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Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:06 | |
Welcome to Fake Britain. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:07 | |
Police! | 0:00:09 | 0:00:10 | |
-Get down! Get down! -Down on the floor! Down! | 0:00:20 | 0:00:22 | |
Put your hands behind your back now. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
Here at the Fake Britain house, | 0:00:25 | 0:00:26 | |
we'll reveal the fakes that are flooding the market, | 0:00:26 | 0:00:29 | |
conning people like you and me and making money for the criminals. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:33 | |
We'll investigate the fraudsters who are selling us something | 0:00:33 | 0:00:37 | |
that isn't real and could be dangerous. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
And we'll help you avoid falling for a fake. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
Today on Fake Britain, | 0:00:44 | 0:00:45 | |
the dangerous ladders that could lead to disaster. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:48 | |
I could have broke my ankle, | 0:00:48 | 0:00:49 | |
and I am self-employed - that would have been my livelihood. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:53 | |
The fluffy hot water bottles that could kill your child. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
All that separates the child using this from mains electricity | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
is this thin piece of plastic. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:01 | |
The experts using technology to catch the identity fakers. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:06 | |
His image has been placed onto this counterfeit visa | 0:01:06 | 0:01:08 | |
in order for them to gain status. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
And the fake wood-burning stove installers putting lives at risk. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:17 | |
We expected to have a fully-functioning wood burner | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
and instead, our home was filling with smoke. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
It is very useful, but it is also potentially very dangerous. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:32 | |
Yes, it is a ladder. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
We would all expect that any ladder we buy would be safe. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:38 | |
Every ladder sold here in the UK has to meet basic safety standards. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:42 | |
Unfortunately, Fake Britain has found that is not true. | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
Knowing that when you're standing up here, not a great feeling. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:51 | |
It is reckoned there are two million ladders in use across the country. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:58 | |
You can buy one from a whole range of places, | 0:01:59 | 0:02:01 | |
from online sellers to major supermarkets. | 0:02:01 | 0:02:03 | |
But last year, ladders were the cause of over 50,000 visits to A & E. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:10 | |
Little wonder that they need to meet stringent product standards | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
before being sold to the general public. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:17 | |
All ladders manufactured and supplied within Britain and the EU | 0:02:19 | 0:02:23 | |
should be manufactured to specific standards and correctly classified. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:27 | |
But as Keith Dorman from Cambridgeshire discovered, | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
not every ladder's safety claims can be trusted. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
Keith had decided to buy a ladder, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
so he went online and quickly found one that he thought could do the job. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:43 | |
The product clearly stated it could hold 150kg, | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
or around 23st. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:49 | |
The weight stated on the details of the item, | 0:02:49 | 0:02:53 | |
I automatically thought that would take my weight. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:57 | |
But the ladder wasn't all that it appeared to be. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:01 | |
The first time I used it, I took it into the kitchen to hang a curtain | 0:03:01 | 0:03:05 | |
and as I put my foot on the bottom step, | 0:03:05 | 0:03:10 | |
put some weight on, the step folded around my foot. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:14 | |
And I stepped back in shock that it had broke. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:18 | |
Keith feels as though he had a lucky escape. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
I could have broke my ankle. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
And I am self-employed - that would have been my livelihood. | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
So, to me personally, it could have been... | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
terrible. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:34 | |
Fake Britain has discovered that Keith is not the only victim | 0:03:34 | 0:03:36 | |
of potentially dangerous ladders out there. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
Online, there are dozens of reports of ladders buckling or breaking, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:45 | |
sometimes on their very first outing. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:48 | |
And so, the authorities have decided to investigate whether some retailers | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
are selling ladders that carry fake claims | 0:03:56 | 0:03:58 | |
about their strength and safety. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
Acting on a tip-off, Ian Millward from Derbyshire Trading Standards | 0:04:02 | 0:04:05 | |
decided to test the market for fake ladders. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:09 | |
We went out looking for examples of these. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:11 | |
Some of these were only available online, | 0:04:11 | 0:04:13 | |
some were available through high-street stores. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
All of the ladders that Trading Standards test-purchased | 0:04:17 | 0:04:20 | |
displayed various safety markings, | 0:04:20 | 0:04:22 | |
including claims to meet specific ladder safety requirements. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:26 | |
Ian Millward wanted to see if the safety claims were genuine, | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
so he sent the ladders for independent testing. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
The telescopic ladder tested by Trading Standards extends to 3.75m | 0:04:36 | 0:04:41 | |
and is a type of ladder used by many professional tradesmen. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
And in this case, when it was tested, | 0:04:45 | 0:04:47 | |
two of the lock-in pins have actually seized in place. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:52 | |
The safety claims on this ladder were fake | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
and this fault could have resulted in fingers being trapped between rungs. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
All four of the retailers that sold these ladders, | 0:05:01 | 0:05:03 | |
including a supermarket chain, were given a caution by Trading Standards | 0:05:03 | 0:05:08 | |
and all of these products have been removed from sale. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
Fake Britain decided to investigate if other potentially dangerous | 0:05:14 | 0:05:17 | |
ladders with fake safety markings might be on sale. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:20 | |
Following a tip-off from an industry insider, | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
we purchased a telescopic ladder from a Cardiff branch | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
of cash-and-carry Makro UK, now part of the Booker Group. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
The ladder was of a similar type to the telescopic one | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
previously bought and tested by Trading Standards, | 0:05:35 | 0:05:38 | |
and claimed to have been tested by the safety certification company SGS. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:42 | |
We sent the ladder to be tested | 0:05:44 | 0:05:45 | |
at the British Standards Institution, BSI. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
Mark Mayo is BSI's ladder expert. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:52 | |
We're testing this ladder to the requirements of EN 131, | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
because that's what it is claiming compliance with. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:58 | |
Mark will test the ladder for torsion, | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
which is the degree to which it twists when subjected to pressure. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
By law, this ladder should be able to twist no more than 18 degrees, | 0:06:07 | 0:06:11 | |
meaning it won't topple over if the person on it | 0:06:11 | 0:06:14 | |
shifts their weight to the left or right. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
Initial reading is 25.9, which is way over the 18 that is allowed, | 0:06:26 | 0:06:31 | |
and it is rising as the twist continues in the ladder. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:34 | |
The readings are still going up. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
It is a definite failure to EN 131. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
As we saw from the packaging and the ladder itself, | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
they are claiming to meet the requirements of EN 131. | 0:06:45 | 0:06:49 | |
That is fake. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:50 | |
It doesn't meet that requirement, has we can quite clearly see, | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
and the ladder is not fit for purpose. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
It is a big fail for the ladder. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:57 | |
It carries fake safety labelling and it could be dangerous. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:01 | |
We contacted Blackspur, part of Hamble Distribution, | 0:07:02 | 0:07:05 | |
who supplied Makro with the ladder that we bought. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:08 | |
Blackspur sent us this SGS certificate and report | 0:07:08 | 0:07:11 | |
for the ladder, which we sent to SGS for inspection. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
SGS revealed that the certificate and report had been faked, | 0:07:15 | 0:07:20 | |
telling us some of the results have been altered. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:23 | |
The test results that had been faked related to torsion. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
Blackspur told us that they had been cheated | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
and that the genuine report had been altered without their knowledge. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:41 | |
We contacted Booker Group plc, who own Makro, and they said... | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
A passport is probably the most sophisticated and complex document | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
we will ever hold. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:08 | |
It is made under high security conditions and it is designed | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
to protect you, your identity and the security of the country. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:16 | |
ID documents are the most forged in the world | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
and telling the real from the fake can be extremely challenging. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
We followed the work of the National Document Fraud Unit | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
as they took on a case of suspicious IDs. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:29 | |
Around 200 million people enter and leave Britain every year. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
Border Force teams stationed at entry points across the UK | 0:08:35 | 0:08:39 | |
are responsible for making sure everyone | 0:08:39 | 0:08:41 | |
coming into or leaving the country is who they claim to be. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:45 | |
But the use of fake ID documents is on the rise. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:49 | |
Last year, Home Office enforcement teams arrested | 0:08:49 | 0:08:52 | |
over 10,000 people attempting to use fake documents at the border. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:56 | |
When authorities need to detect whether an identification is fake, | 0:08:59 | 0:09:03 | |
they contact the National Document Fraud Unit. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
The team there are uniquely equipped to uncover identity fakery. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:10 | |
Henry Bara is in charge of thousands of these genuine ID documents | 0:09:15 | 0:09:19 | |
from all over the world. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:21 | |
We have documents, passports, identity cards, driving licences. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:28 | |
For instance, here - Sierra Leonean passports. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:32 | |
Somalia. Soviet Union. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
South Sudan. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:36 | |
Driving licences. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:38 | |
Kazakhstan. Greece. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:40 | |
The United States. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:41 | |
In total, there are nearly 100,000 of these legitimate ID documents | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
in the archive. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
Sometimes the best way to spot a fake document | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
is by looking at the real thing. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
We use these as comparison documents, so if a document | 0:09:56 | 0:10:00 | |
is referred to is for an opinion as to their authenticity, | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
we will hopefully have a document of that same series. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:06 | |
When Home Office enforcement officers suspect that they've found a fake, | 0:10:07 | 0:10:11 | |
they get in touch with the experts. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:13 | |
And today, these suspected fake documents have just arrived. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:19 | |
They've been sent by the police and were being used by three men | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
who were detained at the Eurostar terminal at King's Cross St Pancras. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
Customs officials thought the documents looked suspicious | 0:10:28 | 0:10:31 | |
and the police are holding the men while the documents are assessed. | 0:10:31 | 0:10:34 | |
On initial inspection, Nadia Bremner, an analyst, | 0:10:37 | 0:10:40 | |
doesn't like the look of these visas. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
I've got some concerns with the visa, | 0:10:43 | 0:10:45 | |
so I'll have a proper look at it under higher magnification. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:47 | |
I'm looking at the background print on the visa. | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
I'm looking to see if it's been printed correctly | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
and looking for fine lines of solid colour. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:58 | |
Here it kind of breaks down into random coloured dots | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
and that's not what you want to see. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:03 | |
Now I'm going to compare the background print in this visa | 0:11:03 | 0:11:05 | |
to a genuine document | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
and just have a look at the differences between the two. | 0:11:07 | 0:11:09 | |
You can see that with the genuine document, | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
you've got lots of crisp, clear print, | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
fine lines of solid colour, nice, legible extra-small print, | 0:11:17 | 0:11:21 | |
and if you can compare that to the suspect document, | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
where you've got lots of dots | 0:11:24 | 0:11:25 | |
and it is just a really overall poor quality. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:27 | |
Nadia examines every detail on the visa. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:32 | |
I'm looking at the background print to see how that interacts | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
with the holographic feature, because the background print | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
should run over the top of the holographic device. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:40 | |
This entire visa appears to me to be counterfeit | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
and his image has been placed onto this counterfeit visa | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
in order for him to gain status in Italy. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:51 | |
So, the visas are fake. | 0:11:52 | 0:11:54 | |
What about the UK residency documents two of the men were found with? | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
So, this residence permit grants him access to the UK as a student, | 0:12:00 | 0:12:04 | |
so he can live and remain in the UK as long as he's a student, | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
but he can work 20 hours per week maximum. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:10 | |
On first glance with this one, it doesn't look too brilliant, | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
to be honest. There's a white border along the edge here, | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
the left and right-hand side edges, which there shouldn't be, | 0:12:16 | 0:12:19 | |
so I'd like to have a proper look at that under magnification. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:22 | |
I'm particularly interested in where the colours merge together, | 0:12:25 | 0:12:28 | |
so where you've got pink that should merge nicely into blue. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
I'm going to have a quick look at that with a genuine document | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
and see how that is in a genuine specimen. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:37 | |
So, this is a genuine specimen that I'm looking at now | 0:12:41 | 0:12:43 | |
on the left-hand side of the screen. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:46 | |
And under magnification, as with the visas, | 0:12:46 | 0:12:49 | |
we're looking for crisp, nice quality print. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
This one's got extra-small print running along under here. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
You can see it is quite legible - GBR and EU. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
Lots of extra-small print, lots of nice quality colours | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
and the blue and pink merge together quite nicely. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
Fake IDs are designed to fool the naked eye, | 0:13:05 | 0:13:07 | |
but not a powerful microscope. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
Again, at this stage, just by looking at it with magnification, | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
you can see that the one on the right is a fake residence permit. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:16 | |
The three men found holding these fake documents pleaded guilty | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
and were sentenced to four months in prison for possession | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
of controlled identity documents with intent to use. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:28 | |
They're currently awaiting deportation. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:30 | |
Henry Bara thinks the problem is getting worse. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
I think a lot of organised criminal gangs seem to be | 0:13:36 | 0:13:39 | |
diverting into this area | 0:13:39 | 0:13:41 | |
of producing and distributing false documents | 0:13:41 | 0:13:45 | |
simply because the penalties for getting caught seem to be a lot less | 0:13:45 | 0:13:49 | |
than, for instance, more traditional careers such as drugs smuggling. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
And the fakers' ability to produce convincing fakes | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
is improving dramatically. | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
We have seen some frighteningly, frighteningly high quality | 0:13:59 | 0:14:04 | |
false documents recently. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:06 | |
One particular case comes to mind of somebody that | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
applied for asylum in 47 different identities. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:12 | |
That would then mean the benefits to which they would be entitled | 0:14:12 | 0:14:17 | |
would be granted at each of those identities. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
The unit has examined over 30,000 suspected fake ID documents | 0:14:22 | 0:14:26 | |
over the past five years, | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
providing key evidence in numerous criminal cases. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
We would like to think that we are a thorn in the side of forgers | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
and organised criminal gangs. We certainly do our best. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:39 | |
We won't pretend we are on top of the problem. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
It seems to be a burgeoning industry. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
It's clearly very lucrative. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:46 | |
The battle goes on. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:48 | |
We spend more per head on toys than anywhere else in Europe. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
The industry is huge and worth billions. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
What that means is that there's vast choice for mums and dads | 0:15:01 | 0:15:05 | |
and, of course, children. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:06 | |
But you wouldn't want to choose any of these because they are all fake. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
We have found that fakes like these are openly on sale throughout | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
the UK, and despite every toy in this country being subject to | 0:15:13 | 0:15:17 | |
strict regulations, some are among the most dangerous objects | 0:15:17 | 0:15:21 | |
children will ever come into contact with. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
It is early morning in Salford and Caroline Clarke | 0:15:26 | 0:15:29 | |
and her team from Trading Standards are en route to a toy shop. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:34 | |
But this is no ordinary toy shop. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:35 | |
Today, we are looking for counterfeit tots - | 0:15:37 | 0:15:39 | |
Shaun The Sheep toys, Disney toys, Frozen toys - | 0:15:39 | 0:15:42 | |
and we are looking to seize them. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:44 | |
The team have had a tip-off that there are fake toys | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
for sale on the high street. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
We're acting on intelligence that we received yesterday | 0:15:51 | 0:15:53 | |
from a referring Trading Standards department | 0:15:53 | 0:15:56 | |
who has found these goods in their area. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:58 | |
Trading Standards aren't quite sure what to expect, | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
so they have brought backup. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:02 | |
-Hi. -Hiya. -I'm from Trading Standards at Salford Council. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
Inside, the officers find a sight that would thrill any child. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
These shelves are crammed full with popular toys, | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
products sold up and down the country. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:20 | |
But not everything for sale here is what it appears to be. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:24 | |
The officers immediately spot some dolls from the Disney film Frozen. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:28 | |
They don't look quite right, but the shop owner claims they are genuine. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:32 | |
What we'll do is we'll take them today, leave you a full list | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
-of everything we've taken. -No problem. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
We'll send them off and let you know how it's progressing. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:40 | |
-If they come back as genuine, you get your stock back. -Sure. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:42 | |
If they don't, we'll take it from there. OK. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:44 | |
But these toys aren't the only suspected fakes here. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:49 | |
The officers are spotting other toys they think look suspicious. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:53 | |
Barbie, Spider-Man, Shaun The Sheep, Ben 10. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:58 | |
They are being sold out of what looks at first sight | 0:16:58 | 0:17:01 | |
like a respectable store. | 0:17:01 | 0:17:02 | |
The officers now set about bagging and tagging the items | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
they believe to be fake. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
They are in for a long day as there are hundreds of items here | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
all claiming to be well-known brands. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:14 | |
Despicable Me 2. Obviously that is a trademark. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:18 | |
Piggy banks, or something like that. Light-up piggy banks. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:22 | |
Caroline has got a well-trained eye for a counterfeit. | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
Not got any importer details on there, actually. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
Which they should have. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:29 | |
Branded items will be sent to the rights holder to confirm | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
whether or not they are genuine. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:36 | |
With the fake toys in the shop front nearly dealt with, it is time | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
to find out if there are any other fakes in the building. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
Caroline heads upstairs and finds a lot of boxes. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:47 | |
So, we are in the store room. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:49 | |
Not all of the goods in here or downstairs are fake, but we do | 0:17:49 | 0:17:52 | |
have to sift through and check what items we've got up here as well. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:56 | |
Also we need to check and make sure he's not just going to | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
restock the shelves when we take everything from the shop floor. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
Before long, the team find more suspicious items. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
Lunchbox kits for Hello Kitty. Which... | 0:18:07 | 0:18:12 | |
I suspect to be counterfeit. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
But other potential fakes are harder for Trading Standards to spot. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:20 | |
The outer just says "scooter", | 0:18:20 | 0:18:21 | |
there's no mention of any trademarks on there. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
The consumer boxes just say "scooter" | 0:18:24 | 0:18:27 | |
with a picture of a pink scooter. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
No mention of trademarks. But when you open it up, | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
there's a badly applied Disney Princess sticker on the base, | 0:18:33 | 0:18:38 | |
at the front of the scooter and on the handle. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
So to me, they are definitely fake. | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
The team eventually fill two large vans with fake toys. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
Back at the evidence store room, | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
Caroline identifies more of the fakers' tricks. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
This toy displays the CE mark, which implies that the toy | 0:18:55 | 0:18:59 | |
has been tested to the toy safety standard and passed the test, | 0:18:59 | 0:19:02 | |
but we're quite certain that this product | 0:19:02 | 0:19:04 | |
wouldn't pass toy safety standards | 0:19:04 | 0:19:06 | |
because of how easily the suction cap is detached from the stick. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
Likelihood with the suction cap is that a child's going to lick it | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
to make it stick and they could ingest it. Um... | 0:19:13 | 0:19:17 | |
And obviously, it's a choking hazard. So it's a fake CE mark. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:20 | |
All of the toys have since been confirmed as counterfeit. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:27 | |
And the knight's bow and arrow set was confirmed as a choking hazard | 0:19:27 | 0:19:30 | |
by an independent safety expert. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
An investigation is underway, | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
which could result in the toy shop owner being prosecuted. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:38 | |
Coming up, we will take a look at some of the most dangerous fake items | 0:19:41 | 0:19:45 | |
ever marketed to British children. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:47 | |
The child would be covered with boiling water | 0:19:47 | 0:19:50 | |
and then exposed to live electricity. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
Wood-burning stoves have never been more popular | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
as lots of people try to make their homes cosy | 0:20:01 | 0:20:04 | |
and full of character. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:06 | |
But installing one isn't straightforward. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:09 | |
There are building regs there to protect us, | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
so you can't just have a go. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
Like any heating appliance, they can be extremely dangerous | 0:20:14 | 0:20:18 | |
if not fitted properly. Many people choose a trained professional. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:23 | |
But what happens when your trained professional turns out to be... | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
a fake? | 0:20:27 | 0:20:28 | |
Over a million Brits now have a wood-burning stove in their home, | 0:20:30 | 0:20:34 | |
with around 200,000 people a year having one installed. | 0:20:34 | 0:20:39 | |
These stoves are relatively complex to put in | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
and safety experts recommend hiring a professional. | 0:20:42 | 0:20:45 | |
Most professional installers belong to | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
Heating Equipment Testing And Approval Scheme, known as HETAS. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
It is a trade body that provides training and accreditation. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
Bruce Allen is the MD at HETAS | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
and he has seen demand for the stoves soar. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
The past ten years saw an unprecedented growth in stove use, | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
where stoves have come forward in design greatly. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:08 | |
To become a registered HETAS installer, | 0:21:10 | 0:21:12 | |
you need to undertake several days of training and then | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
demonstrate to a HETAS inspector that you can safely install a stove. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
These checks will cost £500-£800, but recently, HETAS have had reports | 0:21:20 | 0:21:25 | |
of a number of installers faking their credentials. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:28 | |
One of the problems we find is that these guys | 0:21:28 | 0:21:30 | |
really don't want to put the time, the effort and the money | 0:21:30 | 0:21:33 | |
into doing the job properly, so they're not doing the real courses, | 0:21:33 | 0:21:37 | |
they're faking their knowledge and they're trying to sort of | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
circumvent the costs of trading and the cost of joining a scheme. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:45 | |
What's happening is they really operate in the black market, | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
so it is about avoiding all of the rules and regulations for them, | 0:21:48 | 0:21:51 | |
it's about reducing their costs and maximising their income | 0:21:51 | 0:21:55 | |
without actually doing the job properly. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:57 | |
Basically, it's a way of ripping off customers. | 0:21:57 | 0:21:59 | |
CHILD CHATTERS | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
In Caerphilly, Wales, Lisa Watkins was looking for a registered | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
installer to fit a wood-burning stove. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
But fake HETAS installers are operating across the country, | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
as she was about to find out. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:14 | |
We were trying to create a family home. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
We'd had our daughter, she was around 18 months old. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:21 | |
We decided that we would like to put a second wood burner in the house | 0:22:21 | 0:22:24 | |
and we were looking around for recommendations | 0:22:24 | 0:22:27 | |
and Luke was recommended to us. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
The installer, Luke Hathaway, arrived and offered Lisa a quote. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:35 | |
He told her he was both HETAS registered and trained. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
While it was true that Hathaway had started a HETAS training course, | 0:22:38 | 0:22:42 | |
he had failed to complete it. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:44 | |
The job took longer than Luke had promised, | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
but eventually Lisa's stove was ready to light. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
He left us with a small bunch of kindling and told us that | 0:22:49 | 0:22:53 | |
it was ready to light within a sort of hour after he'd left, | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
just to make sure that all the fire cement had dried. | 0:22:56 | 0:23:00 | |
After about two minutes, the room just filled with smoke. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:03 | |
Smoke was coming out of all of the vents of the wood burner | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
and I had to pick my 18-month-old daughter and run out of the house. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:09 | |
Lisa was understandably terrified. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
I was just really, really frightened at the time. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:16 | |
I didn't really know what was going on. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:18 | |
We expected to have a fully-functioning wood burner | 0:23:18 | 0:23:21 | |
and instead our home was filling with smoke. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:25 | |
I think there were flames coming out of the back at one point. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
I mean, I didn't know if the house was going to catch fire. | 0:23:28 | 0:23:30 | |
I was just really frightened for my daughter and my partner. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
Fortunately, Lisa's partner reacted quickly, putting the fire out. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:39 | |
But the situation could have been much worse. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:41 | |
Luckily, it was only a small amount of kindling. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:45 | |
If we'd have, you know, shut the door, put a log on it | 0:23:45 | 0:23:48 | |
and left it, then the whole house could have caught. | 0:23:48 | 0:23:51 | |
Lisa contacted HETAS, but they were powerless to act. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
At this point, we couldn't remove Luke from a register | 0:23:56 | 0:23:59 | |
that he wasn't already on, | 0:23:59 | 0:24:00 | |
so we advised the consumers, along with ourselves, | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
to pursue the matter through Trading Standards. | 0:24:03 | 0:24:06 | |
Tim Keohane heads up the Caerphilly Trading Standards team | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
and over the next few months, he discovered Hathaway had installed | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
a total of five stoves all around the Caerphilly area. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
Investigations revealed that Hathaway was actually | 0:24:19 | 0:24:23 | |
not only fitting the stoves poorly, but they weren't safe. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:27 | |
And also, he was holding himself up to be HETAS accredited. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:31 | |
And in fact, using fake documentation to prove that fact. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
Tim Keohane's team spoke with other customers and discovered Hathaway | 0:24:37 | 0:24:40 | |
had been issuing invoices which stated he was HETAS registered. | 0:24:40 | 0:24:44 | |
He had even got hold of an actual HETAS certificate, | 0:24:44 | 0:24:48 | |
which prove your stove has been fitted by a genuine HETAS installer. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:52 | |
The installer takes a copy, one is sent to HETAS | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
and one is held by the customer. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:56 | |
Faking these is a criminal offence. | 0:24:56 | 0:24:59 | |
What we have here are three copies of the fake HETAS certificates | 0:24:59 | 0:25:04 | |
issued by Hathaway. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
But of course, all the details about him are fake. | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
Eventually, Trading Standards had enough evidence | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
against Hathaway to stop him in his tracks. | 0:25:12 | 0:25:15 | |
We eventually got Hathaway to court. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:18 | |
He pleaded guilty to 12 offences | 0:25:18 | 0:25:20 | |
under the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:24 | |
I think the evidence was so strong because of the witnesses | 0:25:24 | 0:25:27 | |
who were involved, along with the fact we managed to get an expert | 0:25:27 | 0:25:32 | |
to examine one of the installations and state that it was dangerous. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
The HETAS inspection was carried out at Lisa's property | 0:25:38 | 0:25:42 | |
and the stove Hathaway installed was classed as immediately dangerous. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:45 | |
While Lisa and her family are safe, | 0:25:47 | 0:25:48 | |
the cost of Hathaway's fakery has been substantial. | 0:25:48 | 0:25:52 | |
This image is of the chimney liner, | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
which should come all the way down the chimney, | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
but in actual fact, because it was too short, | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
Luke actually used 12 separate connectors | 0:26:01 | 0:26:07 | |
to connect the chimney liner to the actual wood-burning stove. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
They were just held together with fire cement. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
The damage to the house as a whole ran to around £2,000. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:20 | |
There was damage to wallpaper, there was damage to my carpets. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:24 | |
Our living room resembled a building site. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:27 | |
We were left with lots of rubble. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:28 | |
Our living room was just completely ruined. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:30 | |
Hathaway also failed to install a carbon monoxide detector | 0:26:32 | 0:26:36 | |
at any of the homes Trading Standards investigated. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:39 | |
Installing these devices is essential | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
if the stove is to pass British building regulations. | 0:26:41 | 0:26:45 | |
I think he was really, really irresponsible and dangerous. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
I mean, something as simple as a carbon monoxide detector | 0:26:48 | 0:26:51 | |
could have saved our life. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
I mean, it just dreads to me to think what would have happened | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
had we lit it and gone to bed. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
Unfortunately, cases like this aren't isolated incidents. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:03 | |
HETAS have had reports of nearly a dozen fake installers | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
operating across the country and they have started to track them down. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
Mike and Alan are part of HETAS's inspection team. | 0:27:11 | 0:27:15 | |
They've had a tip-off from a builder | 0:27:15 | 0:27:17 | |
of a potentially dangerous stove installation. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:19 | |
What we know at this point is that somebody has gone in, | 0:27:20 | 0:27:24 | |
they've carried out the installation and there are | 0:27:24 | 0:27:26 | |
a lot of things relating to the installation that have | 0:27:26 | 0:27:30 | |
raised concerns of the third party that is working in the property. | 0:27:30 | 0:27:34 | |
Mike has checked the installer's name against HETAS's database | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
and it is not registered. To make matters worse, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:41 | |
this unregistered installer has been presenting fake documentation. | 0:27:41 | 0:27:45 | |
OK, so it is clearly evident that the HETAS logo has been | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
faked onto this document in a clear attempt to, basically, | 0:27:50 | 0:27:56 | |
lead the consumer to believe that the installation has been | 0:27:56 | 0:28:00 | |
carried out by a HETAS registered installer. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:02 | |
The installer's documentation might be fake, | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
but is the stove he has installed dangerous? | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
The couple living here, who don't wish to be identified, | 0:28:10 | 0:28:12 | |
paid several hundred pounds for a professionally-installed stove. | 0:28:12 | 0:28:16 | |
The team will be using this specialist miniature camera | 0:28:18 | 0:28:21 | |
to take a look inside the flue, | 0:28:21 | 0:28:22 | |
the piping which runs all the way up to the chimney. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:25 | |
Right, what Alan is doing now | 0:28:26 | 0:28:28 | |
is feeding the camera up through the flue. | 0:28:28 | 0:28:30 | |
The camera gradually makes its way up the flue. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:38 | |
At the point where the flue's been attached to | 0:28:40 | 0:28:42 | |
the house's existing chimney, | 0:28:42 | 0:28:43 | |
the camera reveals a serious cause for concern. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:46 | |
That there is your expanding foam, | 0:28:49 | 0:28:51 | |
this is your flexible flue liner | 0:28:51 | 0:28:53 | |
and this is the system chimney that has been used to join the two | 0:28:53 | 0:28:57 | |
to terminate the building. | 0:28:57 | 0:28:59 | |
And this is what's been used as a sealant between the two, | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
which is totally against regulations and is a fire hazard. | 0:29:02 | 0:29:06 | |
This material should never be used in this way. | 0:29:08 | 0:29:11 | |
But the HETAS team also want to inspect the work | 0:29:11 | 0:29:14 | |
carried out in the attic. | 0:29:14 | 0:29:16 | |
The workmanship around the sealing of the flu here, the sealing of | 0:29:16 | 0:29:19 | |
the chimney stack, the distance to combustibles. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:24 | |
As this system chimney goes through the fabric of the building, | 0:29:24 | 0:29:28 | |
it is up against the felt. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:29 | |
This is deemed as combustible material. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:31 | |
But you've also got a wooden baton that should have been trimmed back | 0:29:31 | 0:29:35 | |
a minimum of 50mm, and it's only just 40mm. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:40 | |
This fake installer's botched job could have had tragic consequences | 0:29:41 | 0:29:45 | |
for the couple living here. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:47 | |
The ultimate scenario would be that there could have been a fire | 0:29:48 | 0:29:52 | |
within the chimney or it could have, you know, | 0:29:52 | 0:29:55 | |
caused combustion here, up against the wood here. | 0:29:55 | 0:29:58 | |
It really is an accident waiting to happen, to be honest. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:02 | |
Mike explains the situation to the couple | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
and recommends some approved installers in their area. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:08 | |
He also advises them to contact Trading Standards. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:12 | |
An investigation has been launched into this fake installer | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
and is ongoing. | 0:30:15 | 0:30:16 | |
Earlier, we saw Trading Standards searching this toy shop | 0:30:24 | 0:30:27 | |
and discovering fake after fake. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:29 | |
But these are not the only dangerous products out there aimed at children. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:35 | |
The vast majority of fake toys coming into the UK arrive through our ports. | 0:30:36 | 0:30:41 | |
Border Force officers recently discovered a haul of products | 0:30:41 | 0:30:45 | |
aimed at children that looked fluffy enough on the outside, | 0:30:45 | 0:30:48 | |
but were in fact hiding a dark secret. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:50 | |
They called on Mark Rolfe from Kent Trading Standards. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
They're a fairly simple device. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:57 | |
Cuddly toy on top, underneath there is a hot water bottle, | 0:30:57 | 0:31:01 | |
which is separate from the cuddly dog. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:04 | |
You fill it up with water through here | 0:31:04 | 0:31:06 | |
and then you plug it into the mains. | 0:31:06 | 0:31:09 | |
The idea, obviously, is that it heats the water | 0:31:09 | 0:31:11 | |
and you've got yourself a toy hot water bottle. | 0:31:11 | 0:31:13 | |
The problem with these products is when you get inside to the | 0:31:13 | 0:31:16 | |
electrics. I mean, it doesn't make sense, if you think about it, | 0:31:16 | 0:31:19 | |
to plug a hot water bottle into the mains. | 0:31:19 | 0:31:21 | |
But if I cut this one open... | 0:31:21 | 0:31:23 | |
..what we have inside is a thin plastic water tank. | 0:31:29 | 0:31:34 | |
It has in it a tablet here which dissolves in the water | 0:31:34 | 0:31:37 | |
and it makes the water conduct electricity. | 0:31:37 | 0:31:39 | |
And then you have the electrics, which is this part here. | 0:31:40 | 0:31:43 | |
These two screws are just electrodes and the way this heats the water up | 0:31:43 | 0:31:48 | |
is to pass mains electricity through the water, | 0:31:48 | 0:31:51 | |
which has got this dissolved in it to make it conduct the electricity. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:55 | |
So actually, all that separates you as a user, or the child using this, | 0:31:55 | 0:31:58 | |
from mains electricity is this thin piece of plastic. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:02 | |
Mark was understandably concerned by the children's hot water bottle, | 0:32:02 | 0:32:07 | |
so he sent it for testing. | 0:32:07 | 0:32:08 | |
The findings would scare any parent. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
One of the safety issues we have identified with this is that | 0:32:13 | 0:32:15 | |
the means of it cutting out if the water gets too hot is unreliable. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
What that means is that the water could boil in the bag | 0:32:19 | 0:32:21 | |
and boiling water, obviously, turns to steam, | 0:32:21 | 0:32:23 | |
steam expands remarkably quickly, leading to the bag bursting. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:27 | |
And a child would be covered with boiling water | 0:32:27 | 0:32:29 | |
and then exposed to live electricity. | 0:32:29 | 0:32:31 | |
Really, from a child protection point of view, it couldn't be worse. | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
Despite the dangers inside, | 0:32:34 | 0:32:36 | |
this product is covered in safety markings, all of which are fake. | 0:32:36 | 0:32:40 | |
The people who've manufactured this potential deathtrap | 0:32:40 | 0:32:42 | |
have really gone to town to try and make sure that consumers | 0:32:42 | 0:32:45 | |
think it is a safe item. | 0:32:45 | 0:32:46 | |
They've put the CE mark everywhere. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:48 | |
It is there on the actual toy itself and they've actually applied it | 0:32:48 | 0:32:53 | |
to the packaging of the box here as well with all the other symbols | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
that you would expect to find on a quality item. | 0:32:56 | 0:32:59 | |
For Mark Rolfe, seeing a CE mark being faked | 0:32:59 | 0:33:02 | |
on such a potentially dangerous product | 0:33:02 | 0:33:04 | |
is particularly frustrating as it undermines a standard we all trust. | 0:33:04 | 0:33:09 | |
The reason for that is we tell people to rely on it, | 0:33:09 | 0:33:12 | |
we tell parents to rely on it when buying toys for their children, | 0:33:12 | 0:33:15 | |
and if people are faking it, actually that puts children at risk | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
with parents being as responsible as they can be. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:21 | |
An investigation into these dangerous soft toys is now underway | 0:33:21 | 0:33:26 | |
and Mark Rolfe has no doubts about the kind of criminal | 0:33:26 | 0:33:29 | |
pushing this product out to unsuspecting parents. | 0:33:29 | 0:33:33 | |
This is organised criminal gangs duping responsible parents | 0:33:33 | 0:33:36 | |
into believing their products are safe, | 0:33:36 | 0:33:38 | |
when they are, in fact, incredibly dangerous. | 0:33:38 | 0:33:41 | |
We all know about the perils of buying a second-hand car. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:52 | |
That's why it's wise to see all those important service documents | 0:33:52 | 0:33:56 | |
and to check things like the mileage. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:58 | |
They have a crucial effect on what it a car is worth | 0:33:58 | 0:34:01 | |
and on how it is going to perform. | 0:34:01 | 0:34:03 | |
But, of course, the fakers know that too and some of them | 0:34:03 | 0:34:05 | |
will go to extraordinary lengths to deceive an unwary buyer. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:09 | |
If a faker can buy a completely blank service history booklet, | 0:34:09 | 0:34:12 | |
like this, on the internet and fill it in himself, well, | 0:34:12 | 0:34:16 | |
who's to know what sort of second-hand car you might be buying? | 0:34:16 | 0:34:20 | |
The second-hand car market is now worth 40 billion a year | 0:34:22 | 0:34:27 | |
and there are more used cars on the road than ever before. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:30 | |
But the fakers know there's money to be made | 0:34:31 | 0:34:33 | |
and they are finding new ways to play old tricks. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:36 | |
Come on. | 0:34:36 | 0:34:37 | |
Tim Moss from the Midlands was about to discover the length | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
the fakers will go to to dupe unsuspecting targets. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:45 | |
I decided to invest a lot of my savings into a new car | 0:34:45 | 0:34:49 | |
purely and simply because I wanted a vehicle | 0:34:49 | 0:34:51 | |
that would keep me going when I retired. | 0:34:51 | 0:34:53 | |
Low mileage was one of my top priorities because I wanted a car | 0:34:54 | 0:34:58 | |
that was going to last me, that I | 0:34:58 | 0:35:00 | |
wouldn't have to do any major repairs to. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
Tim eventually found what he thought was the perfect car | 0:35:04 | 0:35:07 | |
at a decent price. He arranged to meet the seller | 0:35:07 | 0:35:10 | |
and took the car for a test drive. | 0:35:10 | 0:35:11 | |
The seller wanted £3,600 in cash. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:17 | |
Tim, happy with both the price and the car's performance, | 0:35:17 | 0:35:19 | |
asked to look at the paperwork. | 0:35:19 | 0:35:21 | |
The document Tim was shown included detailed service histories | 0:35:23 | 0:35:26 | |
and invoices for repair work the car had undergone. | 0:35:26 | 0:35:30 | |
But unfortunately for Tim, the car he'd spent his savings on | 0:35:30 | 0:35:33 | |
wasn't the reliable, low-mileage vehicle he believed he'd purchased. | 0:35:33 | 0:35:38 | |
The mileage had been clocked and over 100,000 miles taken of the odometer. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:43 | |
After I'd found it had done a large mileage, then you start | 0:35:45 | 0:35:49 | |
seeing the problems, like the corrosion along the front | 0:35:49 | 0:35:53 | |
and the tops of the springs | 0:35:53 | 0:35:54 | |
and along the front, especially, of the engine. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
And before long, the car was needing replacement parts, | 0:36:00 | 0:36:03 | |
including a new cam belt and all of the internal electronics. | 0:36:03 | 0:36:08 | |
All the replacement parts and the costs that I've had to pay for | 0:36:08 | 0:36:13 | |
have amounted to around £1,200. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:16 | |
But what Tim didn't know was that there were other buyers | 0:36:17 | 0:36:20 | |
across the Midlands who' also been conned by the seller, Steve Meacham. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:24 | |
Derby Trading Standards were alerted to Meacham's activities | 0:36:25 | 0:36:28 | |
when one of the distressed buyers contacted them. | 0:36:28 | 0:36:31 | |
Doug Walkman heads up the team. | 0:36:32 | 0:36:34 | |
His officers started by examining the documents from the other buyers. | 0:36:34 | 0:36:39 | |
This is a genuine service history log. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
As you can see here, in red are | 0:36:42 | 0:36:44 | |
the genuine service history dealer stamps | 0:36:44 | 0:36:47 | |
and the ones in black are the ones that are fake. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:50 | |
What is interesting in this one | 0:36:50 | 0:36:52 | |
is that the previous keeper had this serviced up to about 11,000 miles | 0:36:52 | 0:36:56 | |
and then took it elsewhere for its servicing. | 0:36:56 | 0:36:59 | |
As you can see, the last stamp has got 46,000 on it, | 0:36:59 | 0:37:02 | |
which is the altered mileage. | 0:37:02 | 0:37:04 | |
In fact, this vehicle had done in excess of 150,000 miles. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:09 | |
So, they have taken the best part of 100,000 miles off the clock. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:12 | |
We knew then that we were doing with something a lot more complex | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
than just a normal car clocking case, | 0:37:15 | 0:37:19 | |
which led my officers to investigate further, and then we started | 0:37:19 | 0:37:25 | |
looking at other vehicles that this person had sold and discovered | 0:37:25 | 0:37:29 | |
there were more links to fake service history and documentation. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
Meacham was also creating fake invoices to convince buyers | 0:37:32 | 0:37:36 | |
the cars had been recently serviced. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:38 | |
These are fake invoices. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
If you look at them closely, the dates are almost a year apart | 0:37:41 | 0:37:45 | |
but the invoice number is actually identical. | 0:37:45 | 0:37:48 | |
So, this was another key part of our investigation, | 0:37:48 | 0:37:51 | |
knowing that this documentation was actually fake. | 0:37:51 | 0:37:54 | |
The garage itself does exist and does produce documentation, | 0:37:54 | 0:37:58 | |
but not on letterheads like we have in front of you here. | 0:37:58 | 0:38:01 | |
The Trading Standards team soon had enough evidence to arrest Meacham, | 0:38:02 | 0:38:06 | |
and checks on his eBay records found he'd purchased | 0:38:06 | 0:38:09 | |
an item to make his fakery more convincing. | 0:38:09 | 0:38:13 | |
We discovered, through looking at the fraudster's eBay accounts, | 0:38:13 | 0:38:17 | |
that three days before he sold his first vehicle, | 0:38:17 | 0:38:20 | |
that he'd actually purchased a stamp kit, | 0:38:20 | 0:38:23 | |
which we believe has been used to create the service histories. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:27 | |
Meacham had also purchased service history booklets. | 0:38:27 | 0:38:30 | |
Items like these for all of the leading car brands are sold online. | 0:38:30 | 0:38:35 | |
But Meacham used them to add authenticity | 0:38:35 | 0:38:38 | |
to the fake documents he showed buyers. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:40 | |
In total, Trading Standards investigators took statements from | 0:38:42 | 0:38:45 | |
nearly 30 buyers claiming to have been sold clocked cars by Meacham. | 0:38:45 | 0:38:49 | |
We have seen above 1.2 million miles wiped off the histories | 0:38:49 | 0:38:55 | |
of these vehicles. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:57 | |
So, it is a significant fraud | 0:38:57 | 0:38:59 | |
and we're glad that we've actually managed to bring it to conclusion. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:04 | |
Meacham eventually pleaded guilty. | 0:39:04 | 0:39:06 | |
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison on multiple counts | 0:39:06 | 0:39:09 | |
of selling clocked cars and falsifying documentation, | 0:39:09 | 0:39:13 | |
including MOTs and services histories. | 0:39:13 | 0:39:16 | |
But his many buyers have had to accept huge losses | 0:39:16 | 0:39:19 | |
on the vehicles they were sold. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:21 | |
I am still out of pocket, as are other victims, | 0:39:22 | 0:39:25 | |
and I feel that he should be made to pay back some of that money. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:29 | |
And this is another children's product that's being faked. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:38 | |
If you have ever seen a kid skating down the street on what | 0:39:38 | 0:39:41 | |
appears to be a pair of trainers, | 0:39:41 | 0:39:43 | |
then you have probably just seen them using a pair of Heelys. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
They are trainers with built-in wheels. | 0:39:46 | 0:39:49 | |
I really liked Heelys because I would just whiz about on them | 0:39:49 | 0:39:53 | |
in my street, in the shops, wherever. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:55 | |
It was just really fun to have some. | 0:39:55 | 0:39:57 | |
They cost around £40 and are sold online | 0:39:57 | 0:40:00 | |
and at specialist retailers across the UK. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:03 | |
Since they hit the shelves, over 50,000 pairs have been sold. | 0:40:03 | 0:40:07 | |
But the fakers also wants to be rolling in profits. | 0:40:07 | 0:40:10 | |
Charlie Shiner's company has been selling Heelys here in the UK | 0:40:13 | 0:40:16 | |
since 2004, and of late he has seen an unprecedented number of fakes. | 0:40:16 | 0:40:21 | |
A recent seizure netted 200 pairs of counterfeit Heelys. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
This particular batch, we identified being sold in the UK online. | 0:40:27 | 0:40:32 | |
We made a test purchase and made Trading Standards aware of it. | 0:40:32 | 0:40:36 | |
In this case, Trading Standards ordered the seller | 0:40:36 | 0:40:39 | |
to surrender the merchandise, but he is one of dozens of online traders | 0:40:39 | 0:40:43 | |
selling fake versions of the product. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:46 | |
So, what is the difference between a real Heelys shoe and a fake? | 0:40:46 | 0:40:50 | |
So, this shoe is an original Heelys, | 0:40:50 | 0:40:53 | |
this shoe is a fake where the Heelys is spelt wrong. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:58 | |
So, this model obviously has H-E-A-L-Y-S, | 0:40:58 | 0:41:02 | |
so they have changed the E to an A. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:05 | |
The fakers misspell the Heelys name in the hope of evading prosecution, | 0:41:05 | 0:41:09 | |
but clearly they are attempting to fool consumers | 0:41:09 | 0:41:12 | |
by ripping off the brand. | 0:41:12 | 0:41:13 | |
They are trying to use very, very similar logo that we have, | 0:41:14 | 0:41:18 | |
but not quite the same. It is a good copy. | 0:41:18 | 0:41:21 | |
With this copy in particular, | 0:41:21 | 0:41:23 | |
they are trying to get around trademark law. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
But how dangerous are these fakes? | 0:41:26 | 0:41:29 | |
The wheels of the fakes are made of inferior materials. | 0:41:29 | 0:41:32 | |
The harder the wheel, | 0:41:32 | 0:41:33 | |
the more bumpy and less controlled the ride will be. | 0:41:33 | 0:41:37 | |
The fake wheel is harder because it's made of PVC, | 0:41:37 | 0:41:40 | |
which means it can't handle rough surfaces in the way | 0:41:40 | 0:41:43 | |
a real Heelys wheel can, making an accident far more likely. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:47 | |
But as customers are becoming more aware of the fake Heelys, | 0:41:49 | 0:41:52 | |
the counterfeiters have started producing | 0:41:52 | 0:41:55 | |
even more sophisticated fakes. | 0:41:55 | 0:41:57 | |
I've seen a range of fakes and this is the most convincing I've seen. | 0:41:57 | 0:42:01 | |
All the Heelys branding all over it. | 0:42:01 | 0:42:03 | |
And even inside the shoe, there's a label identical to ours. | 0:42:06 | 0:42:10 | |
That is the level of the fakery. | 0:42:10 | 0:42:12 | |
They even have the hang tag attached, branded with Heelys. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:17 | |
And they have gone down to faking the plastic bag | 0:42:19 | 0:42:22 | |
that the tool comes in and the tool even has Heelys branding on. | 0:42:22 | 0:42:27 | |
So, they're unbelievably good fakes. | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
You can only spot them with a trained eye. | 0:42:30 | 0:42:32 | |
So, would these fakes have fooled our young Heelys fans? | 0:42:32 | 0:42:37 | |
They're pretty convincing! | 0:42:37 | 0:42:39 | |
Yeah. I thought they were real. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:41 | |
Yeah, they are really convincing fakes. | 0:42:41 | 0:42:43 | |
I wouldn't tell the difference. | 0:42:43 | 0:42:44 | |
I thought they were, like, real Heelys, to be fair. | 0:42:44 | 0:42:48 | |
That's surprising how realistic they look. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:51 | |
And they're quite well made for a fake, | 0:42:51 | 0:42:53 | |
so I am surprised at that. Definitely, yeah. | 0:42:53 | 0:42:55 | |
None of these fakes will make it onto the feet of unsuspecting children. | 0:42:56 | 0:43:00 | |
They are going to be destroyed and safely disposed of. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:03 | |
That is all from Fake Britain. Goodbye. | 0:43:11 | 0:43:14 |