0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Police! Move it!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Get down!- Get down!
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Put your hands behind your back, now!
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Here at the Fake Britain house, we'll reveal the fakes
0:00:28 > 0:00:31that are flooding the market, conning people like you and me,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and making money for the criminals.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36We'll investigate the fraudsters who are selling us
0:00:36 > 0:00:40something that isn't real and 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 > 0:01:03There are no approved establishments in China for the export of beef.
0:01:03 > 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 > 0:01:18so simply and so convincingly.
0:01:18 > 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 > 0:01:31We reveal the websites helping students to fake their way
0:01:31 > 0:01:33to a degree.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I've just typed in "essay help"
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and this whole first page is just
0:01:37 > 0:01:40filled with adverts for essay-writing companies.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43It's not fair on those students that actually put the effort in.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And our investigation uncovers how banned, cancer-causing dyes
0:01:46 > 0:01:49are being used to fake the colour of food.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Consuming any of it at all is going to increase an individual's
0:01:53 > 0:01:55risk of contracting cancer.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58It simply shouldn't be present in food that we're eating.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Much of what we eat comes from abroad -
0:02:08 > 0:02:11around £40 billion worth of food every year.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And it's all subject to strict safety standards.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16The problem is enforcing those standards
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and keeping our borders secure is tough when the volume of trade
0:02:19 > 0:02:24is so huge and the fakers are trying so desperately to beat the system.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30The port of Southampton. 1.3 million containers
0:02:30 > 0:02:32are unloaded here every year,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36about a third of them containing food or animal-related products.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39This type of import is high risk,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42as not only is it destined for our dinner plates,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46but it could be contaminated with chemicals, toxins or disease.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Making sure that nothing harmful gets through is the job of the port
0:02:51 > 0:02:54health team, led by Sandra Westacott.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56We're right at the front line. This is the first
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and perhaps only opportunity that we will
0:02:58 > 0:03:03get for checking food before the products go on to the market.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The temptation to commit frauds is extraordinary.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11And economically, you stand a much better chance
0:03:11 > 0:03:16of evading any regulatory response
0:03:16 > 0:03:19with food fraud
0:03:19 > 0:03:20than you do with drugs.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Port Health inspects a small percentage of all
0:03:25 > 0:03:27the shipments coming into port.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Anything from fish...
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Tuna offcuts!
0:03:31 > 0:03:33..to Japanese specialities.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Roasted seaweed.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Some rice wine. Tasty rice crackers.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Even kitchenware, which is subject
0:03:40 > 0:03:43to similar controls to the food itself.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45They're...goblets.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Samples are sent off for scientific analysis and cargoes which
0:03:48 > 0:03:52don't meet the right standards can be detained or rejected.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But the whole inspection regime relies on the paperwork provided by
0:03:56 > 0:03:58the importers and shipping companies,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01starting with the ship's manifests.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I can see from the manifest description what
0:04:04 > 0:04:06is in a container. Some of the containers
0:04:06 > 0:04:09we will be very interested in. Others, we will not be.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12As well as a manifest,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16all the items are accompanied by certification which confirm
0:04:16 > 0:04:20that all the goods are safe and have been tested before being exported,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22to show they meet EU standards.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26But all too often, the paperwork and documents are inaccurate, or even fake.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Fake documentation can be a real problem.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Fraudulent certificates.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Certificates that do not bear any resemblance
0:04:34 > 0:04:37to the actual commodity.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Out on the forecourt, a container recently
0:04:40 > 0:04:43arrived from China has been selected for inspection.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48And from the paperwork, Sandra should know exactly what to expect inside.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51The packing list says
0:04:51 > 0:04:54sesame paste, iced tea, chilli,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56vermicelli rice noodles.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Only this time, she's in for a surprise,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04as inside the container, Sandra immediately spots what
0:05:04 > 0:05:07appear to be additional items.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11That's chilli powder, which could contain aflatoxins.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15These look like they're some sort of electronic games.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19This stuff was not declared on all of the legal documents.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21There is no comparison to the packing list.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It's a fake packing list.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The undeclared items don't come with any safety certification,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28so Sandra will need to give them all
0:05:28 > 0:05:32a thorough inspection to make sure that they're legal and safe.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35We have what I think...
0:05:35 > 0:05:38is sesame paste.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40And it smells like sesame paste,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42but it also smells of peanut.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46There is no English at all here.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50So, for somebody who's buying that, if there were peanuts in there
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and they were allergic to peanuts, then that could cause them
0:05:54 > 0:05:56some very serious health problems.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00But the labelling issues are just the start,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04as Sandra soon finds further evidence of a deliberate attempt
0:06:04 > 0:06:06to evade import controls.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11We have images of electronic materials,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15and when we open, we find...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18pouches of animal fat.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24I think that it is either duck, shredded duck,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27or possibly even beef.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30As animal products are subject to strict import controls,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Sandra is suspicious.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36So are we using fake boxes
0:06:36 > 0:06:41to hide something that shouldn't be coming into the country?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43And suspicions appear to be confirmed
0:06:43 > 0:06:47when even more animal product is found disguised in other boxes.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50A drinking set, a jug, and glasses.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57But when we come in, we have foodstuffs.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01The ingredients are beef fat, as the primary ingredient.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04This is a completely banned product.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05This is an illegal product.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09There are no approved establishments in China for the export
0:07:09 > 0:07:13of beef products to the European Union.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17For us, that's a real, real concern.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21So the fake packing list is hiding illegal imports of animal products.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Another thing it didn't mention is alcohol.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28This is some sort of rice spirit.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30We think this is beer.
0:07:30 > 0:07:3256% alcohol.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35All this is evidence of yet another crime.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I'm concluding that they tried to conceal this to evade
0:07:39 > 0:07:43any sort of taxation or import duties to customs.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45It is smuggling.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48But it's not just the hidden contents of the container
0:07:48 > 0:07:49which are troubling Sandra.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53There's also the standard of hygiene.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Filth.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00The containers and the products should be clean, coming through.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05This could easily be the cause of another foot and mouth outbreak.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08If that is duck product,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11it could be the source of avian influenza.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14There are all sorts of very, very worrying things
0:08:14 > 0:08:16about this container.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19To make matters even worse, Sandra makes a horrifying discovery.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Oh, and that's rat droppings.
0:08:28 > 0:08:3424 years...I think I have seen one container with rat droppings in.
0:08:34 > 0:08:3724 years.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40The discovery means that this container poses a health risk
0:08:40 > 0:08:43much greater than Sandra had already feared.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49Rats carry not only...plague,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51but they also, you know, they can also
0:08:51 > 0:08:56have Weil's disease, if they've urinated anywhere in the box,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58which I presume they have.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02We haven't found any live rats, but the rat droppings...
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It's very clear they have been in the container.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10You know, this consignment could lead to so many animal health
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and so many public health problems as well.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23Unsurprisingly, the container was rejected for entry into the UK.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And after a thorough investigation, the importer only
0:09:26 > 0:09:29narrowly escaped criminal charges. But for Sandra, it's a
0:09:29 > 0:09:34potent reminder of the huge risks posed to the public by food fakery.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38This container is one of the worst examples, in terms
0:09:38 > 0:09:43of the risk to public and animal health, I have seen in 24 years.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45This is not just about it being a con,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48this is actually dangerous as well.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58Buying a house can be a stressful experience - finding a property,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02selling the old place, packing everything, arranging removals.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06At least you can rely on a well-proven system
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and the professionals to handle the legal stuff,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and the financial transactions.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14But now, the huge sums involved in house buying
0:10:14 > 0:10:19and selling is attracting the fakers, and they have simple
0:10:19 > 0:10:23but staggeringly effective ways to get their hands on our cash.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Buying a property is one of the biggest decisions you ever make,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and today's house buyers stretch themselves to the financial limit,
0:10:31 > 0:10:36parting with eye-watering sums of money to secure their dream home.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39But property transactions are proving to be
0:10:39 > 0:10:41rich pickings for fraudsters.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Previously on Fake Britain, we heard from Nick Christophi,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47who was targeted by one such scam.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I done all the right things.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I bought through estate agents, through the solicitors,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I got the keys off the estate agent.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Paid over our money and everything.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01Nick parted with £735,000 for a new home.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Yet, after moving in, he discovered that the house hadn't been paid for.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09It turned out the firm of solicitors hired by the property's seller
0:11:09 > 0:11:14was bogus, set up by fraudsters who disappeared with his cash.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I've worked hard all my life to provide for me and my family.
0:11:19 > 0:11:25And just for that to be taken away from you, it was devastating.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I didn't think it was possible
0:11:27 > 0:11:30anything like that could ever happen.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31But it did happen.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33And as Fake Britain found out, Nick was
0:11:33 > 0:11:37one of a number of victims of similar scams involving fake solicitors.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Now we're hearing of a new type of fraud targeting house purchases.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47After seeing Nick's story, we were contacted by Tom and Gay Henrick
0:11:47 > 0:11:50who'd been targeted while buying a holiday home.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55This time, the tactic used by the criminals was astonishingly simple,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56but just as effective.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02We were looking for somewhere that we could go to, since we've retired,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and spend some time just relaxing, really.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08We also have a daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and we thought it would be lovely for them,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13during the summer holidays.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16They hadn't been searching for long when they came across what
0:12:16 > 0:12:18they thought would be their dream property,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25The location was fantastic. It's literally 10 minutes from the sea.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29It was very close to the golf course, which I quite like.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30And you can see the river.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Aldeburgh is just a lovely place to be, really.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Tom and Gay had an offer on the flat accepted,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and at first the buying process appeared to be going smoothly.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43But as the completion date approached,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45things took a turn for the worse.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49We were making payments towards the property in stages,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and then, all of a sudden, we had an e-mail to say could we transfer
0:12:53 > 0:12:59the remaining funds to a different sort code and account number.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01It appeared as if it had come from our solicitor,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03so off went the funds.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Asking for the money to be put into another account,
0:13:06 > 0:13:11because we were close to completion, didn't seem that unusual to me.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15It was only on the day of completion, when I had
0:13:15 > 0:13:20a phone call from our solicitor basically saying that the money
0:13:20 > 0:13:23wasn't in place, so the completion of the property
0:13:23 > 0:13:26would not take place.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31I actually thought that the solicitor was being ridiculous.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36I thought, "He must have the funds, we've got the bank statement to prove the money's left our account."
0:13:36 > 0:13:39And just thought it was a silly, silly mistake on his part.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46I went down to see him, and brought down my iPad
0:13:46 > 0:13:51and showed him the e-mails, and then it all came to light.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The account that the money went into was not the solicitor's,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and the e-mail that purported to be from the solicitors
0:13:59 > 0:14:01wasn't from the solicitors either.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04The painful realisation began to dawn
0:14:04 > 0:14:06that the e-mail was fake.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08They'd been the victim of a deliberate deception,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and their cash had been stolen.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17When Tom returned home from the solicitors, he just said,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21"We've been scammed for, well, it was actually 98,000."
0:14:21 > 0:14:25And I looked at him in disbelief and thought,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27"Oh, this is some kind of sick joke."
0:14:27 > 0:14:30And then realised that he was quite serious,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32and it was just utter shock.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Disbelief.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38What was most shocking was how easy the scam appeared to be,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40relying on just one fake e-mail.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45This is the e-mail I received. The e-mail address looks,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47initially, exactly the same.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50And it's only under great scrutiny that you find there is
0:14:50 > 0:14:54one digit missing. Very, very difficult to spot.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58It had never occurred to me that somebody could do this
0:14:58 > 0:15:00so simply and so convincingly.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It's almost certain that the culprits were computer hackers
0:15:06 > 0:15:09who'd known about the property purchase by intercepting e-mail
0:15:09 > 0:15:11between the Hendricks and their solicitor.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13It's a crime which lawyer
0:15:13 > 0:15:17and cybercrime expert David Cook has seen many times.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20This hack relies on a person sitting on an e-mail account
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and listening for transactions going between two different people.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I call this an e-mail piggy-back scam,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and it doesn't really matter how somebody hacks
0:15:27 > 0:15:30into an e-mail account, although there's a variety of ways,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33but once they are in there, they listen out. When they hear
0:15:33 > 0:15:36about details of a transaction, they then send a false invoice.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And the two different people who are a part of the transaction don't realise it's happened.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44The fake e-mail or invoice gives the hackers bank details,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47allowing them to walk off with huge sums of cash.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51It's a brazen crime which David says is rising sharply.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53These sorts of scams are becoming much more frequent now.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I'd say it's doubled in the last 12 months or so.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59I'd probably see about one a month at the moment and they range from,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04at the lower end of the scale, about £50,000 right up to £250,000-£300,000.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's certainly becoming a much more frequent problem.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11What's most galling for Tom and Gay is that had they known what to
0:16:11 > 0:16:14look out for, the theft would have been easy to prevent.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17You're not going to necessarily know that somebody's in your
0:16:17 > 0:16:19e-mail account monitoring your e-mails,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21but the thing is when you receive an invoice,
0:16:21 > 0:16:22it's wise to check it out.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25So the invoice which has come by e-mail, have a read of the e-mail,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27see if it's in the sort of language you would expect
0:16:27 > 0:16:30for a professional transaction or professional person to have sent.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Of course, if they've built up a relationship and it's
0:16:32 > 0:16:35the same account, over and over again, they don't need to check
0:16:35 > 0:16:38the details, because they know the person at the other end.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40But where it's a one-off or unusual transaction,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43or the nature of the transaction has changed, actually don't send money
0:16:43 > 0:16:46to that account, send it to this account, ring up and make sure it's
0:16:46 > 0:16:48legitimate before you transfer, because you never know.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Despite reporting the fraud immediately,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54so far, only some of Tom and Gay's money has been recovered.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57They did still manage to buy their holiday flat by cashing in
0:16:57 > 0:17:01part of their pension, but it's been a big financial blow.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It's a large amount of money to lose when you're both retired
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and you've got sort of limited income, really.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13It has had a terrible effect and caused us a lot of distress
0:17:13 > 0:17:14and sleepless nights.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It will make a big difference to us. Things like holidays,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19replacing the car,
0:17:19 > 0:17:24general maintenance of things on the house will have to go on hold.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25It's as simple as that.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I really don't think, if I was buying a property again,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33I would ever put anything of a sensitive nature in an e-mail.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43The work of Staffordshire ceramics maker Clarice Cliff is
0:17:43 > 0:17:46very collectable. Her bright, distinctive patterns
0:17:46 > 0:17:50are instantly recognisable. And if you enjoy browsing for antiques,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53there's a strong chance you'll have come across her work.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57But beware, because you may also come across things like this,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59fake Clarice Cliff.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02If you're chasing a collectable Clarice,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04how do you avoid falling for the fake?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Clarice Cliff, for me, is certainly one of the greatest ceramic designers of the 20th century.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Bright, colourful and highly recognisable.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19These designs are all the work of one woman - Clarice Cliff.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Raised in the Staffordshire potteries around the turn of the century,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27it's estimated that more than eight million pieces bear her name.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Auctioneer Will Farmer is one of the UK's
0:18:29 > 0:18:31foremost experts on her work.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35She completely broke tradition, she was a potteries girls through
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and through, and broke through in
0:18:38 > 0:18:42what was an incredibly male-orientated industry to become
0:18:42 > 0:18:46one of the pioneers in terms of shaping taste, style, colour,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49pattern and form in the interwar period.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Clarice is highly collectable, and while some pieces can be picked up
0:18:52 > 0:18:58for as little as £10, rare items can fetch as much as much as 80,000.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01And that's proved too tempting for some.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04As this market grew, as people started to spend serious money
0:19:04 > 0:19:07on this as a commodity and as an investment,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10people on the outside looking in think this is
0:19:10 > 0:19:13the perfect opportunity for to make a quick buck. And the result?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15You're going to get fakes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Fakes like these.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20So this collection here on the table is actually my own
0:19:20 > 0:19:22personal rogues' gallery.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25These pieces, all four of these, are actually fakes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30They fall into sort of... a couple of specific categories.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The first is the out-and-out forgery
0:19:33 > 0:19:35that's seen in this example here.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39This vase is just wrong from top to bottom.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Everything about it is incorrect.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45The other side, and slightly scarier, are the genuine pieces
0:19:45 > 0:19:49of Clarice which have then been later decorated.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53This plate, for example, started life as a purely plain plate.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56And what somebody has done is they've taken a genuine
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Clarice Cliff pattern,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02but painted it up later with enamels to sort of deceive somebody
0:20:02 > 0:20:06that what they've got is a much earlier and much better piece.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And the fakes aren't hard to find.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Through various e-mails and looking online
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and handling pieces that come through the door, I would say,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18on average, I certainly see a fake piece at least once a month.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Which means for amateur collectors like Michael Swann,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26buying and selling Clarice Cliff can be a risky business.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29That didn't stop him diving in when, 20 years ago,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31a Clarice piece caught his eye.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Well, I was a delivery driver, a delivery man,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37stopping in antique shops, charity shops, second-hand shops,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40just looking for various bargains that I liked.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43And I went into one, I believe it was in Coventry.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It was a Clarice Cliff vase in the middle of this shop window.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51I loved it immediately, negotiated with the owner for £150
0:20:51 > 0:20:52and bought it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57This is the vase in question.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01As you can see, it's got the traditional Clarice Cliff
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Night and Day design,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06with a wonderful Bizarre mark at the bottom.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11It's got lovely colours. Just looked so good, so nice, so clean.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14The vase retained pride of place in Michael's living room for
0:21:14 > 0:21:18two decades, and he never questioned its authenticity.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21But then recently, he decided to sell it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Michael took the vase to auctioneer Rick Alexander.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28A relative newcomer in the auctioneering world, Rick was
0:21:28 > 0:21:32more than happy to enter Michael's vase into their winter sale.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35My first impressions of the piece was that it was just in line
0:21:35 > 0:21:37with typical Clarice of that period.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42You're talking about a piece that's 80, 90 years old, circa 1930s.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46The stamp all seemed to be right, so we were quite happy with it.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And when Rick researched the vase further, excitement grew.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I initially put a valuation of £400-600 on it, but then,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57after I started researching former auction prices,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02I realised that it could actually fetch probably, like, £3,000, £4,000.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04It seemed like it was quite a collectable piece.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Rick catalogued the item, taking pictures and videos,
0:22:07 > 0:22:12which he put on their website. Before long, the vase was creating a buzz.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Straight away, we had two or three people leaving telephone bids.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18We had a couple of regular dealers that came in,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21they handled the item, they were happy to leave commission bids.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23They booked a telephone line as well, for the sale.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26It generated the interest that we expected.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30But Rick's confidence was short-lived.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32My initial doubts were raised when I had an e-mail from a collector.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35He said, oh, there's something that doesn't look quite right with it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37So I asked him to elaborate.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40He was mentioning the colours on it
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and something not quite right about the shades.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46The collector suspected that the vase might be a fake,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48putting Rick in a tricky situation.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Two days before the sale, I had another collector that came on,
0:22:52 > 0:22:53expressed the same kind of doubts.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And so, at this point, I was in a bit of a dilemma
0:22:56 > 0:22:58of exactly what to do.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01It was an item that was going to sell for £4,000,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04so it was a big piece to have any problems with.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06So we got to the day before the sale
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and decided to withdraw it from sale, pending further investigation.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12So could the vase be a fake?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14During the course of our filming,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18we were alerted to about a dozen possible fakes being sold online
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and in auction rooms up and down the country, so there's no
0:23:21 > 0:23:24shortage of forgeries out there. But is this vase one of them?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33To find out, Rick's decided to make a trip to the West Midlands,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35to get a final verdict.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37If it does prove to be fake,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41it'll be a huge disappointment for the auction house.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43The cataloguing, the photographing, there's
0:23:43 > 0:23:48so much effort goes into this and if it turns out to be fake, then
0:23:48 > 0:23:51basically, all the work's been done for nothing.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59If anyone's going to be able to verify the vase's authenticity,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01it's auctioneer and expert Will Farmer, who reckons
0:24:01 > 0:24:05he handles more Clarice Cliff than anyone else in the country.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Under his beady eye, it doesn't take very long to reach a conclusion.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- Here's the infamous piece.- OK. Yep.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Well, I can tell straight away.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23The first thing that really shouts out is the colour palette.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27The colours that are here are all slightly wrong. You know,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31the blue's leaning towards purple, the yellow's too pale,
0:24:31 > 0:24:37- the orange is too washy.- Yeah. - Add to that the weight of the vase.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- It's not right.- No.- I actually sort of recognise this vase.- Right.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43I've known this vase.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49There was a batch of fakes that hit the market in the last 20 years.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- Right.- There was a number of them done in really top-flight patterns.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- Right.- And whoever was doing them was totally doing them to deceive.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- Right.- So they will have taken a mould off a genuine vase,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04which means that the size and the shape of this piece
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- is slightly wrong.- Yeah.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So the paints we've touched on, but then also, the key thing here,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12this mark - it's almost trying too hard.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- Scale-wise, it's sort of nearly there.- Yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19But this foot rim, the ground underneath,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21it's missing its honey glaze, you know,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24it's missing that sort of quality.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Knowing that you were bringing this in today,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I've actually got a genuine piece of same pattern.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I think putting the two side-by-side,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35it does nothing short than really
0:25:35 > 0:25:38nail the lid on the coffin of that vase being a fake, I'm afraid.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Absolutely, and it's confirmed our suspicions, which is
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- why we took it out of the sale. Thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- Thank you.- No problem. - Now to tell the vendor.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53And for vendor Michael Swann, the news comes as a surprise.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It didn't even enter my head that it was a fake.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I just thought I'd got an absolute bargain. At £150, a lovely
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Bizarre Night and Day Clarice Cliff vase - I'd hit a little jackpot.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07But Michael remains philosophical.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Having loved owning the vase for 20 years,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12he refuses to be angry about the forgery.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Well, I'm a bit disappointed, but when Rick told me that
0:26:15 > 0:26:19it was examined by one of the foremost experts on Clarice Cliff,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I have to take his word for it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24It would have been nice for it to be genuine,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26but if it's not, it's not.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36These are 2,000-word essays, complete with quotations and references,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40ready to be handed in at a college or university for marking.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43It's estimated that it would take a student a full week of work
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and research to write one of these. Or it could
0:26:46 > 0:26:49be bought for a couple of hundred pounds, handed in as original work,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and someone could fake their way to a qualification.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Those cheats could be getting jobs they just don't deserve.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00This is what taking a degree is supposed to look like -
0:27:00 > 0:27:06hours of dedicated study, afternoons spent in the university library.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08But now there's a booming industry of websites where,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12instead of students writing their own essays, they can buy them.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14At Birmingham City University,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18computing lecturers Thomas Lancaster and Bob Clark have for years
0:27:18 > 0:27:20been researching the growth of a phenomenon
0:27:20 > 0:27:23they call contract cheating.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Contract cheating is where a student uses a third party to produce
0:27:26 > 0:27:30original work for them, and one of the main ways they
0:27:30 > 0:27:34do that are by using online companies, called essay mills.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38To show us the scale of the problem, Thomas is logging on.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Here I am in Google.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I've just typed in "essay help" and this whole first page is
0:27:43 > 0:27:47just filled with adverts for essay-writing companies.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51These so-called essay mills sell bespoke, made-to-order essays
0:27:51 > 0:27:54on any subject, written by their own researchers.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57So if I click through to one of these services,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01all kinds of different types of work that can be delivered here.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Everything from essays to coursework,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06even up to a full research proposal or dissertation.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09You could even get this done with a three-hour service -
0:28:09 > 0:28:12perfect if you've let your work to the last minute.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13The websites say their essays
0:28:13 > 0:28:16are meant to help students with their research.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19They also promise strict confidentiality
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and Thomas says their real purpose is obvious.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24They're providing students with fake coursework,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27which they'll hand in as if it's their own work.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Many students have been caught doing it
0:28:29 > 0:28:33and Thomas believes many more are going undetected.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Getting someone else to write your essay for you
0:28:35 > 0:28:37dates back to the '50s and '60s,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40when there used to be adverts in the back of newspapers,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42but it's really ballooned with the growth of the internet.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46The ease with which students can cheat is amazing.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50So how easy do essay mills make it
0:28:50 > 0:28:53for students to fake their coursework?
0:28:53 > 0:28:56To find out, we're joining one of Thomas's computer science classes,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and they've been set an essay to write.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01It's an assignment where students have to write
0:29:01 > 0:29:04a review of academic literature, so it's quite challenging.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06It involves a lot of reading, putting together information,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10synthesising it, identifying and critiquing themes.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13We'd expect students to put in about 45 hours of effort
0:29:13 > 0:29:15to get a good mark in that assignment.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Alongside the real students,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20this assignment is also going to be completed by our researcher.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23As she doesn't know anything at all about computing,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26she's unlikely to get a very good mark,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28at least not without the help
0:29:28 > 0:29:31of one of the UK's largest essay mill sites, UK Essays.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Hi, I've got an essay I need to write by next week
0:29:34 > 0:29:36and I wondered if this is something you can help with?
0:29:36 > 0:29:39OK, what kind of subject area is it in?
0:29:39 > 0:29:41It's computer science.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43UK Essays says it can provide us
0:29:43 > 0:29:47with a completely original bespoke assignment in less than a day.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51But as we're in no hurry, we opt for a week-long turnaround.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Were you looking for a 2:2, a 2:1 or a first?
0:29:55 > 0:30:00- A 2:1.- OK, that'll be £275.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06So a 2,000-word essay for £275 within a week.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08In fact, it arrives in just three days
0:30:08 > 0:30:12and we give it to Thomas Lancaster to mark.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14It certainly meets the style and format we'd expect
0:30:14 > 0:30:17from a review from one of our students.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20The references are all up to date, so their sources are from 2015
0:30:20 > 0:30:25and the themes are well reviewed. An excellent writing style.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27The conclusion is a little bit short and limited,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30so there's more work that could have been done on that section.
0:30:30 > 0:30:37- And the verdict?- I'd see this as a mark of 65%, which is a 2:1.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Just as UK Essays had promised.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44What's more, Thomas says there's no way
0:30:44 > 0:30:46he'd be able to tell the coursework was fake.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49There's nothing that stands out as being wrong with this essay.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's well written, it matches what we asked for in the assignment brief
0:30:53 > 0:30:55and it's written in UK English,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57so there's nothing that stands out to me
0:30:57 > 0:31:00that says this has been written by a third party.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03The rest of the class has also completed the essay,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06only in their case, using hard graft.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08So what do they make of our fake coursework
0:31:08 > 0:31:10and the website that provided it?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I put about 100 hours into the essay, so the fact that someone
0:31:13 > 0:31:16could just go out there and buy it really disgusts me.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18It's not fair on the students that put the effort in.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20What's the point in being at a university
0:31:20 > 0:31:23if you're not going to apply yourself and earn your degree?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27I think I got about 65% and the fact that people can go online
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and buy these essays,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32it's kind of disgraceful because it devalues my degree.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35A sentiment echoed by the teachers.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Students are getting an award which they're not entitled to.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40They haven't done their own work,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42they haven't gone through all the hard sweat and slog
0:31:42 > 0:31:44needed to get a university degree
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and students are then applying for jobs
0:31:46 > 0:31:49which they have no business applying for.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Let's imagine you're treated by a nurse
0:31:52 > 0:31:54who's cheated their way through their degree course.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57What if they prescribe you the wrong amount of medication?
0:31:57 > 0:32:02So how do these essay mill sites get away with it?
0:32:02 > 0:32:05The answer is that they say the essays they sell
0:32:05 > 0:32:06are never meant to be handed in.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11They're model answers designed to help students with their research.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Daniel Dennehy is the customer care manager at UK Essays,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19the company from which we bought our essay.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21We're not helping students cheat, no.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23We're here as a learning guide,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27a learning tool to help students get the very best out of university.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30We can do the research for them, but they still need to read it,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33understand it and still produce their own work from that.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Ours is only a guide, a model answer.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36We're just putting a number of thoughts across
0:32:36 > 0:32:37on one particular essay.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42But that's a claim Thomas Lancaster describes as ludicrous.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Not many students are going to go out there and pay for work
0:32:45 > 0:32:47and then do nothing else with it
0:32:47 > 0:32:50because universities provide plenty of model essays and support already.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55And there's another question - what exactly are UK Essays doing
0:32:55 > 0:32:59to stop students from using their essays as their own fake coursework?
0:32:59 > 0:33:02We can't guarantee that they won't hand the work in.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05From speaking to the customers over the last eight years,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07I know for a fact that a majority of our customers
0:33:07 > 0:33:09do use the work correctly,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11but if one of our agents on the phone fully understands
0:33:11 > 0:33:13when they're talking to the customer
0:33:13 > 0:33:15and they say to us, "I'm going to hand the work in,"
0:33:15 > 0:33:17then, as a company, we won't help them.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22But many essay mill companies simply turn a blind eye to cheating.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Our imaginary student contacted ten of them to find out
0:33:25 > 0:33:28what they'd say if she made it perfectly clear
0:33:28 > 0:33:32she planned to hand in their essay as her own.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Will I need to do some more work on the essay
0:33:34 > 0:33:35or will it be ready to hand in?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Only three companies, one of them UK Essays,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40told us we couldn't do this.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42You do need to make sure you use the work in accordance
0:33:42 > 0:33:47with our fair use policy, which is to use it as a perfect example,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50learn from it and then write it in your own words.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Three said they didn't recommend that we hand the work in,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55but made it clear that they wouldn't stop us.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57We say you need to rewrite it,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59but it'll be sent in a format that can be submitted.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02We don't recommend that, obviously.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05- But can I still order it from you?- Yes.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08And four of the companies said we could hand the work in.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Once the paper is completed, you may download, check it
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and if you're satisfied, you can submit it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19No-one knows just how many students are faking their coursework,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22but it's clear the problem is rife.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Hearing that essay-writing services were being openly advertised
0:34:25 > 0:34:27outside university buildings in London,
0:34:27 > 0:34:30we sent our researcher to take a look
0:34:30 > 0:34:31and sure enough,
0:34:31 > 0:34:36flyer after flyer posted by writers offering coursework for cash.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Back at Birmingham City University, lecturers Thomas Lancaster
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and Bob Clarke have taken matters into their own hands,
0:34:43 > 0:34:48gathering as much evidence as they can about the scale of the epidemic.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Bob even spends hours monitoring websites,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53looking for any clues to identify students that are cheating.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57And in five years, he's personally reported 1,000 students
0:34:57 > 0:35:00across the world to their universities.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04For students contemplating handing in a piece of fake coursework,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07he has one simple piece of advice.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Don't do it. You're only cheating yourself
0:35:09 > 0:35:10and you're cheating your friends.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21When it comes to food,
0:35:21 > 0:35:26how something looks can be just as important as how it tastes.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27Take these spices.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30It's not just the smell and flavour which make them appealing,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33but also their bright, attractive colours,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36which we assume to be fresh and natural.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40But when the food fakers get involved, it's not always the case.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Dangerous and illegal ingredients may be added
0:35:43 > 0:35:47to make the product look better... and it's putting our health at risk.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53From sweets to sauces and soft drinks,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56colourings are added to many common food and drink products,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59and as long as they're listed on the ingredients and they're safe,
0:35:59 > 0:36:05they're perfectly legal. But there is a darker side to food additives.
0:36:05 > 0:36:10Jo Hamer leads the food team at West Yorkshire Trading Standards.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13One product that's on their radar is chilli powder.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16As Trading Standards officers, we sample various food things.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Chilli we look for, because it's a vibrant colour.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23We look to see if there's been any colour added to it
0:36:23 > 0:36:25that shouldn't be there. So the brighter the colour,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28the more vibrant, the more aesthetically pleasing to a customer
0:36:28 > 0:36:30and the more likely to increase a sale, I suppose.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33A few years ago, there was some colour
0:36:33 > 0:36:36that was not approved for use in the EU, found in chilli powders.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41That dye was called Sudan I and in 2005,
0:36:41 > 0:36:45was at the centre of one of Britain's biggest ever food recalls.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46Watch what you eat -
0:36:46 > 0:36:49that's the warning from the Food Standards Agency
0:36:49 > 0:36:52after the discovery that a potentially cancer-causing dye
0:36:52 > 0:36:55has found its way into hundreds of common food products.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00Sudan I had been banned two years earlier after being linked to cancer,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04but, despite this, was found to have made it into dozens of products
0:37:04 > 0:37:08via a contaminated batch of chilli powder used in a sauce.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Supermarkets have been ordered to clear the items from their shelves
0:37:12 > 0:37:13and the public told not to eat them.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17It's Trading Standards' job to make sure that instances like this
0:37:17 > 0:37:20don't happen again, so Jo and her food team
0:37:20 > 0:37:23regularly carry out routine sampling,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27buying items from the supermarket shelves and getting them tested.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30On a recent trip to the Holbeck area of Leeds, they made what would
0:37:30 > 0:37:35prove to be an interesting purchase from a shop called Venus Foods.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Two of the products that we test purchased
0:37:38 > 0:37:40or we took a formal sample of were the chilli powders.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43The samples were taken back to the labs
0:37:43 > 0:37:45at West Yorkshire Analytical Services,
0:37:45 > 0:37:49where they were tested by public analyst Duncan Campbell.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52A small amount of the sample is weighed out
0:37:52 > 0:37:53and extracted with a solvent,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56so if any dyes are present in the chilli powder,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59they dissolve into the solvent and then those dyes -
0:37:59 > 0:38:01it might be a mixture of dyes -
0:38:01 > 0:38:04are separated and quantified using a chromatographic technique.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07The testing should uncover any colourings
0:38:07 > 0:38:09that have been added to the food,
0:38:09 > 0:38:13but Duncan will in particular be looking out for Sudan I.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15If we can find any at all in a food,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17it's illegal, it shouldn't be on sale.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20So what did the analysis of the chilli powder
0:38:20 > 0:38:23bought at Venus Foods show?
0:38:23 > 0:38:27So here we're looking at the trace from the sample of chilli powder
0:38:27 > 0:38:29and it contains two illegal dyes.
0:38:29 > 0:38:35The first one is Sudan I and the one eluting later is Sudan IV
0:38:35 > 0:38:37and we can tell from our calibration standards
0:38:37 > 0:38:39and the size of these peaks
0:38:39 > 0:38:43that we're looking at 1,500mg per kilogram of Sudan I
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and about 460mg per kilogram of Sudan IV.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50The chilli contained not one, but two banned dyes,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54both linked with cancer, and the quantity present
0:38:54 > 0:38:57leaves Duncan in no doubt that there's been foul play.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59At the levels we're finding in these samples,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02it's to enhance the quality of the product. It's fake.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04It's basically a poor quality of chilli powder.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08It might have been around for a long time, it's looking brown,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11it's not going to be very saleable at a wholesale level
0:39:11 > 0:39:13or back down the supply chain
0:39:13 > 0:39:17so the deliberate addition of Sudan I, Sudan IV
0:39:17 > 0:39:19gives it a deep red colour.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23A fake product, something pretending to be what it's not.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28It was a deliberate fraud, but also a serious risk to public health.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Both of these substances are carcinogenic, so there is a danger
0:39:33 > 0:39:35eating a chilli powder containing them
0:39:35 > 0:39:37or a food made with that chilli powder is going to increase
0:39:37 > 0:39:39an individual's risk of contracting cancer.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42For the Trading Standards team,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46the discovery of the Sudan dyes required urgent investigation.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49When we found the results from the public analyst,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51it was obviously something we had to react on quite quickly.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54We knew that somewhere down the supply chain,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57whether that was at the manufacturers, suppliers
0:39:57 > 0:40:02or the retailers, the traders, there had been some kind of food fakery.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03Somebody had committed food fraud.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05At that stage, we didn't know where
0:40:05 > 0:40:08so we returned to the business to let them know about the results
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and make sure that no other of the same batch were still left on sale,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14as it shouldn't have ever been on the UK market to begin with.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Jo and her team acted fast, taking more samples
0:40:18 > 0:40:21and making further inquiries.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25In the end, they concluded that the retailer itself, Venus Foods,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27had a case to answer.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Our investigation showed that they had no due diligence,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32they hadn't taken reasonable precautions to stop this offence
0:40:32 > 0:40:35from happening and we decided to present a case to court.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38The company had to pay out £10,000 in fines and costs
0:40:38 > 0:40:43for selling the illegal chilli and other food offences.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46The magistrates obviously grasped the severity of the case
0:40:46 > 0:40:48with that quite substantial fine.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49The most important thing, really,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52is that that product is no longer on the market,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54which we're assured that it is not.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56We have since been back and tested further chilli products
0:40:56 > 0:40:59and they were clear of any Sudan I or IV dyes,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02so we're happy with the result of the case.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06But chilli powder isn't the only product which the food team
0:41:06 > 0:41:09in West Yorkshire has recently found to contain illegal dyes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13We looked at samples of Asian confectionery that literally
0:41:13 > 0:41:16had a fluorescent pink colour to them. And this included looking
0:41:16 > 0:41:19at mixtures of seeds where some of the seeds
0:41:19 > 0:41:23were a very bright pink colour, and found them to contain rhodamine B.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Now, rhodamine B is a suspected carcinogen.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26It's not permitted for use in food.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31The type of product Duncan is talking about are these -
0:41:31 > 0:41:33sugar-coated fennel seeds, which, in Asian cuisine,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37are often served at the end of a meal as a tasty breath freshener.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Clearly the sweets have been artificially coloured,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44but how often does the fakery include the use of illegal dyes?
0:41:46 > 0:41:49To find out, we're conducting an experiment of our own,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52buying randomly selected brands of sugar-coated fennel seeds
0:41:52 > 0:41:55from shops across the capital.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57And we're sending ten of them
0:41:57 > 0:42:01to West Yorkshire Analytical Services to be tested.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Some of these samples are a mixture of many different colours,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07different types of food within the sample, so we're separating out
0:42:07 > 0:42:10the bright pink component and then that's shaken up with the solvent.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15The solvent is turned bright pink by the powerful food dyes,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17but are these dyes legal?
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Duncan's analysis will soon have the answer
0:42:21 > 0:42:25and it's not long before he finds a problem with one of the samples.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28We can see a peak here which is rhodamine B
0:42:28 > 0:42:32and this is a level of about 32mg per kilogram.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It's not just the one.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38In fact, three of our ten purchases have been proven to contain
0:42:38 > 0:42:42the banned dye, making them both illegal and dangerous.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Consuming any of it at all is going
0:42:44 > 0:42:47to increase an individual's risk of contracting cancer.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50It simply shouldn't be present in food that we're eating
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and it's illegal to sell that food.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57Nevertheless, all three products are being openly sold in Britain.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00We've passed on the results of our analysis to Trading Standards
0:43:00 > 0:43:02and have asked them to investigate.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.