0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to a world where nothing is as it seems.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11- Police! - SHOUTING
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Get down! Get down! - Get on the floor now!
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Put your hands behind your back now.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Here at the Fake Britain house,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29we'll reveal the fakes that are flooding the market,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34conning people like you and me, and making money for the criminals.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We'll investigate the fraudsters who are selling us something
0:00:37 > 0:00:39that isn't real and could be dangerous,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and we'll help you avoid falling for a fake.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Today on Fake Britain...
0:00:46 > 0:00:50..the fake and dangerous fuses sold on the high street...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We've seen plugs actually explode,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55which can expose people to electric shock.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59..the fake reviews that ruined one boy's Christmas...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We waited and we waited and nothing came.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06To him, it was like the end of the world. He was devastated about it.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08..we're on the front line with a private detective
0:01:08 > 0:01:10taking down the fakers...
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Fake bags, jewellery. This is a shop that's openly selling fake goods.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Fuses - they may not look like much, but these little things
0:01:24 > 0:01:27are actually one of the most important safety devices
0:01:27 > 0:01:28we have in our homes.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31If something goes wrong with an electrical product
0:01:31 > 0:01:32connected to the mains,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35the fuse will blow and the power is disconnected,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38so we should be protected from fire or electric shock.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That all sounds very important, doesn't it?
0:01:40 > 0:01:45So, what if the fuses in your home were fake?
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Your toaster, your kettle, your microwave, your charger -
0:01:51 > 0:01:54every time you plug in an electrical item,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58the fuse inside is quietly working away keeping you safe.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03In fact, we all use fuses several times each day,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06but many of us don't know much about them.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10No, not a clue. I have no idea about the safety aspect of fuses.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12I just know that you put them in a plug.
0:02:12 > 0:02:19I think a 13A is for the iron, I think the five is for the kettle
0:02:19 > 0:02:23and the pink is the universal one. I hope that's correct.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27None of the people we spoke to knew much about fuses,
0:02:27 > 0:02:32including the fact there's no such thing as a universal fuse.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34One person who does know all about fuses,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and their importance for safety when it comes to your home appliances,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41is Martyn Allen from Electrical Safety First.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43What a fuse actually is there to do
0:02:43 > 0:02:45is if there's a fault in that appliance,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47then it would make the situation safe,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50so it will prevent a fire or a serious electrical shock.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53These small fuses are big business.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The average household has over 40 electrical items
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and a huge number of these are Bussmann fuses,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02made by technology company Eaton Electrical.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Fakers are now making money from the enormous demand for these fuses.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09We've been raising awareness about fake electrical products
0:03:09 > 0:03:11for quite some time now,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and what we've seen is both in unbranded and very cheap products
0:03:14 > 0:03:16that you find predominantly online,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19that often they come with fake fuses.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22But the fakes don't just come preinstalled
0:03:22 > 0:03:24in fake electrical items.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27They're also being sold to people who need to replace the fuse
0:03:27 > 0:03:30in a genuine appliance.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Fake Britain received a tip-off that suspected fake fuses
0:03:33 > 0:03:37were being sold on the high street by budget chain Poundworld.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42So, we bought two mixed packs for just £1.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44These fuses are supposedly a type
0:03:44 > 0:03:47made by the company Eaton Electrical.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50We showed them to brand protection manager Simon Bircham,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54who works to combat the problem of fakes.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Eaton has been a leader in fuses for over 100 years,
0:03:58 > 0:04:03and like any other product that's of high esteem and regard,
0:04:03 > 0:04:04it's a target for counterfeiters
0:04:04 > 0:04:07because they look for a product that's highly recognised.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Eaton Electrical examined the fuses sold by Poundworld
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and confirmed they're definitely fake and quite possibly dangerous.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19If we think about the fuse industry, companies spend millions of pounds
0:04:19 > 0:04:24in research and development to produce safe products,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and counterfeiters don't care about the quality of products,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30they don't care about the safety of products.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35To find out more about the fake fuses Poundworld sold,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39we took them to Graham McKay at the British Standards Institution,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42which sets the safety standards for electrical items.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45So, in my left hand, I have a fake fuse.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47In my right hand, I have a genuine fuse.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I've been in the industry for over 30 years.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I can't tell the difference between them.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56With the fakes so similar externally to the real thing,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58there's only one way to tell the difference.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Graham will need to look inside.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06First, he cracks open a genuine one.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09This is a good fuse. It's surrounded by sand.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12So, the sand fulfils two functions. First of all, it insulates
0:05:12 > 0:05:15some of the temperature effects from the body of the fuse
0:05:15 > 0:05:17and it also damps out any explosive force
0:05:17 > 0:05:20you might get in the event of a significant electrical fault.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23But what's inside the fake?
0:05:25 > 0:05:26We can see our counterfeit fuse
0:05:26 > 0:05:28has no sand present.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30A really important design difference.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33The fakers are cutting corners
0:05:33 > 0:05:37by not putting sand in fake fuses, and by doing this, they're putting
0:05:37 > 0:05:40users of electrical appliances in danger.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42In the event of a very large fault current,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45which you might have if you had, I don't know,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47a short circuit on your washing machine, for example,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49the fuse will actually explode.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The sand damps that out, typically,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and prevents that explosion from creating havoc with the plug itself.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59None of the fakes we bought at Poundworld
0:05:59 > 0:06:01had any sand in them.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Absence of sand, we've seen plugs actually explode,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07which can expose people to electric shock.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12To find out just how dangerous these fake fuses might be,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Graham's going to test one to the EU standard
0:06:15 > 0:06:19by passing a strong current through it for 30 minutes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21What we're checking for really is the temperatures -
0:06:21 > 0:06:23the temperatures of the wiring,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26particularly the temperatures of the plug and front of the socket.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31The temperatures are monitored with a thermal imaging camera.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33The wire inside the fake fuse
0:06:33 > 0:06:36should be able to withstand the current for 30 minutes
0:06:36 > 0:06:39without melting and breaking the circuit.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43But after just 15 minutes, it's game over.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47The fake fuse has failed.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50It should've lasted 30 minutes under that condition.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53You know, it's failed to do its job.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57The wire inside the fuse disconnected before it should.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00As well as leaving out the sand,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03the fakers are using inferior materials.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05This is an unreliable fuse
0:07:05 > 0:07:08that might break down before a fault even occurs
0:07:08 > 0:07:11or not break the circuit when it needs to.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Graham also tested another fake fuse we bought from Poundworld,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17with more dramatic results.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Here's one we tested earlier.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24In this case, the fuse carried on operating for 30 minutes
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and the plug got extremely hot,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28leading to some melting of the plastic here.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31You can see the burning that's taken place inside.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35That could lead to the plug coming apart,
0:07:35 > 0:07:36exposing you to electric shock.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Looking at the socket, the pin of the socket
0:07:39 > 0:07:41has actually burned and charred here.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43You know, that could easily lead to a fire.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Tests on other fake fuses have had more catastrophic results,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52like this explosion that was caused by a lack of sand
0:07:52 > 0:07:54in the fake fuse inside the plug.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57We showed footage to members of the public
0:07:57 > 0:07:58to see what they made of it.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Oh, my gosh. That's awful.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03It's literally, like, exploded off the wall.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05And that could happen, like, at any time.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Like, that's really terrible. Like, that's really dangerous.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12I'm just shocked.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's actually quite horrendous and really quite scary.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19It will blow up. It will kill everybody in the house.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I'm really disappointed that somebody would actually sell them
0:08:23 > 0:08:26in such mass production considering the damage that it could do.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30As a result of Fake Britain's investigation,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Poundworld was informed.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36They immediately issued a recall of the fake fuses.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Poundworld told us...
0:09:07 > 0:09:09They actually come in unique packaging,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and it's very clear for the consumer,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14that if you have a product that's in that pack,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18that you need to contact and take that product back to Poundworld
0:09:18 > 0:09:20because that's a fake product.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Martyn Allen from Electrical Safety First
0:09:24 > 0:09:27wants to emphasise that people shouldn't underestimate
0:09:27 > 0:09:30the potential dangers of using a fake fuse.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33In the UK every year, we have about 7,000 fires
0:09:33 > 0:09:35that are caused from faulty electrical products.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Some of those fires clearly will be associated with fake fuses
0:09:38 > 0:09:42that can lead to loss of life through either the fire
0:09:42 > 0:09:45or electrocution, so it's a really serious issue.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Are you a savvy online shopper?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Do you do your research on a business you might buy from,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59like checking up to see if they have positive reviews
0:09:59 > 0:10:00from satisfied customers?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03That sort of information is very reassuring.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05It makes it less likely
0:10:05 > 0:10:07you're going to have a problem, doesn't it?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Well, you may have to think again.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11As Fake Britain has been discovering,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14it's not only fake products you have to be careful about,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17it's fake positive reviews on websites too.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25We spend more money online per head than any other developed country.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28More than three quarters of us shop over the internet,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and last year, we spent over £110 billion online.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38When buying a product or service, many of us turn to online reviews
0:10:38 > 0:10:40written by other customers who bought the same thing.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Andy Ward from Nottinghamshire wanted to buy a video game
0:10:45 > 0:10:49with limited-edition toy for his son for Christmas.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51He has a great passion for video games.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Getting him off them is difficult.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59He loves collecting figures and things that you get with them.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01In fact, he probably enjoys that
0:11:01 > 0:11:03more than the games themselves, to be fair.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The video game Andy's son had his heart set on
0:11:07 > 0:11:09had sold out in shops,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13so Andy went to online auction site eBay to see if he could get one.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I started looking around for, I don't know,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19half an hour or so before deciding that the seller
0:11:19 > 0:11:21that I'd chosen seemed to be asking a fair price.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23It seemed legitimate,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28the feedback seemed genuine and it seemed to tick all the boxes.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Andy felt he could trust the seller
0:11:32 > 0:11:34because there were several positive reviews
0:11:34 > 0:11:36from previous buyers.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39The seller had only been a member of eBay for a few months,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44but had accrued about 27 positive feedback, 100%, no worries.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50So, Andy went ahead and bought the game for £149.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53He was pleased to have found the rare game that his son,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56who has autism, had set his heart on.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59They were both excited about the game's arrival.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02We waited and we waited and nothing came.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05The days went by,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and with Christmas approaching, Andy started to worry.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10He e-mailed the seller but got no reply.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13He tried calling but the phone number wouldn't connect
0:12:13 > 0:12:17so he looked up the address the seller had given.
0:12:17 > 0:12:24I took minutes to establish that the door numbers on the road
0:12:24 > 0:12:28that the seller supposedly lived on never went to that number.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31The address didn't exist.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35On some websites, customers can see what products
0:12:35 > 0:12:39the person they're buying from has purchased.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Andy decided to take a closer look at the customer feedback
0:12:42 > 0:12:44on the seller's profile.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46He was surprised by what he discovered.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49On closer examination of their feedback,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I found that several of the feedbacks
0:12:51 > 0:12:53were basically purchased.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56They'd been bought from other eBay sellers.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00The video game seller's positive reviews were fake.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03He had, in fact, bought the reviews from this eBay seller.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Fake Britain has since found that other online sellers
0:13:08 > 0:13:11are claiming to sell positive reviews.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Andy had believed he was buying from a respected trader,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17but none of the reviews he'd believed
0:13:17 > 0:13:20were actually from satisfied customers.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23When people buy fake feedback,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25they can have written whatever they want.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27They can pretty much say,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29"Yeah, well, say I'm a fantastic seller.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32"Say everything arrives on time. Couldn't be any better.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34"Very reliable."
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It was all lies, and the video game Andy ordered never arrived.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He had to break the news to his son.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48Part of his condition would be that he does not really understand
0:13:48 > 0:13:51that concept that, you know, sometimes, these things happen.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54So, to him, it was like the end of the world, you know.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57He wanted that and he was devastated about it.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00eBay is not the only website
0:14:00 > 0:14:03that has problems with fake positive reviews.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Fake reviews are appearing on all sorts of websites,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10tricking consumers into thinking they've been written by customers
0:14:10 > 0:14:13when, in fact, they were written to order by someone paid to do it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Chris Emmins is the founder of KwikChex,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20which works to verify online information.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Every bit of research we've seen over the last few years
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and the investigations we've conducted ourselves
0:14:25 > 0:14:29show that online reviews are one of the ways
0:14:29 > 0:14:34you can most influence consumers to buy products.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37A huge number of customers relying on online reviews
0:14:37 > 0:14:40to reassure themselves are being fooled.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44On a daily basis, we are contacted by consumers
0:14:44 > 0:14:48that say they only bought the supposed goods
0:14:48 > 0:14:51because of the reviews they saw online.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I think it's fair to say that there must be
0:14:54 > 0:14:58literally millions of consumers falling prey
0:14:58 > 0:15:01to this sort of deception on a daily basis.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Some fake reviews are used by real companies
0:15:04 > 0:15:08to make their genuine product or service appear more attractive,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12but fake reviews are also used by fraudsters to convince shoppers
0:15:12 > 0:15:14to buy products that don't even exist,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16which is what happened to Andy.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20With that degree of influence, it was obvious that fake businesses
0:15:20 > 0:15:25and fake online sites were going to use fake reviews to dupe consumers.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28But give your details to these fakers
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and you might lose more than you bargained for.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Not only will they take your money in the first place,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38but they could start opening up bank accounts, credit cards, etc
0:15:38 > 0:15:41in your name and really going to town on you.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43They could destroy your finances
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and they could destroy your credit reputation, as well.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50At their worst, fake reviews can be used
0:15:50 > 0:15:53to make entirely fake websites,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55selling fake services, seem legitimate.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Fake Britain wanted to find out just how easy it is to create one
0:15:59 > 0:16:03selling not just non-existent video games but a fake service,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06so we asked Chris to build one that could entice people
0:16:06 > 0:16:10to give over some of their most sensitive personal data.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13It took him just a few hours to create a fake glossy website
0:16:13 > 0:16:16from scratch advertising a fictitious company
0:16:16 > 0:16:20that purports to help people with passport and visa issues.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Here's one we made earlier.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25What you'll see on it is a very credible-looking website.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31It purports to belong to various well-known trusted organisations.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It says it's 100% guaranteed.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37But none of this is real.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42And of course, to convince customers to go ahead and buy,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45the new website is full of positive reviews
0:16:45 > 0:16:47from thrilled customers.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51And there they are - all five-star, glowing testimonials.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54They look credible. They're well phrased.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57So, in 24 hours, you have a credible website
0:16:57 > 0:16:59capable of deceiving consumers.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01But it doesn't end there.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Chris is now going to try to get his fake website
0:17:04 > 0:17:06onto a trusted reviews site -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09an independent forum allowing consumers to post reviews,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11both good and bad,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14of products and services they've used.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Shoppers trust these sites because the reviews are impartial
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and haven't been posted or edited by the company,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22or so they think.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26One of the key problems of reviews sites
0:17:26 > 0:17:30is there is a considerable lack of diligence in their processes.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35There is no real verification not only of the reviewers,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37but, quite astonishingly, in many ways,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39of the business itself.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42We wanted to see how easy it would be
0:17:42 > 0:17:44to get the fake online business accepted
0:17:44 > 0:17:47by a trusted online reviews site,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51so Chris submitted it to a popular one called Review Centre.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55What we did here is put entirely fake details on it,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58so fake e-mails on the website, a fake telephone number,
0:17:58 > 0:18:03a fake address, and none of that was actually picked up in the -
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I hate to say it - so-called verification process.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13His fake company now looks legitimate,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15featuring on a trusted reviews site,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20and Chris is able to start posting fake positive reviews on there, too.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22How many stars? What sort of rating am I going to give it?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I'm going to give it five.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Would I recommend it to a friend?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Unquestionably, I'd recommend it to a friend.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Here's my review title.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33"Excellent".
0:18:35 > 0:18:38And now I've taken one of the fake reviews
0:18:38 > 0:18:39from the fake website.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I'm just cutting and pasting that in there now.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44What it's asking me to do now
0:18:44 > 0:18:48is to confirm that I'm a genuine consumer.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50I'm going to agree with that.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And there, lo and behold,
0:18:53 > 0:18:58is the first of what would be many, many fake reviews.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01None of the contact details on Chris's fake website are live,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04so no consumers contacting the service were fooled
0:19:04 > 0:19:07into thinking it was genuine.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10But if it's this easy to post fake reviews online,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14what can you do to be sure that the ones you're reading are genuine?
0:19:14 > 0:19:18If you see lots and lots of five-star glowing reviews,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21look and see how many of the reviewers
0:19:21 > 0:19:24maybe have only posted one review
0:19:24 > 0:19:27because, actually, really dedicated reviewers tend to post quite a few.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Try cutting and pasting the review that you're seeing
0:19:30 > 0:19:34and see then if it pops up on other reviews sites.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37If you're seeing it on more than one review site,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40it's really likely to have been placed by a bogus company
0:19:40 > 0:19:43using fake reviews trying to get as much exposure
0:19:43 > 0:19:45on the internet as possible.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49We contacted Review Centre and eBay with our findings.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Reviewcentre.com told us...
0:20:01 > 0:20:05"While this system has been shown not to be 100% foolproof
0:20:05 > 0:20:06"by your programme..."
0:20:13 > 0:20:17"We've also carefully complied with the laws in our sector and..."
0:20:23 > 0:20:24eBay say...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Andy did finally manage to get hold of another version
0:20:45 > 0:20:46of the video game for his son,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49who was very happy with his Christmas present.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53But Andy is still furious with the faker.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55It just made me feel really angry.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It's the fact that you can have massive impact on a family.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It could be quite difficult to deal with.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04To him, it was very, very important.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13A recent government report named an area of Manchester
0:21:13 > 0:21:16as the counterfeit capital of the country.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Millions of pounds worth of fake goods are sold there
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and distributed across the UK.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Fake Britain has been given exclusive access
0:21:23 > 0:21:26to the private investigators and police units
0:21:26 > 0:21:29tasked with cracking down on the fakers.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35This is Manchester city centre, where over £900 million a year
0:21:35 > 0:21:39is spent on clothes, handbags and other high-end products.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45But just north of the city centre lies Cheetham Hill,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49where the authorities suspect fake goods are being openly sold
0:21:49 > 0:21:51in huge volumes from high-street stores.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57The authorities, however, are watching,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and Fake Britain has been given exclusive access
0:22:00 > 0:22:02to private investigator Dave McKelvey
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and Greater Manchester Police on a major operation
0:22:05 > 0:22:07to disrupt the sellers of fake goods.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Cheetham Hill is effectively the fake capital of the UK.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Most of the fake goods that come into the UK come into this area,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and you can buy anything here, anything at all -
0:22:20 > 0:22:23footwear, clothing, electrical goods, handbags.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Absolutely anything.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29It's like an open street market.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Extremely hostile to law enforcement.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40This is an absolutely vast area of criminality.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Street after street selling fake goods.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51The sellers of fake goods employ an army of lookouts,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53also known as spotters.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Spotters there.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:22:57 > 0:23:00You've got spotters out on the street.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04You can see two there, two more there. Three.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Three on this corner. You see spotters in the doorways.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Those spotters protect the premises
0:23:11 > 0:23:15so that if law enforcement come down here,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18the shutters go down immediately. If one premises gets raided,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21all the shutters go down on all the other premises,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24close the whole area down. So, they're all working together.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27This is an organised crime syndicate.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Private investigator Dave has been working
0:23:31 > 0:23:34with Greater Manchester Police for six months,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and today, Fake Britain has been invited on their raid
0:23:37 > 0:23:40of the premises of a major counterfeiting gang.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44All the premises are all shut up,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48secured with metal shutters.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52The shops are protected by steel shutters,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56but the officers have come prepared with heavy-duty circular saws.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's time to hit the shops.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08But then they find reinforced doors behind the steel shutters,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10so it's time for the police to unleash
0:24:10 > 0:24:13what they fondly refer to as "the enforcer"...
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Yeah, you're in. Right.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20..and it's not long before they're in.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23This is exactly what we expected to find.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27You've got a premises here that is absolutely full of fake goods.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32As you look around the room, just fake bags, fake Uggs.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36There's perfume, jewellery. Absolutely everything here.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40This is a shop that's openly selling fake goods.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43There is a bewildering array
0:24:43 > 0:24:46of fake clothing and gadgets in the shop,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and the fakers have an ingenious method of bringing their haul
0:24:49 > 0:24:51into the country without being detected.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55They're buying in bags that don't have any labelling on.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58That way, they can get them through customs without any problems.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02The tags that they put on.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06They generally get the stuff shipped in untagged
0:25:06 > 0:25:12and then the staff that they hire, they'll tag it up in the shop.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Sometimes, they even use superglue.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Just stamped in.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Dave's got a shopping list of his own today,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26and this store isn't the only one he's planning to visit.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Down the road, the circular saw is out again.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31They'll literally lock the whole place down
0:25:31 > 0:25:32the moment there's any police activity.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We're now in, so we'll see what's inside this one.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Police!
0:25:39 > 0:25:41The lights are off in this shop,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45but Sergeant Darren Thomason still spots a fake.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Clearly, there's a lot more stock in this shop.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52You're into the tens of thousands of pounds' worth of gear,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54from your North Face jackets
0:25:54 > 0:25:56all the way down to your jewellery as well.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It's a big shop, which will take officers a while to search.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Oh, my God.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Darren's concerned about the safety of some of the fake products
0:26:09 > 0:26:12for sale in this shop, like these hair straighteners.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15You can tell by the quality of these items that
0:26:15 > 0:26:17they're not the real thing, they're fake,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and as you can clearly see there,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23it's got the approval stamping on there,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25but again, that's going to be fake.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27There's no way on this earth that that's the real McCoy.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30You know, these things can catch fire so quickly
0:26:30 > 0:26:33because they've not passed their safety regulations, so, yeah,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36they can certainly cause fires within the home.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39It's not just fakes that Darren's found.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41He's uncovered hard evidence
0:26:41 > 0:26:44of just how lucrative the fakery business is.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46This is the ledger you see.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Cash takings here for £7,000.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52£9,000.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Just under £4,000.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56£10,424.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59This is all cash in hand.
0:26:59 > 0:27:06So, a hell of a lot of money going through the door on a daily basis.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08While the officers continue their search,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Dave decides to take a drive around the local area.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14He's surprised to see that, for some of the shops,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16it's business as usual.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19We've got huge police presence across the road.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20You've got a shop being searched
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and there's people down that road still openly selling fake goods...
0:27:26 > 0:27:27I'll just reverse back again.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31..literally 100 yards from where there's a police raid going on.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's completely lawless. It's like the Wild West.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Police and Trading Standards have been seizing about
0:27:38 > 0:27:42£1 million worth of fake stock every year from Cheetham Hill.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45This operation is the culmination of months of hard work
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and it's been a resounding success.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50So, this is not small businesses.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53It's seven days a week, £5,000 to £10,000 a day.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56This is vast, vast business. This is organised crime.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59So, it's a huge haul worth millions and millions of pounds.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.