0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Police!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Get down! Get down! Get on the floor now!
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Put your hands behind your back now.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Here at the Fake Britain house,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29we'll reveal the fakes that are flooding the market,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31conning people like you and me
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and making money for the criminals.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35We'll investigate the fraudsters
0:00:35 > 0:00:38who are selling us something that isn't real
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and could be dangerous.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And we'll help you avoid falling for a fake.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Today on Fake Britain - how fake documents are being used to
0:00:50 > 0:00:54smuggle illegal food and animal products into the country.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57This is absolutely an illegal product.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02There are no approved establishments in China for the export of beef.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06The single fake e-mail which cost one house-buying couple
0:01:06 > 0:01:09nearly £100,000.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12It was just utter shock. Disbelief.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It never occurred to me that somebody could do this
0:01:15 > 0:01:17so simply and so convincingly.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Her work is highly collectable,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23but could you tell the real Clarice Cliff from the fake?
0:01:23 > 0:01:24I can tell straight away.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28The first thing that really shouts out is the colour palette.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32And our investigation uncovers how banned, cancer-causing dyes
0:01:32 > 0:01:35are being used to fake the colour of food.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Consuming any of it at all
0:01:36 > 0:01:40is going to increase an individual's risk of contracting cancer.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44It simply shouldn't be present in food that we're eating.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Much of what we eat comes from abroad -
0:01:54 > 0:01:57around £40 billion worth of food every year.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And it's all subject to strict safety standards.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The problem is enforcing those standards
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and keeping our borders secure is tough when the volume of trade
0:02:05 > 0:02:10is so huge and the fakers are trying so desperately to beat the system.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14The port of Southampton.
0:02:14 > 0:02:181.3 million containers are unloaded here every year,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22about a third of them containing food or animal-related products.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25This type of import is high-risk,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28as not only is it destined for our dinner plates,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32but it could be contaminated with chemicals, toxins or disease.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Making sure that nothing harmful gets through
0:02:36 > 0:02:40is the job of the Port Health team, led by Sandra Westacott.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42We're right at the front line. This is the first
0:02:42 > 0:02:44and perhaps only opportunity that we will
0:02:44 > 0:02:49get for checking food before the products go on to the market.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The temptation to commit frauds is extraordinary.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And economically, you stand a much better chance
0:02:57 > 0:03:03of evading any regulatory response
0:03:03 > 0:03:06with food fraud than you do with drugs.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Port Health inspects a small percentage
0:03:10 > 0:03:13of all the shipments coming into port.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Anything from fish...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Tuna offcuts!
0:03:16 > 0:03:19..to Japanese specialities.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Roasted seaweed.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Some rice wine. Tasty rice crackers.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Even kitchenware, which is subject
0:03:26 > 0:03:29to similar controls to the food itself.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31They're...goblets.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Samples are sent off for scientific analysis
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and cargoes which don't meet the right standards
0:03:36 > 0:03:38can be detained or rejected.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41But the whole inspection regime relies on the paperwork
0:03:41 > 0:03:44provided by the importers and shipping companies,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47starting with the ship's manifests.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I can see from the manifest description
0:03:49 > 0:03:51what is in a container.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Some of the containers we will be very interested in.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Others, we will not be.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58As well as a manifest,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02all the items are accompanied by certification which confirm
0:04:02 > 0:04:06that all the goods are safe and have been tested before being exported,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08to show they meet EU standards.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But all too often, the paperwork and documents are inaccurate,
0:04:11 > 0:04:12or even fake.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Fake documentation can be a real problem.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Fraudulent certificates.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Certificates that do not bear any resemblance
0:04:20 > 0:04:22to the actual commodity.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Out on the forecourt,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27a container recently arrived from China
0:04:27 > 0:04:29has been selected for inspection.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And from the paperwork,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Sandra should know exactly what to expect inside.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37The packing list says,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40"sesame paste, iced tea, chilli,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42"vermicelli, rice noodles."
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Only this time, she's in for a surprise,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50as inside the container, Sandra immediately spots
0:04:50 > 0:04:53what appear to be additional items.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57That's chilli powder, which could contain aflatoxins.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01These look like they're some sort of electronic games.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05This stuff was not declared on all of the legal documents.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07This bears no comparison to the packing list.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08It's a fake packing list.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The undeclared items don't come with any safety certification,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15so Sandra will need to give them all a thorough inspection
0:05:15 > 0:05:18to make sure they're legal and safe.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23We have what I think is...sesame paste.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And it smells like sesame paste,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28but it also smells of peanut.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32There is no English at all here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36So, for somebody who's buying that, if there were peanuts in there
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and they were allergic to peanuts,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42then that could cause them some very serious health problems.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46But the labelling issues are just the start,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50as Sandra soon finds further evidence of a deliberate attempt
0:05:50 > 0:05:52to evade import controls.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57We have images of electronic materials,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and when we open, we find...
0:06:01 > 0:06:04pouches of animal fat.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09I think that it is either duck,
0:06:09 > 0:06:10shredded duck,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12or possibly even beef.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16As animal products are subject to strict import controls,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Sandra is suspicious.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22So are we using fake boxes
0:06:22 > 0:06:26to hide something that shouldn't be coming into the country?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And suspicions appear to be confirmed
0:06:29 > 0:06:33when even more animal product is found disguised in other boxes.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38A drinking set, a jug, and glasses.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43But when we come in, we have foodstuffs.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47The ingredients are beef fat, as the primary ingredient.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49This is a completely banned product.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51This is an illegal product.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54There are no approved establishments in China
0:06:54 > 0:06:59for the export of beef products to the European Union.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02For us, that's a real, real concern.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07So the fake packing list is hiding illegal imports of animal products.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Another thing it didn't mention is alcohol.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14This is some sort of rice spirit.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16We think this is beer.
0:07:16 > 0:07:1856% alcohol.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21All this is evidence of yet another crime.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I'm concluding that they tried to conceal this
0:07:24 > 0:07:29to evade any sort of taxation or import duties to customs.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It is smuggling.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34But it's not just the hidden contents of the container
0:07:34 > 0:07:35which are troubling Sandra.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38There's also the standard of hygiene.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Filth.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46The containers and the products should be clean, coming through.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51This could easily be the cause of another foot-and-mouth outbreak.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54If that is duck product,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57it could be the source of avian influenza.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00There are all sorts of very, very worrying things
0:08:00 > 0:08:01about this container.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05To make matters even worse, Sandra makes a horrifying discovery.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Oh, and that's rat droppings.
0:08:14 > 0:08:2024 years...I think I have seen one container with rat droppings in.
0:08:20 > 0:08:2224 years.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The discovery means that this container poses a health risk
0:08:26 > 0:08:29much greater than Sandra had already feared.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35Rats carry not only...plague,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39but they also, you know, they can also have Weil's disease,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42if they've urinated anywhere in the box,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44which I presume they have.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48We haven't found any live rats, but the rat droppings...
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It's very clear that they have been in the container.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55You know, this consignment could lead to so many animal health
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and so many public health problems as well.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Unsurprisingly, the container was rejected for entry into the UK.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And after a thorough investigation,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14the importer only narrowly escaped criminal charges.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16But for Sandra, it's a potent reminder
0:09:16 > 0:09:19of the huge risks posed to the public by food fakery.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23This container is one of the worst examples,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26in terms of the risk to public and animal health,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28I have seen in 24 years.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32This is not just about it being a con,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34this is actually dangerous as well.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Buying a house can be a stressful experience -
0:09:42 > 0:09:45finding a property, selling the old place,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48packing everything, arranging removals.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51At least you can rely on a well-proven system
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and the professionals to handle the legal stuff,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and the financial transactions.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But now, the huge sums involved in house buying and selling
0:10:01 > 0:10:03is attracting the fakers,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07and they have simple but staggeringly effective ways
0:10:07 > 0:10:09to get their hands on our cash.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Buying a property is one of the biggest decisions you ever make,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and today's house buyers stretch themselves to the financial limit,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22parting with eye-watering sums of money to secure their dream home.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25But property transactions are proving to be
0:10:25 > 0:10:27rich pickings for fraudsters.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Previously on Fake Britain, we've heard from Nick Christophi,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34who was targeted by one such scam.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35I'd done all the right things.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I bought through estate agents, through the solicitors,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I got the keys off the estate agent.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Paid over our money and everything.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Nick parted with £735,000 for a new home.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Yet, after moving in, he discovered that the house hadn't been paid for.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54It turned out the firm of solicitors
0:10:54 > 0:10:58hired by the property's seller was bogus, set up by fraudsters
0:10:58 > 0:11:00who disappeared with his cash.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05I've worked hard all my life to provide for me and my family.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10And just for that to be taken away from you, it was devastating.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I didn't think it was possible
0:11:13 > 0:11:16that anything like that could ever happen.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17But it did happen.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21And as Fake Britain found out, Nick was one of a number of victims
0:11:21 > 0:11:23of similar scams involving fake solicitors.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Now we're hearing of a new type of fraud targeting house purchases.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31After seeing Nick's story,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33we were contacted by Tom and Gay Henrick
0:11:33 > 0:11:36who'd been targeted while buying a holiday home.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39This time, the tactic used by the criminals
0:11:39 > 0:11:42was astonishingly simple, but just as effective.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46We were looking for somewhere that we could go to,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48since we've retired,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and spend some time just relaxing, really.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54We also have a daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and we thought it would be lovely for them,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59during the summer holidays.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01They hadn't been searching for long when they came across
0:12:01 > 0:12:04what they thought would be their dream property,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The location was fantastic.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10It's literally ten minutes from the sea.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Tom and Gay had an offer on the flat accepted,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17and at first, the buying process appeared to be going smoothly.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19But as the completion date approached,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21things took a turn for the worse.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We were making payments towards the property in stages,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29and then, all of a sudden, we had an e-mail to say could we transfer
0:12:29 > 0:12:35the remaining funds to a different sort code and account number.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37It appeared as if it had come from our solicitor,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39so off went the funds.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Asking for the money to be put into another account,
0:12:42 > 0:12:47because we were close to completion, didn't seem that unusual to me.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51It was only on the day of completion,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54when I had a phone call from our solicitor
0:12:54 > 0:12:57basically saying that the money wasn't in place,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00so the completion of the property would not take place.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I actually thought that the solicitor was being ridiculous.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I thought, "He must have the funds,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12"we've got the bank statement to prove the money's left our account."
0:13:12 > 0:13:15And just thought it was a silly, silly mistake on his part.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22I went down to see him, and brought down my iPad
0:13:22 > 0:13:27and showed him the e-mails, and then it all came to light.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31The account that the money went into was not the solicitor's,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and the e-mail that purported to be from the solicitors
0:13:35 > 0:13:37wasn't from the solicitors either.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The painful realisation began to dawn
0:13:40 > 0:13:42that the e-mail was fake.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44They'd been the victim of a deliberate deception,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46and their cash had been stolen.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51It was just utter shock. Disbelief.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55What was most shocking was how easy the scam appeared to be,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58relying on just one fake e-mail.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02This is the e-mail I received. The e-mail address looks,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04initially, exactly the same.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06And it's only under great scrutiny
0:14:06 > 0:14:09that you find there is one digit missing.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Very, very difficult to spot.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16It's almost certain that the culprits were computer hackers
0:14:16 > 0:14:20who'd known about the property purchase by intercepting e-mail
0:14:20 > 0:14:22between the Henricks and their solicitor.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26It's a crime which lawyer and cybercrime expert David Cook
0:14:26 > 0:14:28has seen many times.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31This hack relies on a person sitting on an e-mail account
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and listening for transactions going between two different people.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I call this an e-mail piggy-back scam,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and it doesn't really matter how somebody hacks
0:14:38 > 0:14:41into an e-mail account, although there's a variety of ways,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43but once they are in there, they listen out.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45When they hear about details of a transaction,
0:14:45 > 0:14:46they then send a false invoice.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49And the two different people who are a part of the transaction
0:14:49 > 0:14:51don't realise it's happened.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The fake e-mail or invoice gives the hackers' bank details,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57allowing them to walk off with huge sums of cash.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01It's a brazen crime which David says is rising sharply.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04These sorts of scams are becoming much more frequent now.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I'd say it's doubled in the last 12 months or so.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I'd probably see about one a month at the moment
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and they range from, at the lower end of the scale,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15about £50,000, right up to £250,000-£300,000.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18It's certainly becoming a much more frequent problem.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20What's most galling for Tom and Gay
0:15:20 > 0:15:22is that had they known what to look out for,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25the theft would have been easy to prevent.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26You're not going to necessarily know
0:15:26 > 0:15:28that somebody's sitting in your e-mail account,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30monitoring your e-mails, but the thing is
0:15:30 > 0:15:33when you receive an invoice, it's wise to check it out.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34So the invoice which has come by e-mail,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36have a read of the e-mail,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38see if it's in the sort of language you'd expect
0:15:38 > 0:15:41for a professional transaction or professional person to have sent.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Of course, if they've built up a relationship
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and it's the same account, over and over again,
0:15:45 > 0:15:46they don't need to check the details,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48because they know the person at the other end.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51But where it's a one-off or unusual transaction,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53or the nature of the transaction has changed -
0:15:53 > 0:15:55"Actually, don't send money to that account, send it to this account",
0:15:55 > 0:15:58ring up and make sure it's legitimate before you transfer,
0:15:58 > 0:15:59because you never know.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Despite reporting the fraud immediately,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05so far, only some of Tom and Gay's money has been recovered.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07They did still manage to buy their holiday flat
0:16:07 > 0:16:12by cashing in part of their pension, but it's been a big financial blow.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's a large amount of money to lose when you're both retired
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and you've got, sort of, a limited income, really.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23It has had a terrible effect and caused us a lot of distress
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and sleepless nights.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It will make a big difference to us.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Things like holidays, replacing the car,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34general maintenance of things on the house will have to go on hold.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36It's as simple as that.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I really don't think, if I was buying a property again,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43I would ever put anything of a sensitive nature in an e-mail.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53The work of Staffordshire ceramics maker Clarice Cliff
0:16:53 > 0:16:55is very collectable.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Her bright, distinctive patterns are instantly recognisable
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and if you enjoy browsing for antiques,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03there's a strong chance you'll have come across her work.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08But beware, because you may also come across things like this -
0:17:08 > 0:17:10fake Clarice Cliff.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13If you're chasing a collectable Clarice,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15how do you avoid falling for the fake?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Clarice Cliff, for me, is certainly one of the greatest ceramic
0:17:20 > 0:17:22designers of the 20th century.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Bright, colourful and highly recognisable.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30These designs are all the work of one woman - Clarice Cliff.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Raised in the Staffordshire potteries
0:17:32 > 0:17:33around the turn of the century,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37it's estimated that more than eight million pieces bear her name.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Auctioneer Will Farmer is one of the UK's
0:17:40 > 0:17:42foremost experts on her work.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44She completely broke tradition,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46she was a Potteries girls through and through,
0:17:46 > 0:17:52and broke through in what was an incredibly male-orientated industry
0:17:52 > 0:17:54to become one of the pioneers
0:17:54 > 0:17:56in terms of shaping taste, style, colour,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59pattern and form in the interwar period.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Clarice is highly collectable
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and while some pieces can be picked up for as little as £10,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09rare items can fetch as much as much as 80,000.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And that's proved too tempting for some.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15As this market grew, as people started to spend serious money
0:18:15 > 0:18:18on this as a commodity and as an investment,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20people on the outside looking in
0:18:20 > 0:18:22think this is the perfect opportunity
0:18:22 > 0:18:24to make a quick buck - and the result?
0:18:24 > 0:18:25You're going to get fakes.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Fakes like these.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30So this collection here on the table
0:18:30 > 0:18:32is actually my own personal rogues' gallery.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36These pieces, all four of these, are actually fakes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40They fall into sort of... a couple of specific categories.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43The first is the out-and-out forgery -
0:18:43 > 0:18:46that's seen in this example here.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49This vase is just wrong from top to bottom.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Everything about it is incorrect.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54The other side, and slightly scarier,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57are the genuine pieces of Clarice
0:18:57 > 0:19:00which have then been later decorated.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03This plate, for example, started life as a purely plain plate.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05And what somebody has done
0:19:05 > 0:19:09is they've taken a genuine Clarice Cliff pattern,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13but painted it up later with enamels to sort of deceive somebody
0:19:13 > 0:19:17that what they've got is a much earlier and much better piece.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And the fakes aren't hard to find.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Through various e-mails and looking online
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and handling pieces that come through the door, I would say,
0:19:24 > 0:19:29on average, I certainly see a fake piece at least once a month.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Which means for amateur collectors like Michael Swann,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37buying and selling Clarice Cliff can be a risky business.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39That didn't stop him diving in when, 20 years ago,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42a Clarice piece caught his eye.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Well, I was a delivery driver, a delivery man,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48stopping in antique shops, charity shops, second-hand shops,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50just looking for various bargains that I liked.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54And I went into one, I believe it was in Coventry.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It was a Clarice Cliff vase in the middle of this shop window.
0:19:56 > 0:20:02I loved it immediately, negotiated with the owner for £150
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and bought it.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07This is the vase in question.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11As you can see, it's got the traditional Clarice Cliff
0:20:11 > 0:20:12Night and Day design,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16with a wonderful Bizarre mark at the bottom.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21It's got lovely colours. Just looked so good, so nice, so clean.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The vase retained pride of place in Michael's living room
0:20:24 > 0:20:28for two decades, and he never questioned its authenticity.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32But then recently, he decided to sell it.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Michael took the vase to auctioneer Rick Alexander.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38A relative newcomer in the auctioneering world,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Rick was more than happy to enter Michael's vase
0:20:40 > 0:20:43into their winter sale.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46My first impressions of the piece was that it was just in line
0:20:46 > 0:20:48with typical Clarice of that period.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53You're talking about a piece that's 80, 90 years old, circa 1930s.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56The stamp all seemed to be right, so we were quite happy with it.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And when Rick researched the vase further, excitement grew.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04I initially put a valuation of £400-600 on it, but then,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08after I started researching former auction prices,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10I realised that it could actually fetch probably,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13like, £3,000, £4,000.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It seemed like it was quite a collectable piece.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Rick catalogued the item, taking pictures and videos,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20which he put on their website.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Before long, the vase was creating a buzz.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Straight away, we had two or three people leaving telephone bids.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29We had a couple of regular dealers that came in,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31they handled the item, they were happy to leave commission bids.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34They booked a telephone line as well, for the sale.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37It generated the interest that we expected.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40But Rick's confidence was short-lived.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43My initial doubts were raised when I had an e-mail from a collector.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46He said, "Oh, there's something that doesn't look quite right with it."
0:21:46 > 0:21:48So I asked him to elaborate.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50He was mentioning the colours on it
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and something not quite right about the shades.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The collector suspected that the vase might be a fake,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59putting Rick in a tricky situation.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Two days before the sale, I had another collector that came on,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04expressed the same kind of doubts.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And so, at this point, I was in a bit of a dilemma
0:22:07 > 0:22:09of exactly what to do.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It was an item that was going to sell for £4,000,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14so it was a big piece to have any problems with.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16So we got to the day before the sale
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and decided to withdraw it from sale,
0:22:19 > 0:22:20pending further investigation.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23So could the vase be a fake?
0:22:23 > 0:22:24During the course of our filming,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28we were alerted to about a dozen possible fakes being sold online
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and in auction rooms up and down the country,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33so there's no shortage of forgeries out there.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35But is this vase one of them?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44To find out, Rick's decided to make a trip to the West Midlands,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46to get a final verdict.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48If it does prove to be fake,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52it'll be a huge disappointment for the auction house.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54The cataloguing, the photographing,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56there's so much effort goes into this
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and if it turns out to be fake, then basically,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01all the work's been done for nothing.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09If anyone's going to be able to verify the vase's authenticity,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11it's auctioneer and expert Will Farmer,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14who reckons he handles more Clarice Cliff
0:23:14 > 0:23:16than anyone else in the country.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Under his beady eye, it doesn't take very long to reach a conclusion.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- Here's the infamous piece.- OK. Yep.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Well, I can tell straight away.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33The first thing that really shouts out is the colour palette.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37The colours that are here are all slightly wrong.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40You know, the blue's leaning towards purple,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44the yellow's too pale, the orange is too washy.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- Yeah. - Add to that the weight of the vase.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49- It's not right.- No.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Knowing that you were bringing this in today,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56I've actually got a genuine piece of same pattern.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I think putting the two side-by-side,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01it does nothing short than really nail the lid on the coffin
0:24:01 > 0:24:04of that vase being a fake, I'm afraid.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Absolutely, and it's confirmed our suspicions,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08which is why we took it out of the sale.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13And for vendor Michael Swann, the news comes as a surprise.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It didn't even enter my head that it was a fake.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I just thought I'd got an absolute bargain.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23At £150, a lovely Bizarre Night and Day Clarice Cliff vase -
0:24:23 > 0:24:25I'd hit a little jackpot.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27But Michael remains philosophical.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Having loved owning the vase for 20 years,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33he refuses to be angry about the forgery.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Well, I'm a bit disappointed, but when Rick told me that
0:24:36 > 0:24:40it was examined by one of the foremost experts on Clarice Cliff,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I have to take his word for it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It would have been nice for it to be genuine,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46but if it's not, it's not.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54When it comes to food,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58how something looks can be just as important as how it tastes.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Take these spices.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03It's not just the smell and flavour which make them appealing,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06but also their bright, attractive colours,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09which we assume to be fresh and natural.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11But when the food fakers get involved,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13it's not always the case.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Dangerous and illegal ingredients may be added
0:25:16 > 0:25:20to make the product look better... and it's putting our health at risk.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26From sweets to sauces and soft drinks,
0:25:26 > 0:25:27colourings are added to many food products,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31and as long as they're listed on the ingredients and they're safe,
0:25:31 > 0:25:32they're perfectly legal.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35But there is a darker side to food additives.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40In 2005, a food colouring called Sudan I
0:25:40 > 0:25:45was at the centre of one of Britain's biggest ever food recalls.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Watch what you eat -
0:25:46 > 0:25:49that's the warning from the Food Standards Agency
0:25:49 > 0:25:52after the discovery that a potentially cancer-causing dye
0:25:52 > 0:25:55has found its way into hundreds of common food products.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Sudan I had been banned two years earlier
0:25:58 > 0:26:00after being linked to cancer,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04but, despite this, was found to have made it into dozens of products
0:26:04 > 0:26:09via a contaminated batch of chilli powder used in a sauce.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Supermarkets have been ordered to clear the items from their shelves
0:26:12 > 0:26:13and the public told not to eat them.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But that wasn't the end of the problem.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20In West Yorkshire, the Trading Standards' food team
0:26:20 > 0:26:24have found further products containing illegal dyes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28We looked at samples of Asian confectionery that had, literally,
0:26:28 > 0:26:29a fluorescent pink colour to them.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And this included looking at mixtures of seeds
0:26:32 > 0:26:35where some of the seeds were a very bright pink colour,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and found them to contain rhodamine B.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Now, rhodamine B is a suspected carcinogen.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41It's not permitted for use in food.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45The type of product Duncan is talking about are these -
0:26:45 > 0:26:48sugar-coated fennel seeds, which, in Asian cuisine,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52are often served at the end of a meal as a tasty breath freshener.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Clearly the sweets have been artificially coloured,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59but how often does the fakery include the use of illegal dyes?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04To find out, we're conducting an experiment of our own,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07buying randomly selected brands of sugar-coated fennel seeds
0:27:07 > 0:27:10from shops across the capital.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12And we're sending ten of them
0:27:12 > 0:27:16to West Yorkshire Analytical Services to be tested.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Some of these samples are a mixture of many different colours,
0:27:19 > 0:27:20different types of food within the sample,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23so we're separating out the bright pink component
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and then that's shaken up with a solvent.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30The solvent is turned bright pink by the powerful food dyes,
0:27:30 > 0:27:31but are these dyes legal?
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Duncan's analysis will soon have the answer
0:27:36 > 0:27:40and it's not long before he finds a problem with one of the samples.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We can see a peak here which is rhodamine B
0:27:43 > 0:27:47and this is a level of about 32mg per kilogram.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49It's not just the one.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52In fact, three of our ten purchases have been proven to contain
0:27:52 > 0:27:57the banned dye, making them both illegal and dangerous.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Consuming any of it at all is going
0:27:59 > 0:28:02to increase an individual's risk of contracting cancer.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05It simply shouldn't be present in food that we're eating
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and it's illegal to sell that food.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Nevertheless, all three products are being openly sold in Britain.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14We've passed on the results of our analysis to Trading Standards
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and have asked them to investigate.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.