DVA have found six lorries that they suspect are faking it.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51They take them into custody,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54where they'll be stripped back by forensic experts at a later date.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57An operation of this sort, you never really know
0:42:57 > 0:42:59what you're going to find.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01But, yes, there's more than was anticipated,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04but again, it's a good day to get these vehicles off the road.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.