0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Get down! Get down! - Put him on the floor!
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Put your hands behind your back, now!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29It's just an ordinary house, it could be anywhere in the country
0:00:29 > 0:00:33but this is the Fake Britain house and it's filled with fakes.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36You may not know it, but your home could be too.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40In this series, we'll be investigating the criminals
0:00:40 > 0:00:44trying to get their hands on your cash by using fraud,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46forgeries and fakery.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And I'll be showing you how you can avoid being taken for a ride.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54On today's show,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58hunting down the serious criminals behind Britain's fakes.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You, son, nicked!
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Doesn't look right, does it?
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Especially being in a lock-up like this.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Is that job you're applying for real?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We hear from the man who almost lost it all
0:01:07 > 0:01:11when his perfect job turned out to be a fake.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Fake computer hard drives that could cost you your data and your money.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Two hefty nuts and bolts, I've been duped in a big way.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25And the flaming truth about fake hairdryers.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28If this was someone's house then it could do considerable damage.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39If you're looking for a job and see an advert that seems interesting,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41you'll probably ask yourself a few questions.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45"Have I got the right experience, qualifications or skills?"
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But perhaps you should also be asking yourself, "Is it real?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51"Could it be a fake?"
0:01:52 > 0:01:56As our next story shows, there are fake job adverts out there and
0:01:56 > 0:01:58far from helping you to earn a living,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01they could end up leaving you penniless.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06No-one knows better than Frank Tutty and Adrian Harris
0:02:06 > 0:02:09at the National Crime Agency just how fakers can exploit
0:02:09 > 0:02:11innocent job-seekers.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15They've just foiled one of the biggest ever cases of job fakery.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19It all started when London's well known department store Harrods
0:02:19 > 0:02:22contacted the Metropolitan Police with a tip-off about some
0:02:22 > 0:02:25suspicious sounding job adverts.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Basically Harrods had received a number of complaints
0:02:28 > 0:02:31from people who'd applied for jobs at their retail store.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34When the job-seekers had contacted Harrods,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Harrods were bemused by what they were saying.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38They'd never advertised.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42So Harrods didn't know anything about the jobs or the adverts,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46which they traced back to the online classified ad site Gumtree.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Here's the thing - to the innocent job-seeker,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51the adverts looked legitimate.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54For example, you've got here IT support technician.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58You've got Harrods sales assistant, you've got airport security officer.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02So there's a wide variety of jobs that these people were advertised.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03They would click on the job application
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and what they would get back is,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07they would get a response to their e-mail.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09It was from somebody called Frank Jones
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and it's in reply to their job advertisement.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16So anyone that applied for these jobs was sent an e-mail
0:03:16 > 0:03:20that appeared to be from a member of the recruitment team at Harrods.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It contained a link to download an application form.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25It's the usual procedure.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Now, for anybody who would have been looking at this,
0:03:27 > 0:03:28they would see Harrods
0:03:28 > 0:03:31so they would automatically assume that this was a legitimate e-mail,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35sent by somebody from Harrods in relation to the job application that
0:03:35 > 0:03:38they've seen on Gumtree, that they've replied to.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41However, what was odd was that all the job-seekers
0:03:41 > 0:03:43ran into the same problem.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The application form wouldn't load.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Little did they know, they'd just fallen for a fake job.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53What they were actually doing is they're infecting their computer
0:03:53 > 0:03:54with a piece of malware.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Malware is a type of computer virus that can be concealed
0:03:58 > 0:04:00within a download link.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Once infected, it gives criminals a porthole into your computer.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06They can spy on what you're doing.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And then the next time you try to navigate to a bank site,
0:04:09 > 0:04:10a pop-up will come up.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11This is a fake login screen
0:04:11 > 0:04:14but it looks identical to the real login screen.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17In this case, this example is HSBC but it could be Lloyds,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20it could be NatWest, it could be Nationwide, etc.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23You'd enter your banking details,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26those details would then be sent off to a drop e-mail address where the
0:04:26 > 0:04:30criminals would then go and have a look and fish out your details.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34So instead of applying for a job, they'd just unwittingly given
0:04:34 > 0:04:38the fraudsters unrestricted access to their bank accounts.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41This was cyber fakery at its most advanced
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and could be pocketing the criminals
0:04:43 > 0:04:45stacks of innocent job-seekers' cash.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Frank teamed up with Adrian Harris to hunt down the fakers.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53They found that 422 different fake jobs,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56supposedly from big-name employers, such as Argos and Nike,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00had been posted on Gumtree and other recruitment sites.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Adrian and Frank traced the fake job postings
0:05:03 > 0:05:07to a number of residential addresses in London.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Once we'd secured that information, we were able to obtain
0:05:10 > 0:05:13search warrants to go and search the addresses.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Within those addresses we obviously seized a number of electrical items,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20computers, phones, thumb drives, etc, for analysis.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24One of the devices, we found at least 80 compromised bank accounts.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Also another device we came across,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31at least 56,000 compromised e-mail accounts.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35And using these stolen bank details, the fraudsters were then using
0:05:35 > 0:05:38another level of fakery in order to get their hands on
0:05:38 > 0:05:41innocent job-seekers' money.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44They were phoning up the banks, pretending to be that person.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46They were answering the security questions
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and then they were asking for a new bank card
0:05:49 > 0:05:53and a new pin number to be sent to a certain address,
0:05:53 > 0:05:54saying that they'd moved.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56But hold on, there's a problem with that.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The address might belong to someone else - me or you.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01Well, the gang didn't care.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04One of the members would hang around near the property
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and pose as the homeowner.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08They'd then approach the postman,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11faking it that they lived there, in order to intercept the mail
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and steal the new bank cards they'd just ordered.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16And then they would go and abuse the credit card.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Evidence showed the group had made more than £300,000 from their fraud
0:06:23 > 0:06:26but police believe this figure could be much higher -
0:06:26 > 0:06:31possibly over one million and, of course, they were taking this
0:06:31 > 0:06:35money from people who, on the whole, were in no position to lose it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37They exploited people's vulnerability.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39If you were a job-seeker,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42you'd either not had a job for a long time or you wanted to
0:06:42 > 0:06:46change your job and the longer that that situation goes on,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48the more vulnerable you become.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50For the initial person who loses the money,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53these can be very traumatic or worrying times.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56They don't know how they're going to get their money back
0:06:56 > 0:06:57or even if they WILL get their money back.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01You know, people do lose money, it does cost us all money.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06The victims have been affected and it affects an awful lot of people.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09But while the fakers may have got one over on hundreds of people
0:07:09 > 0:07:13who hunted for jobs, the NCA was a different matter.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Frank and Adrian pieced together the information
0:07:16 > 0:07:19extracted from the seized hard drives and mobile phones
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and arrested seven suspected fraudsters.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23During the course of the inquiry,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26we identified the following individuals.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29This man, 20-year-old Tyrone Ellis, was the coder
0:07:29 > 0:07:31who produced the fake adverts
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and wrote the programs to steal the job-seekers' bank details.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40He became one of the first British financial malware writers
0:07:40 > 0:07:44to be convicted for targeting banks, but he made one little mistake
0:07:44 > 0:07:48that helped Frank and Adrian to crack the case.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51One of the reasons why we knew it was this gang that did it,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53one of the login pages, as you can see here,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55there's a typographical error.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57You've got the word "loggin", it's spelt incorrectly.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01On a normal banking web page, that wouldn't have happened.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04A small and costly mistake,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06but it wasn't the only rookie error
0:08:06 > 0:08:08the fake job fraudsters made.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11They've kept a scrapbook of their spending sprees using funds
0:08:11 > 0:08:13stolen from the job-seekers
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and it put Frank and Adrian firmly in the driving seat.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21You can see they're sitting in high valued motor vehicles,
0:08:21 > 0:08:27posing outside with Lamborghinis and, probably one of the best shots
0:08:27 > 0:08:31that we've got, he's displaying two Rolex watches on his wrists.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It just goes to show you what these people were actually
0:08:33 > 0:08:35spending their money on.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40The upper echelon of this gang were, in my view, professional criminals.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42That's what they did for a living.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45The money wasn't a personal attack, it was an entirely professional,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48business enterprise for them.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And it was an enterprise that came to an abrupt end.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The seven were all convicted on various counts of fraud
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and given a total of
0:08:57 > 0:09:0027 years behind bars.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02The vulnerability of somebody wanting a job
0:09:02 > 0:09:04is what they exploited.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07To quote the judge, "This is not a victimless crime."
0:09:07 > 0:09:11These cases are beginning to change people's attitudes as to
0:09:11 > 0:09:13how this type of crime is viewed.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Later on, we'll meet a man who lost his money and his pride
0:09:18 > 0:09:20when he was offered a fake job.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29All these clothes carry well-known designer labels
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and they're all fake.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It's the sort of stuff most of us know is sold on some market stalls
0:09:35 > 0:09:38right across the country, but to get these clothes into markets
0:09:38 > 0:09:41needs extensive organisation by the criminals.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46Especially since the value of the goods often runs into millions.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's that organisation that's being targeted by Trading Standards
0:09:49 > 0:09:54and the police and Fake Britain went with them on a recent operation.
0:09:56 > 0:09:593am. Trading Standards HQ.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Today we're going to do an enforcement exercise.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Everything we've done in the last 12 months has led us to today.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Mark Wilson is heading up an intelligence-led operation.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13They're targeted a group they believe are using a legitimate
0:10:13 > 0:10:15self-storage firm in order to stash fake goods
0:10:15 > 0:10:18destined for markets all over the South East.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23If people start playing up, kicking off, I want them floored
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and I want them out the way, cuffed and gone.
0:10:26 > 0:10:3043 officers including Trading Standards, Scambusters and the
0:10:30 > 0:10:34police from nine local authorities are heading to the storage unit.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39The aim this morning is to intercept a number of groups of market traders
0:10:39 > 0:10:43who have identified an area where they can make quite a bit of profit.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49The aim this morning is obviously working with the police here,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51is to arrest them as they arrive.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- We're in!- We're in.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Now inside the storage unit, the team gets into position
0:10:56 > 0:10:58for the sting operation.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03The officers will sit tight for the market traders to arrive.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Before long, the team hears voices
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and engines running outside the lock-up.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13There's no telling how the traders will react.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19They're now poised to strike.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23SHOUTING
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Police! Police! Get out the car.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30All right. You, son, nicked!
0:11:30 > 0:11:31- OK?- All right.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Concerning the supply of counterfeit goods.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36What's up now, then?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Right! You were asked to be quiet, weren't you?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'The short and sharp tactics used by the police have
0:11:43 > 0:11:46'paid off as they apprehend six traders.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Keys and mobile phones are seized and any vital information
0:11:51 > 0:11:55the phones may contain will be extracted and used as evidence.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58If the men have been found to have sold fake goods,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01it could land these traders up to two years in prison.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04With the suspects in handcuffs, it's time for Duncan Lamp
0:12:04 > 0:12:08and his team to start the hunt for fakes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12We'll go across all of the containers, looking over the top.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15If we find anything, we'll make a note of the number on the door
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and then we'll crop the bolt and have a look properly.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Whatever the link to the men arrested,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23officers believe the storage units have been
0:12:23 > 0:12:26hired by an organised team using fake names
0:12:26 > 0:12:30and, more than likely, paying cash to leave no trace.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But without knowing which ones they're using,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36they've got to search all 200 of them.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- Is there a little one of them? - That's all.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And after an hour or so of searching,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46the team think they might've found some fakes.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49We're going to bolt crop this container to see what's in,
0:12:49 > 0:12:50lucky dip.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55We have sacks.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'It's not long before they find what they're looking for.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01'Hollister, a popular clothing brand.'
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Take all of this out.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Again, unfortunately, not my size.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10It's a big find.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12The fake sweaters in this small container alone could be
0:13:12 > 0:13:14worth around £10,000.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18As well as clothing,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22the team quickly uncovers an array of other fake gear.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27PC Matt Smith has found a stash of fake car key rings.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Hands on, we've got Toyota.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Porsche.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Seeing if we've got any other...there's Mazda in here.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40Numerous fake, cheaply made key rings with car logos on.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Produced for pence over in the Far East
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and sold over here for a nice tidy profit.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51From perfumes to electricals, the team are discovering more
0:13:51 > 0:13:53and more goods they believe are fake.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Ugg boots.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04A faker's favourite for years being sold on markets all over Britain.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Three quarters of counterfeit items seized in Britain last year came
0:14:09 > 0:14:12from factories in China where some were made by children
0:14:12 > 0:14:18paid as little as £10 a week and working up to 18 hours a day.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Meanwhile, the search is continuing to turn up even more stuff.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Here you've got two watches.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26This one is how the watches are coming into the country,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30unbranded, no markings on the front and as we turn it over,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32no markings on the back.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36If stopped in customs, it's just a regular unbranded watch,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40which can legally be brought into the UK, no questions asked.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44We go to the white one, once it's arrived has been branded
0:14:44 > 0:14:48somewhere in the UK. We've got the Ice markings on the face
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and as we turn it around, again, you've got the markings on the back.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55That's how we go from one unbranded cheap watch to
0:14:55 > 0:14:57one counterfeit Ice watch.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Heading to a local market disguised as the real McCoy,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07these watches can fetch up to £100 each.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Counterfeiting continues to evolve and products can be imported either
0:15:12 > 0:15:16fully manufactured and produced or they can be imported in part.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20What we've identified today is that there is a manufacturing
0:15:20 > 0:15:25element as well as the distribution element to the operation here.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30In total, officers seized just shy of 40,000 fake items
0:15:30 > 0:15:33with a street value of five million pounds.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36They were destined for markets all over the South East.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41We will target those individuals who are profiting from selling
0:15:41 > 0:15:43counterfeit goods.
0:15:43 > 0:15:44One, to protect the consumers
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and two, to protect legitimate local businesses.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50That's a hard-hitting message to those counterfeiters
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and persons seeking to sell counterfeit goods.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Earlier, we saw how the National Crime Agency caught a gang
0:16:02 > 0:16:06who posted fake jobs online to lure their victims
0:16:06 > 0:16:08and then clear out their bank accounts.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The vulnerability of somebody wanting a job
0:16:11 > 0:16:13is what they exploited.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16But it's not the only way the fake job fraudsters
0:16:16 > 0:16:18try to deceive us to get their hands on our money.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Keith Rosser from the organisation Saferjobs
0:16:23 > 0:16:26has made it his job to fight the fakers.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29The opportunities for the fraudster means they recognise they can make
0:16:29 > 0:16:33significant amounts of money through various different fake schemes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35They're hitting all kinds of levels of jobs
0:16:35 > 0:16:38so this isn't just the high-paid finance director,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42it can be very general or entry-level jobs as well,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46so it's hitting really right across the population.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50And not all fake jobs are out there waiting just to be found.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Some of them find YOU, as Damien Glynn from Ireland found out.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57With a wife and child to support, Damien spent five years doing
0:16:57 > 0:17:01evening classes to become a qualified electrical engineer.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03He intended to follow his dream
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and work on oil rigs off the coast of Scotland.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Like most of us when looking for work,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Damien sent his CV to a number of recruitment companies that
0:17:12 > 0:17:15specialised in offshore work and then sat tight for a response.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19And I probably sent off to probably, 50 plus anyway,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22e-mails to 50 different recruitment agencies and companies.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It was like fishing, hopefully someone will take the bait.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28And before too long, Damien got his first bite.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30An e-mail that appeared to be from a company called
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Island Offshore UK
0:17:32 > 0:17:35giving him the chance to apply for a job.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Island Offshore is a wholly legitimate company
0:17:39 > 0:17:41who, along with Damien,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44was about to become the unwitting target of fakery.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So when I got this e-mail, I was delighted.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51I was willing to do whatever I could to try and get the position.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55The job itself ticked all the boxes, offering a long contract
0:17:55 > 0:17:58on an oil rig just offshore from Aberdeen with a generous salary.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Damien looked up the company and found out it was legitimate.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Everything looked hunky-dory.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06The name of the ship they mentioned in the e-mail,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08there's a picture of it here.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10After a couple of e-mails back and forth,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Damien progressed to an online interview
0:18:12 > 0:18:16so the company could assess his suitability for the role
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and, to Damien's delight, within a week he was offered the position.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20Words couldn't describe it.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23I'd been working hard for years to get to this position
0:18:23 > 0:18:25and I was just delighted to be getting a chance.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Finally I'd got to where I want to be
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and I could barely contain myself.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33A few days later, the employment contract arrived
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and Damien worked through the detail diligently.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Everything on the contract down to the logo, to the company name,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44everything on it looks and seems to be legitimate.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I printed it off obviously, I brought it in,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I showed it to a few people in work, showed it to a few people
0:18:49 > 0:18:52in the industry just to see what they thought of it, is this good?
0:18:52 > 0:18:53The answer came back,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"Yes, that's what a standard contract looks like."
0:18:56 > 0:19:00So Damien accepted the job and gave notice to his current employer.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04After I got confirmation from people saying it looks legitimate,
0:19:04 > 0:19:05I was over the moon.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I couldn't wait, I was excited, I was like a child at Christmas
0:19:08 > 0:19:12waiting to start. I had my mind set, I was off, I was ready to go.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14But things weren't as they seemed.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17It wasn't long before he was told by his new company that in order
0:19:17 > 0:19:21to work offshore, he needed to take out some insurance.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25I was travelling outside of Ireland so they said I needed
0:19:25 > 0:19:27travel insurance for my first year
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and so they put me onto their insurance guy.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32He sent me out a quote for four different polices.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36The insurance company they recommended was Norwich Assurance
0:19:36 > 0:19:41and after spending £960, Damien was sent this insurance certificate.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43So they say Norwich Assurance,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I presumed this was all good, you know?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48But a few days later, Damien received another request.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51This time it was for immigration checks which they told him
0:19:51 > 0:19:54was standard procedure for Republic of Ireland residents
0:19:54 > 0:19:56wishing to work in Britain.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Again, they recommended a lawyer for Damien to use.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02So they put me onto the UK immigration people
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and they said there's a new anti-terrorism law
0:20:05 > 0:20:09brought in last year and we'd have to get security clearance.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12As soon as anti-terrorism comes into things these days,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I think it's automatically programmed into your head
0:20:15 > 0:20:16to go along with this.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Damien paid a further £815 to a different account to the
0:20:21 > 0:20:25insurance fees, taking his total spend up to around £1,800.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Shortly after making the payments, he received this certificate
0:20:28 > 0:20:31from the Metropolitan Police which seemed legitimate.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It's got the Metropolitan Police stamp, you don't question
0:20:34 > 0:20:37the police too often and I don't know, can we question the police?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Should we question the police?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42But I didn't question the police, I went along with it, you know?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46So along with the police certificate there was another document from the
0:20:46 > 0:20:51UK Border Agency, again with all the logos and signatures you'd expect.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56With all the documentation in place, Damien was all set to start the job.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00It was getting to be a lot of money for me now at this stage, so, yeah,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I was really looking forward to getting to work.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04All my savings had gone now at this stage.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I was living on Super Noodles for the next couple of weeks.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Damien travelled to Aberdeen to meet his new employers
0:21:11 > 0:21:14but when he spoke to the receptionist at the offices
0:21:14 > 0:21:17of Island Offshore UK, there was no record of his meeting.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I told her the story and she just looked at me and said,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25"Can I see the contract?" And I showed her the contract
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and she told me I was the fourth person in that week.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30The company - Island Offshore UK - was real,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34but while the criminals behind the e-mails had used fakery
0:21:34 > 0:21:37to convince Damien they were from the legitimate company,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39this couldn't have been further from the truth.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43The job he'd thought he'd been offered was an elaborate fake.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Damien had quit his job and spent over £2,000 on
0:21:47 > 0:21:52fake insurance, fake immigration documents and flights.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55A lot of it was mainly embarrassment and financially then I was left
0:21:55 > 0:22:00high and dry and I had to go sort out loans, had to pay off my debts.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02I've a son, I've a wife, I've a mortgage.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I nearly lost my house over this. Very close.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07But losing money's not the only thing
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Damien's had to come to terms with.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Career-wise, I'm back where I was four or five years ago.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And so it's basically, I'm building all that up again.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I was severely depressed over it, I wouldn't talk to anyone.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24With operations as sophisticated as this,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27it's clear why Keith Rosser is campaigning to fight the fakes.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29There's a few clever things they do.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32One is really using a similar name so it immediately makes
0:22:32 > 0:22:34people think, "I might've heard of this company."
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Although it's totally false.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Again, there's stamps on it as well which makes it seems like
0:22:38 > 0:22:40it's an official document.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42The actual rubber stamps, there's two on this one,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46both bottom corners, signed as well as stamped and dated and
0:22:46 > 0:22:49the people who they're supposedly stamped on behalf of have got very
0:22:49 > 0:22:53senior roles, so on the face of it, it would make somebody think
0:22:53 > 0:22:56this looks like a really sort of high-level, genuine document.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00To this day, Damien still doesn't know who ripped him off,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02but it's something that's changed his outlook for ever.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I've always been told that I've been too trusting but I really changed
0:23:05 > 0:23:08over the last while, I've just, I question everything.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I've learned a lesson, it won't happen again.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Take a look at this, it's a portable hard drive used to store
0:23:20 > 0:23:25and transport computer files like documents, music and photos.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It looks good, but it's what's inside that counts.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33In this case, very little. It's a fake.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Sidmouth in Devon, home to amateur photographer David Trigger.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43He needed a new hard drive to back up his prized pictures and,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46looking online, he found what he thought was a bargain.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51A two-terabyte, high-speed storage device.
0:23:53 > 0:23:59I came across an advertisement saying, "Hitachi Neso, half price."
0:23:59 > 0:24:04And I thought, "That's not an absurd deal, but it's a good one."
0:24:04 > 0:24:10The drive was priced at 69.95. David did his research and found that,
0:24:10 > 0:24:11before the half price discount,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15it was roughly the going rate for a premium hard drive of that size.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17So he snapped it up.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18When it arrived the following day,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21David was delighted with his purchase.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Very nice indeed, very nice.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Weighty, beautifully organised,
0:24:27 > 0:24:32has like a plastic strip all the way round and the USB port very neatly
0:24:32 > 0:24:36tucked in the corner and a status light for the drive.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39But when David plugged it into his computer
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and started trying to back up his photos,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44the hard drive kept coming up with an error message.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I started to become very suspicious.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I kept trying different operations, I even went back to reformatting
0:24:50 > 0:24:53the drive as it says in the quick start guide.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Wasn't really getting anywhere,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57but still didn't understand quite what was going on.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01David tried every trick in the book to get the drive to copy his files -
0:25:01 > 0:25:03nothing seemed to work.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05He phoned Hitachi and spoke to the technical team.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08No-one seemed to be able to get to the bottom of the problem.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12After wasting hours and hours trying to get the drive working,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14David decided to take some drastic action.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18I ended up in a position where I was getting very, very frustrated.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I'm getting nowhere with the original supplier, I have no refund,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24what do I have to lose?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27It's about time I actually knew the truth
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and open this thing up.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32But when David prised open the casing,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35nothing could prepare him for what he found.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37And behold,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41there are the contents of the Hitachi Neso drive.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48Two hefty nuts and bolts hot-melt glued into place to give it
0:25:48 > 0:25:49almost perfect balance,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52it feels just like the real thing when closed up.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56You would never know once that's closed.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Crude, but crafty fakery.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04The hard drive was instead just a small USB drive
0:26:04 > 0:26:07with less than 4% of the storage advertised.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Nothing more than a cheap fake.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It was the worst fears realised, really.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17I'd been duped in a big way.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21It's humiliating and it makes you feel very much violated.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23And unfortunately,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26it's not just hard drives that are being targeted by the fakers.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29With 75% of households in Britain owning a computer,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33the data storage industry is big business.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Electronic retailer Alan Dylan believes the fakers have now
0:26:36 > 0:26:40honed in on these things, USB flash drives.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45A USB flash drive is just a small, portable data storage device that
0:26:45 > 0:26:48can be plugged into any computer or device that has a USB port.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52They come in a variety of sizes, all the way from,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55smallest 32MB, all the way up to one or two terabytes.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02The more storage space on a drive, the more costly it is to make.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Alan believes fraudsters are making money by selling drives that
0:27:05 > 0:27:09advertise more storage space than they actually provide.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13We decided to investigate whether some USB sticks
0:27:13 > 0:27:17contained as much storage space as they say they do.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20So we took to the web to put this to the test.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23A couple of clicks later, we purchased a handful of sticks.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28We also heard there might be fake micro SD cards out there,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30used in devices such as mobile phones,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32so we bagged one of them, too.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36It was time to send them over to computer data recovery expert
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Mike Montgomery for a closer look.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44First up is the 32GB, which claims to be a Toshiba,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46although it wasn't sold to us by them.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Once Mike's removed the chip,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52he can stick it into his special machine and...
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It's supposed to be a Toshiba 32GB,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58TransMemory USB flash stick,
0:27:58 > 0:27:59it's actually 8GB.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It's a fake!
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Next up, a 64GB gold bar shaped USB stick.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Let's see what we've got.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13It is a fake gold bar but is it a fake USB?
0:28:13 > 0:28:16I don't even need to take the chip off this one
0:28:16 > 0:28:19because it's actually marked on there, 8GB.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24So supposedly 64GB, it's a fake.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And after putting two more USB sticks through their paces,
0:28:27 > 0:28:33the last one Mike attempts to test is the 32GB Micro SD card.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36This one won't even be recognised by the computer.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41Well, I suspected this one was a fake, but it doesn't even work.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45It's just hanging in the computer, trying to read the device.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47That in itself is actually worse than a fake,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50because it just doesn't work.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54So out of the five Mike tested, three USB sticks were fake
0:28:54 > 0:28:58and the Micro SD card appeared to be faulty.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01It means you could very well be buying drives with less storage
0:29:01 > 0:29:04than you're paying for. There's worse to come.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Not only are the fraudsters making themselves a tidy profit
0:29:07 > 0:29:12at your expense, most people won't even know they've been ripped off.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16So what you've got here is a genuine 16GB USB flash drive
0:29:16 > 0:29:19and a fake 16GB USB flash drive.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22They don't look any different from each other, just one's coloured
0:29:22 > 0:29:26green, one's coloured red so when we plug the genuine
0:29:26 > 0:29:30USB flash drive into the computer it'll read as 16GB.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36So the computer's reported the size of the genuine USB drive correctly.
0:29:36 > 0:29:42Now the fake 16GB USB stick does, in fact, only contain a 1GB chip.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Will the computer pick up on this?
0:29:45 > 0:29:51And when we plug the fake USB flash drive, it also comes up
0:29:51 > 0:29:55and tells us 16GB but we actually know it's only 1GB.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59So a fake USB flash drive has fooled the computer into thinking
0:29:59 > 0:30:04that it's 16GB, so what chance has a consumer got of realising
0:30:04 > 0:30:08that they've been duped into buying a fake USB?
0:30:08 > 0:30:10The fakers are doing two things.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Making the USB stick fool your computer into thinking it's bigger
0:30:14 > 0:30:18than it is and making you think the stick is storing your files
0:30:18 > 0:30:21when it's actually recording over them again and again.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26If you put something on there, you want to be able to retrieve
0:30:26 > 0:30:29the data and know that your data is actually going to be on there
0:30:29 > 0:30:32so when you go back to get your dissertation, essay,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35music files, you want to know that they haven't been corrupted,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38lost and, just like probably the supplier who's sold them to you
0:30:38 > 0:30:41is going to be gone, they might be gone as well.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44You're only going to realise you've bought a fake
0:30:44 > 0:30:46when it's too late and you've lost your data.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51But the authorities are determined to unplug the fakes.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55In west London, Trading Standards have just busted
0:30:55 > 0:30:58a bunch of rogue retailers for selling a variety of fake
0:30:58 > 0:31:03electrical goods in high-street shops up and down the South East.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Mohammed Tariq was at the helm.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Amongst the haul, totalling around a million pounds worth of stock,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13there was a stash of fake USB sticks.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15If it's a fake, you don't know what memory's on there.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17It might not have the memory that it's actually advertising
0:31:17 > 0:31:21on there or displaying on the packaging.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Luckily, the journey of these fakes to our homes has now been
0:31:24 > 0:31:27short-circuited, but be careful - there's plenty more out there.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30For people buying memory cards to store data,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33beware of fakes because you may as well not back up at all.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36You'll lose your data and your money.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47This is an American brand of nail polish, CND Shellac.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Not quite my shade.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50But for thousands of women it's what
0:31:50 > 0:31:54they choose to have put on their nails in UK salons.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57It's a successful brand and it's not cheap.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00They seem to be the reason some salons have decided they'll make
0:32:00 > 0:32:04more money if the shellac service they're selling is a fake.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12CND Shellac is a nail polish treatment and was created in
0:32:12 > 0:32:16the USA by a company called Creative Nail Design
0:32:16 > 0:32:17or CND for short.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Nail technician Natasha Lee says it's a product that's been
0:32:24 > 0:32:26a massive hit with her customers.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32It was designed and created for women that were paying for manicures
0:32:32 > 0:32:34and they weren't getting their money's worth
0:32:34 > 0:32:36because they just weren't lasting.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Now the company says CND Shellac was some five years in development
0:32:40 > 0:32:45and went through around 7,000 lab tests before it went to market.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Its ingredients are a closely guarded trade secret
0:32:49 > 0:32:51but they claim 14 days without chipping.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56The genuine treatment costs around £25 per application
0:32:56 > 0:32:57depending on where you go.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02So it's roughly twice the price of other nail services.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03Now, here's the thing.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07To use this product you need to be a qualified NVQ beautician
0:33:07 > 0:33:09and approved to use it by the manufacturer
0:33:09 > 0:33:13before you can actually buy the stuff, but there are believed to be
0:33:13 > 0:33:17dozens of unscrupulous operators out there who are faking it,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21advertising they're offering the genuine CND Shellac service but,
0:33:21 > 0:33:22in fact, giving you a cheaper,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26Chinese gel polish instead without the requisite training,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30equipment or application procedures and because of these fakes,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33customers are ending up out of pocket and more worryingly,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35with damaged nails.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39According to Gina Akers of the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42it's a growing problem.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45There are many, many concerns when you have nail technicians and
0:33:45 > 0:33:49salons actually offering services that they are not trained to do.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52It's really, really important from a client's point of view that
0:33:52 > 0:33:55they're getting safe and good quality nail treatments.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58There are around 18,000 nail technicians in Britain
0:33:58 > 0:34:01that are approved by the manufacturer to carry out
0:34:01 > 0:34:04the service and this is how it works.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Once the nails are cleaned and prepped, the technician adds a
0:34:07 > 0:34:11base coat and a colour coat and then finally a top coat,
0:34:11 > 0:34:15curing the nails in the UV lamp for precise timings in-between
0:34:15 > 0:34:18and voila! A shellac service.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19Ooh, nice nails.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22It's a whole different story when it comes to removal and that's when
0:34:22 > 0:34:24you really see the difference between
0:34:24 > 0:34:26the professional product and the fakes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31A lesson which university student Sophie Edwards has learnt.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I sourced a salon that was local to me,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36that I'd heard from word of mouth off a few people,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39that said they were doing the shellac and I went and tried it.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Actually did have a CND poster at the bottom of their window.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Process seemed to be what I thought was the CND Shellac process.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51But after an hour in the salon having her nails shellacked,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Sophie was left feeling a little disappointed.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57I'd seen pictures and heard from people that the finish is
0:34:57 > 0:35:00absolutely amazing and it didn't seem that way
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and it felt really bulky on my nails.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06There was just a feel to it that didn't seem right.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08When Sophie had the product removed,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10it turns out her instincts were spot-on.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14I didn't have a CND Shellac product and I'd had, in fact,
0:35:14 > 0:35:19a fake shellac product. I felt let down by the salon that I'd been to.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21I felt like I was a bit of a mug, actually,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25especially the price that I paid for the product and for the procedure.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29But Sophie, there's a lot of it about.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32The beauty industry is hearing of more and more women
0:35:32 > 0:35:34who thought they were getting the genuine product
0:35:34 > 0:35:38but instead got their fingers burnt - quite literally.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Cathryn Hut thought she was getting the genuine product
0:35:41 > 0:35:43when she booked into a local salon.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46My first appointment was on the Friday night
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and they applied the base coat to my nails
0:35:49 > 0:35:52and then told me that it wasn't sticking to my nails
0:35:52 > 0:35:55so then they decided to try and buff the top of my nails to see
0:35:55 > 0:35:58if they could get it to stick and at one point that actually was
0:35:58 > 0:36:01a little bit painful, which I think was
0:36:01 > 0:36:02one of the things that made me think,
0:36:02 > 0:36:04"Ooh, this doesn't seem quite right."
0:36:04 > 0:36:08Within a few days, the nails started to chip.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12One of the main reasons that I went to have a shellac manicure,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15the thought of it not chipping and lasting for at least two weeks
0:36:15 > 0:36:18and so I was really, really disappointed in that.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21A few weeks later, it was time to get the polish removed
0:36:21 > 0:36:23and then reapplied.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25She decided to go to a different salon where
0:36:25 > 0:36:27she was met by nail technician, Jenny Smith.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- Hi, honey.- Hello.- How you doing? - Good, thank you.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33But she was about to discover she'd fallen for a fake.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35So when Cathryn came into the salon,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38she said that she'd gone to another salon and asked for shellac
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and that's what she thought she had on her nails.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43It wasn't shellac that she had on her nails in any way, shape or form.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45It was something completely different.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Yes, Cathryn had had a brush with the fake shellac.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Jenny tried to soak off the product.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55We wrapped it up for the normal ten minutes.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And it didn't budge, it hadn't budged at all.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58It just wasn't coming off.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01When she did eventually get the fake shellac off,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Jenny took these photographs of the damage to Cathryn's nails.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09On this one, you can clearly see the big white patch here
0:37:09 > 0:37:11and then the thumb damage,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15you can clearly see that these white patches are quite severe.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19Looking at these photos now makes me feel physically sick.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22I feel ashamed that someone in this industry has caused this
0:37:22 > 0:37:25damage to a client's natural nails.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29It took around six months for Cathryn's nails to return to normal,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32an experience that's expensive and distressing.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34It made me feel quite angry
0:37:34 > 0:37:36and had I thought that there was even the smallest chance that it
0:37:36 > 0:37:38would damage my nails, I wouldn't have done it.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Unfortunately, we're seeing this more and more frequently.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45There's a lot of people jumping onto the beauty industry band wagon
0:37:45 > 0:37:47lately thinking that they can come in and make a quick buck
0:37:47 > 0:37:49by not doing things the correct way.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Natasha says the fakers are damaging the whole industry.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Good morning. Yes, no problem, when are you looking for?
0:37:58 > 0:38:01The people that want and choose to use the fake shellac tend to
0:38:01 > 0:38:05be people who are wanting to cut corners and cut savings.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07With that, it tends to be the people that don't want to
0:38:07 > 0:38:10pay for the appropriate training.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11They are a blight to the industry
0:38:11 > 0:38:13because they do taint the name for technicians
0:38:13 > 0:38:17that are spending their time, their energy and their money
0:38:17 > 0:38:20making sure that they're doing a good service.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23But it's not just the professional beauty market
0:38:23 > 0:38:25that's fallen prey to the fakers.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Trading Standards officer Simon Cripwell
0:38:28 > 0:38:32has recently seized a stack of what appear to be fake hairdryers
0:38:32 > 0:38:35destined for bedroom beauticians everywhere.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37This is what we suspect to be
0:38:37 > 0:38:40a counterfeit GHD product.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41"GHD Precious",
0:38:41 > 0:38:43it's got written on the top.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44"Limited Edition gift set."
0:38:44 > 0:38:46We've got two products here.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53One is a GHD-branded travel hairdryer
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and the other is...
0:38:57 > 0:39:01..a GHD-branded hair straightener.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04We've seen fake GHD straighteners doing the rounds on Fake Britain
0:39:04 > 0:39:09before, but the fake hairdryer's a new kid on the block.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10The beauty market is absolutely huge
0:39:10 > 0:39:15and we are seeing an increasing number of electrical products
0:39:15 > 0:39:19and other products related to the beauty market coming onto
0:39:19 > 0:39:22market stalls which are selling counterfeit goods.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25As well as a manufacturer's logo on the box,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29this hairdryer comes complete with a vast array of extras -
0:39:29 > 0:39:33its attention to detail amongst the most advanced Simon has ever seen.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37These particular products come with very convincing paperwork,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43They also come with the same safety instructions that you would
0:39:43 > 0:39:45expect to find on genuine items.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50There are no spelling errors, as far as we can see.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56But has the same attention to detail gone into the safety side of things?
0:39:56 > 0:40:00The brand has confirmed it's a fake, but is it dangerous?
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Simon Cripwell's got concerns,
0:40:04 > 0:40:08so we take the fake hairdryer to a testing lab where testing
0:40:08 > 0:40:13safety engineer Lee Picton does what he does best - test.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17My initial impressions are, yeah, you know,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20it does look the real deal, basically.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24The hairdryer itself, it feels like a genuine travel hairdryer,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28good weight, sort of feels expensive.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Yes, but looks can be deceiving, so Lee starts with the plug.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36So as I can see here, the conductor is soldered.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41This can cause the terminal in the plug to heat up.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45And that heat could lead to fire or to the plug melting, which is
0:40:45 > 0:40:48why soldered wires wouldn't meet British Safety Standards.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52I would deem this to be potentially unsafe in a household environment.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55If you were drying your hair and the plug melted,
0:40:55 > 0:40:56it could be dangerous,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59but there's worse to come as Lee prepares to carry out
0:40:59 > 0:41:02an important European-standard test
0:41:02 > 0:41:04that all appliances of this type must go through.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Right, so what I'm about to do is place the polythene over
0:41:09 > 0:41:14the air inlet and turn the power on and set the hairdryer to
0:41:14 > 0:41:19level three which will be its highest power input.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22This test is to simulate what would happen if the back of the hairdryer
0:41:22 > 0:41:26was covered up by someone's hair or a towel, for example.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28This will be restricting the air flow
0:41:28 > 0:41:31into the inlet of the hairdryer.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36To meet safety standards, hairdryers on the UK market must have
0:41:36 > 0:41:40a vital safety feature called a thermal cut-out.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43This will shut down the hairdryer if it overheats to stop
0:41:43 > 0:41:47it from burning the user or, in the worst case scenario, catching fire.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50If it's a genuine product, what should happen any time soon is
0:41:50 > 0:41:54the thermal cut-out should operate, cutting the supply to the hairdryer.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58But two minutes in, it's still going strong.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00The thermal cut-out should have cut out by now.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03As you can see, the plastic is melting
0:42:03 > 0:42:05so it's definitely a fake product.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15With the thermal cut-out not operating,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16the hairdryer's caught fire.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18It's given a significant amount of flames
0:42:18 > 0:42:20and if this was someone's house,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22then it could do considerable damage.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Without this vital safety feature in place,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28the fake hairdryer has the potential to cause a fire
0:42:28 > 0:42:32and also burn anyone unfortunate enough to use it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35This type of test, it is a bit of a shock,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38normally wouldn't expect such a fault to occur.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42A genuine product, thermal cut-out would operate and the test
0:42:42 > 0:42:46would have ended without any hazardous situations occurring.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Someone could easily end up buying one of these dangerous hairdryers
0:42:49 > 0:42:53and think they're not only the real thing, but perfectly safe.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57Lee fears it's only a matter of time before they cause serious damage.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02For people who've potentially purchased such products,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04it's definitely, definitely worrying.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13That's all from Fake Britain, goodbye.