0:00:02 > 0:00:04We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling totally ripped off,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and you've contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and the customer service that simply isn't up to scratch.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17There's a lot of blurb written down but, in practice,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19the words are absolutely meaningless.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22People just can't afford these prices. It's ridiculous.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29and investigate the extra charges that you say are unfair.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33They're in a win-win situation and you're in a lose-lose situation.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36If you don't do something about it, I think it's your own fault.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And when you've lost out but nobody else is to blame,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50So, whether it's a blatant rip off or a genuine mistake,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52we're here to find out why you're out of pocket
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and what you can do about it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Your stories, your money.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain
0:01:03 > 0:01:06where, today, we'll be doing our best to make sure your money
0:01:06 > 0:01:09stays out of the grubby paws of the unscrupulous operators
0:01:09 > 0:01:13who have their own sights set on it. In other words - scammers.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Indeed. Some of the scammers we're hearing about this time round
0:01:16 > 0:01:20really do take the biscuit when it comes to far-fetched promises
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and too-good-to-be-true offers.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25They seemed entirely plausible as they offered a life-changing
0:01:25 > 0:01:27opportunity or windfall,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29or even a great deal on a romantic retreat.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31But I think you can guess
0:01:31 > 0:01:33what people who took them at their word
0:01:33 > 0:01:35have received in return for their money.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36In two words, Gloria.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Precisely nothing.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41But, of course, it was only because what they were told
0:01:41 > 0:01:42seemed so convincing
0:01:42 > 0:01:46that they handed over, in some cases, thousands of pounds.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48These were very sophisticated scams.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49So if you're the kind of person
0:01:49 > 0:01:52who reckons you could never possibly be caught out,
0:01:52 > 0:01:53I'd advise you to think again,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55because amongst today's mix,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58there'll be one that I'm quite sure would have hooked you in.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01So we'll have plenty of tips to keep your money in YOUR pocket
0:02:01 > 0:02:03and not in the scammers'.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Coming up, on the trail
0:02:06 > 0:02:08of whoever's behind the inheritance scam
0:02:08 > 0:02:12that promises that you're in line for an unexpected windfall.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17You want him to transfer 20,000 dollars to you
0:02:17 > 0:02:20so that you can release ten million dollars to him?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22MAN ON PHONE:
0:02:24 > 0:02:26'And retracing the steps of the Valentine sweethearts,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'whose romantic getaway ended in heartbreak,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32'thanks to a particularly nasty con.'
0:02:32 > 0:02:33I burst out crying.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35It was something that I'd been thinking for the past few hours.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Things weren't adding up. But to hear it from somebody else,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40it was devastating.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47A big windfall completely out of the blue
0:02:47 > 0:02:50is something that most of us can really only dream of.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52So if you were suddenly to be told
0:02:52 > 0:02:55that a very wealthy, long-lost relative,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59possibly one that you didn't even know and hadn't even heard of,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02had died and left you their entire fortune,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05well, it would come as a bit of a shock, I should think.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07And indeed, the story might just be plausible enough
0:03:07 > 0:03:09to convince you that it is for real.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Unfortunately, as we're about to find out,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15the chances are that it's actually a scam.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And instead of coming into money, you could end up losing
0:03:19 > 0:03:21an awful lot of it.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Luxuries like this are something that most of us can only dream of,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but for some people, that dream really could come true.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34There are around 10,000 unclaimed inheritances in the UK
0:03:34 > 0:03:36worth hundreds of millions of pounds,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40just waiting for the rightful beneficiaries to claim them.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43But that knowledge is fuelling a global scam
0:03:43 > 0:03:45that saw almost 4,000 victims
0:03:45 > 0:03:49lose over £10 million in 2013.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51It all starts with a simple text message or e-mail,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54like the one that Vinnie Garrard received last summer.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58The sender said that his name was Franklin Cozad,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and he claimed that he'd been asked to contact Vinnie
0:04:01 > 0:04:03by a Mrs Eunice Job.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06He told Vinnie that Eunice Job was ill and had instructed him
0:04:06 > 0:04:10to arrange a transfer to Vinnie of 11 million!
0:04:10 > 0:04:13What was your reaction when you got this text?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I was shocked.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I text him back saying, "Is it a joke?"
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And he says, "No, it is true."
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- But it sounded plausible?- Yes.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Franklin said that Vinnie would need to pay legal fees
0:04:28 > 0:04:31before the inheritance could be paid into his bank account.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Immediately, alarm bells rang,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and Vinnie suspected that it was a scam.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38But, on the other hand, the name Eunice Job did sound familiar
0:04:38 > 0:04:40from his childhood.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41He wasn't to know that, in fact,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45it was a name that has been used in similar scams before.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48He wanted £500 off me at first,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- pay for the solicitors.- Hmm.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53What was your reaction to that?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I can't do it,
0:04:55 > 0:04:56and I'm not doing it.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But the mysterious Franklin didn't give up.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Every day he would call Vinnie again,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05supposedly telling him how the case was developing.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Even so, Vinnie was still reluctant to hand over any money.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13I wanted to talk to somebody else, not just Franklin.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I wanted to talk to his boss.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20I wanted somebody else to give me evidence of who Franklin is,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23just to see if it was true or not.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Vinnie was introduced to three other people
0:05:25 > 0:05:28supposedly on Eunice Job's legal team,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32including Franklin's boss, a Mr Walter Van Andel.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34He told Vinnie where to transfer the money,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37but still couldn't convince him that this wasn't all a scam.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40So, to get to the bottom of what was going on,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Vinnie came to us.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It's been a few weeks since Vinnie last spoke to Franklin
0:05:44 > 0:05:47or his boss, Walter Van Andel.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49So I'm going to try and call them myself
0:05:49 > 0:05:52to find out just what it is they've got to say for themselves.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Let's see how much they remember about his case.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Mr Van Andel, I'm calling on behalf of Mr Vinnie Garrard,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01you've been in contact with him
0:06:01 > 0:06:05about an inheritance from Mrs Eunice Job.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09PHONE:
0:06:09 > 0:06:14That's correct. So are you the solicitor representing Mrs Job?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20'So far, it's as expected.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'Vinnie had been asked for anything from £50 to £500 in the past
0:06:24 > 0:06:26'but, now I'm calling on Vinnie's behalf,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30'Mr Van Andel suddenly wants a LOT more.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:3320,000?
0:06:34 > 0:06:3620,000.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37So let me get this right,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39because I'm, at this moment,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41representing Mr Garrard.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46You want him to transfer 20,000 to you,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50so that you can release 10 million to him?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Over a terrible phone connection,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55I gave Mr Van Andel an e-mail address
0:06:55 > 0:06:58to send us instructions for transferring the money.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01'Vinnie was told that the contact details he was given
0:07:01 > 0:07:03'for Walter Van Andel were in Belgium
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'but, somehow, I don't believe that this man is anywhere near.'
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Where are you at the moment?
0:07:12 > 0:07:13Hmm. In which country?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15SILENCE
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Mr Van Andel, which country are you in, please?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Hello, Mr Van Andel?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22PHONE BEEPS
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- At that point, he clearly smells a rat.- OK.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Not going to tell me where he is.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30We tried to call back but couldn't get through,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33and no wonder, because it's absolutely certain
0:07:33 > 0:07:35that these people were not who they claimed to be.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Indeed, we found out that the mobile number we rang
0:07:38 > 0:07:41is in fact registered in Benin, West Africa.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45And while the postal address and home number Vinnie had been given
0:07:45 > 0:07:48was indeed for a Walter Van Andel in Antwerp,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50the scammers had simply stolen the details
0:07:50 > 0:07:54of the REAL Walter Van Andel, a Belgian academic and author
0:07:54 > 0:07:57whose address is in full view on his own website.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01The scammers who almost persuaded Vinnie to part with his cash
0:08:01 > 0:08:04were able to do so because they'd built up a relationship with him
0:08:04 > 0:08:06over a couple of months,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and they made their story even more plausible
0:08:09 > 0:08:12by giving him the names and the telephone numbers of four people
0:08:12 > 0:08:15who were supposedly on his "case".
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Though Vinnie stuck to his guns and didn't hand over any cash,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21others have paid out to the scammers.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The official body Action Fraud advises that the easiest way
0:08:25 > 0:08:29to avoid being caught out is to ignore any approach like this
0:08:29 > 0:08:31that requires that you pay a fee,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34however convincing they may make it sound.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So anything that results from a cold call, be it a telephone,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41a letter, a text, something on e-mail,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43which is ultimately offering you
0:08:43 > 0:08:45something that sounds too good to be true,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48or asking you for money, walk away from it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Absolutely, walk away from it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52What you've got to bear in mind, a lot of these cold calls
0:08:52 > 0:08:54are computer generated.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57They're not singling you out.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00They're dialling every single number in the phone book,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and then, when it's picked up, and it's a human voice on the end,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07they'll pass it to an operator who does the sales pitch.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09If it was genuine, you may get called back.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13If it's a scammer, they won't know who they've spoken to,
0:09:13 > 0:09:14and they won't get back to you.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17And that's advice reiterated by Vinnie,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19because even though he didn't hand over the money
0:09:19 > 0:09:21that the scammers wanted,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24just engaging with them has ended up leaving him out of pocket.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Any idea how much it's cost you?
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Roughly...
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I'd say about £200...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- SHE GASPS - ..in phone calls and texts.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- So you haven't got away scot-free, have you?- No.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Well, as you can imagine, the people who are behind scams like these
0:09:44 > 0:09:47go to great lengths to ensure that it's really difficult
0:09:47 > 0:09:49to find out who or where they are.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53So I'm afraid we've had absolutely no joy at all
0:09:53 > 0:09:56contacting those men who wanted money from Vinnie again.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59But we did look into the bank account
0:09:59 > 0:10:02into which they'd asked him to transfer the money.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05It was a Santander account, here in the UK.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And when we told Santander about what had happened,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10they said that that same account
0:10:10 > 0:10:13has been used for other fraudulent transactions.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16So we've told them what we know about this scam
0:10:16 > 0:10:18to prevent it being used in that way again.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Perhaps the most effective scams we hear about
0:10:24 > 0:10:29are the ones that are extremely well organised, unquestionably convincing
0:10:29 > 0:10:32but also just that little bit brazen.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34So audacious, in fact, that you wouldn't for a moment think
0:10:34 > 0:10:38that what you're paying for might not even exist.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40But that's exactly the case with a scam
0:10:40 > 0:10:44that affected a number of couples looking for a romantic place to stay
0:10:44 > 0:10:45on Valentine's Day.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Nestled in the Highlands,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Loch Ness is one of Scotland's most popular tourist attractions.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54But at 23 miles long, it's also big enough
0:10:54 > 0:10:57to escape the hordes of tourists and Nessie-spotters
0:10:57 > 0:11:00for a quiet, romantic weekend away.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And that's just what Laura and Sean Parks
0:11:02 > 0:11:06from Thirsk in North Yorkshire planned last Valentine's Day.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08This would be our first Valentine's together
0:11:08 > 0:11:09since we've been together.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Sean's always out of the country at this time of year,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14so this one was going to be special.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Laura didn't have to look far to find somewhere
0:11:16 > 0:11:18for the perfect Valentine's getaway.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21An ad for what sounded the ideal place
0:11:21 > 0:11:23popped up on her Facebook page.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24When I clicked on the Facebook link,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26it directed me to their website,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30which showed that he had 26 log cabins on the banks of Loch Ness.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32All had a private hot tub.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34And the Valentine's weekend break
0:11:34 > 0:11:36included meals, champagne and chocolates.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43The deal could hardly be better, £375 for three nights in the cabin,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45including a meal on the Friday night,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47a three-course, candle-lit dinner on the Saturday,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and lunch on the Sunday.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52What's more, the page had been "liked" on Facebook
0:11:52 > 0:11:54more than 9,000 times,
0:11:54 > 0:11:55so it looked to Laura
0:11:55 > 0:11:58as though lots of people gave the cabins their stamp of approval.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00With everything looking good,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Laura contacted the owner of the cabin, Kevin Beamont,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06to organise her romantic getaway.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Whilst on the phone, he really reassured me that, you know,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11it was going to be a lovely weekend.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14He'd asked for my arrival time so he could have my hot tub switched on,
0:12:14 > 0:12:15my champagne on ice.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18He was really trying to make it special.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Excited by everything on offer,
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Laura didn't think twice
0:12:21 > 0:12:25when Kevin Beamont said she couldn't pay on her credit card.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27He said that he only accepted bank transfer,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30he didn't deal with credit cards and he didn't deal with cheques
0:12:30 > 0:12:31or anything,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34so it had to be done through a bank transfer.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36So Laura transferred the money
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and, a few weeks later, revealed her surprise to Sean.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42When Laura informed me we were going to Loch Ness for a log cabin,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I was really excited.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47The following morning, Valentine's Day itself,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Laura and Sean were up early to start the six-hour drive to Loch Ness,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53with the address Kevin Beamont had given them
0:12:53 > 0:12:55programmed into their sat nav.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The roads were pretty all right until we got into Scotland,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and there was snow everywhere.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, it's a few months later, and I've come up to Loch Ness myself
0:13:04 > 0:13:08to see if I can find this lodge that Laura and Sean booked.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11No snow and ice, so in theory, it ought to be quite straightforward.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Um, that's if I can work out how to use the sat nav.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Let's go.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20The sat nav was telling us to come off up to a hill,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and we were getting concerned.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I started to question whether I'd misheard,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26so we decided to drive up it,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28but that was a massive mistake.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29I started panicking.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31It was a single road,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and when we got to the top, there was just nothing there.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37And I'm being directed up exactly the same route.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42It's remote, it's bumpy, but is it going to be romantic?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Well, here's where the sat nav says is the place.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49It's certainly the end of the road.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50What an adventure.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Well, I wish this was the place cos it's absolutely beautiful.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59But, sadly, time to get out the atlas.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And a few months earlier, Sean and Laura were similarly confused.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07We carried following the road up again
0:14:07 > 0:14:09until we saw a petrol station.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12We stopped in the petrol station to see if they'd seen or heard of
0:14:12 > 0:14:14anywhere of this log cabin,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16and they didn't know anything about it either.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Well, that was very, very interesting. I did buy a map.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24But the much most interesting part of it was that the woman in there
0:14:24 > 0:14:28told me that, back in the spring, two separate lots of couples came
0:14:28 > 0:14:31to ask for the directions to these cottages.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34She had never heard of them but what she did know was
0:14:34 > 0:14:38that the village that they're meant to be in is way back there.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I decide to stop at a hotel I pass along the way.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44It turns out it's the same hotel Laura and Sean stopped at
0:14:44 > 0:14:48to ask directions on that very frustrating Valentine's Day.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- I'm lost.- You're lost?- That probably won't come as a surprise.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53Right. A lot of people get lost here.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54I'm sure they do.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Well, the reason I'm here is that we're following up
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- the story of a couple...- Mm-hm.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03..actually two couples, who separately booked these cottages,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- came up here, got into the same tangle as me...- Yep, yep.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09..and found themselves in trouble.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I know exactly... I know exactly what we're talking about.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I remember this couple particularly well.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15They arrived fairly late at night.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18They'd been driving around for many, many hours,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22again with the same address and the same postcode.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24The gentleman in the hotel just said,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26"Oh, I think you may have been scammed here."
0:15:26 > 0:15:28He said, "It might not even exist."
0:15:28 > 0:15:29I burst out crying.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32It was something that I'd been thinking for the past few hours.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Things weren't adding up, but to hear it from somebody else,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37it was devastating, wasn't it?
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Everybody's saying the same thing - they don't exist.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43The lady in the garage didn't know about them,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Willie here didn't know about them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47They don't exist, and it's a scandal.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Those couples were had,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and they've paid money over, and that's not right.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Laura immediately called Kevin Beamont,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56the man who apparently owned the cabins
0:15:56 > 0:16:00but, of course, the number she had for his mobile no longer connected.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03She took to Facebook to try to contact him
0:16:03 > 0:16:05but noticed comments on the page from other couples
0:16:05 > 0:16:08who'd had exactly the same experience as them.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Over the same Valentine weekend,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13this hotel was visited by four other couples,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16all looking for the same phantom log cabins.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19And they'd all been talked into paying by bank transfer,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22so none would ever see their money back.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27They all saw the cabins advertised on Facebook on a dedicated page
0:16:27 > 0:16:29that featured a large number of photos of the cabins
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and their surroundings.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34We've discovered that the pictures used on the Facebook advert
0:16:34 > 0:16:37were actually taken from five different websites,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41some of which were actually locations hundreds of miles from Loch Ness.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Armed with those photos, it wouldn't have taken much for Beamont
0:16:44 > 0:16:46to invent a very plausible site,
0:16:46 > 0:16:51as BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explains.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55If you've got a bit of nous setting up a website
0:16:55 > 0:16:56and a Facebook page,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58scraping photos from around the web,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00uh, with a little bit of design skill,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04you can come up with something that looks very convincing.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06A convincing-looking site is one thing,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09but Laura thought the Facebook page was trustworthy
0:17:09 > 0:17:12because it was liked by over 9,000 people...
0:17:12 > 0:17:15which, she assumed, meant they were all recommending the cabins.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17But as Rory's discovered with a test,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20it's not quite as simple as that.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I, for instance, set up a whole business called Virtual Bagel.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25It didn't do anything,
0:17:25 > 0:17:26it promised to send you bagels
0:17:26 > 0:17:29over the internet in virtual form,
0:17:29 > 0:17:30and it was there as an experiment
0:17:30 > 0:17:36to see how easy it was to get people to like your Facebook page.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I got more than 5,000 likes pretty quickly.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41But the quality of those likes was very poor.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45They were people randomly clicking around the world.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46There are things called click farms,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50where people would actually get paid a tiny amount to click, click, click
0:17:50 > 0:17:53on all sorts of things, to like them in a scam
0:17:53 > 0:17:56which is to do with earning advertising money for people.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58So you've got to be careful.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It can cost surprisingly little to buy a few thousand Facebook likes
0:18:03 > 0:18:05to make your page look as though it's been endorsed.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08So it's wise to do extra checks, too.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10And here's one that would really help.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Even if you're hundreds or even thousands of miles away,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16remember there's an easy way to do a check on any location
0:18:16 > 0:18:18without even leaving your home.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Just about everywhere these days is on Google Street View,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26so take a ride, check their postcode,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28go to where they claim to be,
0:18:28 > 0:18:29and make sure they're really there.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33If Laura, Sean and the other couples had done that,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37they might not have fallen for the scam in the first place.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38We've tried to contact Kevin Beamont
0:18:38 > 0:18:41to ask him about his non-existent cabins
0:18:41 > 0:18:42but, unfortunately,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45just like Laura and Sean, we couldn't track him down.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48The couple are now certain to do their homework
0:18:48 > 0:18:50before booking a break online again.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55After what's happened, I think, booking online in future,
0:18:55 > 0:18:56we'll be much more cautious.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59We'll definitely be paying by a credit card
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and doing a lot more checks into it.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05As for me, well, I gave up,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08but only after I'd at least solved one Loch Ness mystery.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Well, I've found Nessie, but where are the lodges?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22the battle to beat scam mail hots up
0:19:22 > 0:19:25with a new initiative to stop us being tricked out of our cash.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It makes me very, very angry,
0:19:28 > 0:19:33particularly because the people who actually run these kinds of scams
0:19:33 > 0:19:35are parasites on society.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Our Rip-Off Britain Pop Up Shop is back in business.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And this year we were in the West Midlands,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49giving you the opportunity to get face-to-face advice
0:19:49 > 0:19:50from our team of experts.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Ring them one more time, and say
0:19:54 > 0:19:55you're not going to get off the phone
0:19:55 > 0:19:58until you speak to somebody in the chief executive's office
0:19:58 > 0:20:01or in their complaints resolution team.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07James Ledbetter came in to see financial expert James Daley
0:20:07 > 0:20:11for advice after buying trainers online that looked like a bargain.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13A week or two later, the trainers arrived
0:20:13 > 0:20:15they was a completely different colour
0:20:15 > 0:20:17to the ones where I'd ordered online,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22um, and copied trainers - no tags on them, no receipts, no box.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25So I messaged them, saying obviously the trainer what's come
0:20:25 > 0:20:26is not what I've ordered.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27I'll need a refund on these.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28Never replied.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30I've sent about another three messages.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Just been blanked.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Looking into it now on other sites,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37I think reading people's reviews, it's just a fake, dud scam.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Your story's not an uncommon one.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Obviously, the internet can be a bit of a Wild West
0:20:42 > 0:20:43when it comes to shopping.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Either way, there's a few things that you can do here
0:20:46 > 0:20:47to get your money back.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49What method of payment did you use, crucially?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It was a debit card, sorry, I should say.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- Ah, it was your debit card? - Yeah, debit, yeah.- OK.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56There is a scheme that you can claim on
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- when you've used your debit card. - OK.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- It's called the Chargeback scheme. - Yeah.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02So you ring up your bank,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04they'll send you a form, you fill it all out,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and they will probably give you your money back
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- in relatively short order...- Yeah.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12..and then, they will go back to the retailer
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and try and get the money back from them.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- OK.- Now, the problem is,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20is that if they don't manage to get the money back from the retailer,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22they'll take it back from you again. But you have to remember,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24there are still some rogue traders out there
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and these days their websites can look incredibly professional,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- you know, they'll take your money nice and easy...- Yeah.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- ..and it might be finding out the hard way...- Yeah, yeah.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36..that, actually, these guys are not legitimate.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It wasn't just inside our shop that we heard your complaints.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Outside, at our gripe corner,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45you really let off steam about the things that irritate you.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51The biggest rip off for me is how much we pay for car insurance.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53We get penalised for our age.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54We think it's a rip off.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I think it's a rip off that in the school holidays,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59all the summer holidays go up in price.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It's absolutely ridiculous.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Out in the heart of the shopping centre,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09financial ombudsman Caroline Lusted-Wells
0:22:09 > 0:22:13ran a workshop on how to avoid internet scammers.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17The worst thing you can do is reply back to that e-mail
0:22:17 > 0:22:18or try and unsubscribe,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21cos as soon as you do that, they know that you're real,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and they will just keep bombarding you with more and more e-mails.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25D for delete is what I say.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28You just delete it and ignore it, just get rid of it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And Angela had a few tips on
0:22:30 > 0:22:33how to recognise those pesky phishing e-mails.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Anybody sending you an e-mail
0:22:35 > 0:22:38asking you to confirm your pin number,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40that is a phishing e-mail,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42because no company will ever ask you
0:22:42 > 0:22:44for those details.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45And the easy way to tell
0:22:45 > 0:22:48whether or not it's coming from a genuine account or not
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- is just to click on the name here, isn't it?- Hmm, it is.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And if you see that it isn't from BT, or whoever, but instead,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56it says Jemima, something or other,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58you know that this is someone
0:22:58 > 0:23:01who has somehow got hold of your e-mail address,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and they're trying to get money out of you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06They just throw out lots of e-mails and hope that one sticks,
0:23:06 > 0:23:07that's how they work.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Caroline's put together a factsheet of tips and advice.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13You can find it on our website...
0:23:17 > 0:23:19..along with advice from the other workshops we held
0:23:19 > 0:23:21over our pop-up weekend.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Many times in the past on this programme,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31we've talked about scams or spurious opportunities.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35And however disastrous the eventual consequences might be,
0:23:35 > 0:23:40they usually all started with just a simple letter that came in the post.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Now, identifying and helping the people who are most affected
0:23:42 > 0:23:45has been described as a national priority
0:23:45 > 0:23:46by a brand-new service
0:23:46 > 0:23:49that's been set up to tackle these scams.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Because, once you're on their mailing lists,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55I'm afraid that the letters just keep on coming in sackfuls.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Pat Craven receives more post every day
0:23:59 > 0:24:01than many people do in a week.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Hi, Pat. How are you today?
0:24:06 > 0:24:11But most of what drops through the letterbox, she doesn't want.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Pat, I can't believe how much junk mail you've got here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19How long did it take for you to accumulate this lot?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22That was, erm, three months.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23- Three months?- Yeah.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It all began when Pat was going through a rough patch,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and it got worse when she was housebound after an operation.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35She started mail order shopping for presents for her family.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38But the genuine letters about her purchases
0:24:38 > 0:24:40were quickly followed by more letters -
0:24:40 > 0:24:42not just about what she'd bought,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45but telling her that she'd won big cash prizes.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49But in order to claim those prizes,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51she'd have to spend more money with them.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55So how much do you think you might have spent, Pat?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Too much.- Thousands?
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- But you never got the cheque for £13,000?- No!
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Within months, Pat's daily postbag had become too much.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And she realised that however much she'd bought,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12the big prizes were never going to materialise.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Do you think you were suckered in, then?
0:25:16 > 0:25:18That, at the beginning, you were buying things
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and they were being delivered, and now,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- you're just getting the mail and the empty promises?- Yes.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Oh, I have, definitely. I'll admit that.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28I was sucked in now,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and I feel so stupid about it.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Pat's problems with scam mail are unfortunately all too common.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39In fact, the number of us who have been taken advantage of
0:25:39 > 0:25:42in this way has become so large
0:25:42 > 0:25:45that Trading Standards has now set up a specialist team
0:25:45 > 0:25:48to tackle the issue on a national scale.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Sophia is one of the team leaders who's responsible
0:25:51 > 0:25:54for trying to stop the scammers from operating.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59I've brought you Pat's mail from the last month...
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Wow.- ..but I see you've already got a pile there already.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05It's a very, very big problem nationally.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11We've got about 130,000 victims' names at present across the country.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14People are getting mail like this on a daily basis.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Ten, 20, 30 letters a day.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20At its most extreme, a single response to some scam mail
0:26:20 > 0:26:24can lead to a daily deluge of up to 100 letters or more.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27The reason that numbers can snowball in this way
0:26:27 > 0:26:29is that, once you've replied to just one letter,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33the scammers will then share your information amongst themselves.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37You've got a particular name for these sort of lists, haven't you?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It's a horrible term that I'm not overly keen on,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and I prefer to use the word "victim list"
0:26:42 > 0:26:45but, in the scammer's world, it's called a "suckers list".
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Many of letters sent to victims on the so-called "suckers list"
0:26:49 > 0:26:51originate from overseas.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54To stop them being intercepted by the authorities,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58they're sent in sealed containers to people referred to as enablers,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01who then put them into the UK post.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Though Sophia and her team try their best to disrupt this chain,
0:27:05 > 0:27:06it is very difficult,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08as once the mail gets into the system,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11it HAS to be delivered - by law.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But once letters like this drop through your letterbox,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18their promises of cash and prizes can be extremely persuasive.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21So here we have, for instance, a prize-draw entry form.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25"Please complete all the details so you enter..."
0:27:25 > 0:27:30"Enclose five pounds administration to activ...activate my prize draw."
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Is that five pounds
0:27:31 > 0:27:35and the possibility of winning a big prize,
0:27:35 > 0:27:36is that the hook?
0:27:36 > 0:27:39That's right, I agree. I think that is the hook.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41They think, it's only a fiver, it's only five pounds.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44So if you times all the five pounds, or the £25s,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47or the different amounts of money they're sending off,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49you know, it rolls into hundreds of pounds a week.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51As well as the promise of prizes,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56Sophia is constantly seeing scammers use other underhand tactics,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59all designed to get a response from the addresses that they target.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03The language that's used in a scammer's letter
0:28:03 > 0:28:05is very devious, very persuasive.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It almost sometimes verges on blackmail.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10They tell people to keep these things a secret.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13"You'll miss you're chance if you don't do this today,"
0:28:13 > 0:28:15puts those people who are replying
0:28:15 > 0:28:17in a situation where they feel under pressure.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24This pressure can sometimes have catastrophic financial effects.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Chris Beckett from Wisborough Green, in Sussex,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30only found out the extent to which his father, Tom, had been caught out
0:28:30 > 0:28:35by the scammers when his dad started asking if he could borrow money.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39You know something is wrong when there is a problem paying bills.
0:28:39 > 0:28:44I believe he probably spent in excess of £100,000.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49When Chris discovered how badly his father had been caught out,
0:28:49 > 0:28:50he called the police,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53who had launched a local initiative to combat scam mail,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55and to educate the public about it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59As part of that, and once he realised that he had been scammed,
0:28:59 > 0:29:04Tom gave this interview to Sussex Police in 2011.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07- WOMAN:- And how often were you sending money?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Oh.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Every week, I'd say.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I felt that I was on a good thing, and I wasn't.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Um, but it's very difficult to...
0:29:20 > 0:29:22..throw it down the drain immediately.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25You think there is a good opportunity there
0:29:25 > 0:29:28of getting a rather hefty cheque.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Tom died shortly after giving that interview,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34at a time when Chris was still in shock
0:29:34 > 0:29:36about the extent of his dad's spending.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39It makes me very, very angry,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42particularly because the people who...who actually run
0:29:42 > 0:29:46these kinds of scams are parasites on society,
0:29:46 > 0:29:47and they don't...
0:29:47 > 0:29:51They have no interest in the damage that they do
0:29:51 > 0:29:53to the person or to the family.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56For them, it's just a money-making process,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and they're completely cynical about it.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02The National Trading Standards Scams Team has now joined forces
0:30:02 > 0:30:05with agencies ranging from the police to the Royal Mail
0:30:05 > 0:30:07to combat this.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08And part of their response is to understand
0:30:08 > 0:30:12why people are drawn in by scam mail in the first place.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15I think if you're maybe lonely or vulnerable
0:30:15 > 0:30:18and somebody's sending you a letter every couple of days,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22you can get quite drawn into that because it feels like a friend.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25So would you say this is an addiction?
0:30:25 > 0:30:27We prefer not to call it an addiction.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29This is bullying.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34And scams are crimes, and that's a vital message we must get across.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37In fact, it's a crime which is big business.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Sophia and her team estimate that up to £10 billion
0:30:41 > 0:30:43is sent to scammers each year
0:30:43 > 0:30:44as a result of letters like the ones
0:30:44 > 0:30:47that Pat and so many others respond to.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51So if we can't stop it, then we need to do the second best thing,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54which is to get into people's homes and say, "This is a scam."
0:30:55 > 0:31:00Pat now knows all too well that letters like these are a scam.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02But she was desperate to share her story
0:31:02 > 0:31:05so that others don't fall victim in the same way that she did.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Yes, OK, I was a stupid person.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11But once in a while you think,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13"I might strike lucky."
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- And that's what keeps tying you in? - That's it.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20So what would your message be to people who are still thinking,
0:31:20 > 0:31:21"Ooh, I might get lucky?"
0:31:21 > 0:31:24You won't get lucky. No.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29And I just want to get the message over to people.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32PLEASE, don't get caught like me.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Now, as you know, scams of all shapes and sizes
0:31:40 > 0:31:42have been around for centuries.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45But whether they're old or new, some of the most lucrative
0:31:45 > 0:31:47are the ones that start off with a promise.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48You know that one,
0:31:48 > 0:31:49that if you put a little bit of cash in,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52you'll get so much more out at the end.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55And of course, that's a promise that can sound all too convincing.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57But you have to beware.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00These are the schemes that can cost you the most dearly
0:32:00 > 0:32:02and leave you with absolutely nothing to show,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05having handed over thousands of pounds.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12This is a fast-money, big-business, high-stakes environment,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15where fortunes can be made and lost in seconds.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17And this...
0:32:17 > 0:32:20is a rather less frenetic south-coast town,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23much-loved by holiday-makers and pensioners.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Now, they're two very different worlds that don't often collide.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30And former plumber Tony Boothby from Bournemouth
0:32:30 > 0:32:32certainly wishes that he had never considered
0:32:32 > 0:32:36chasing his fortune on the international stock market.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37But his interest picked up
0:32:37 > 0:32:40when he was cold called by someone offering him
0:32:40 > 0:32:42a chance to trade on the stock market,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45with the opportunity to make a huge return.
0:32:46 > 0:32:47I picked up the phone,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50and this bloke was on the other end of the phone.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53A very...you know, a nice lad.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56He was very plausible, and then I thought, well,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00I'd give it a go, and go from there, really.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03The salesman said that he was from a Barcelona-based financial business,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05called the Eden Brown Group,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08not to be confused with companies with a similar name.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11He offered Tony the chance to invest in a biotech firm
0:33:11 > 0:33:15who, apparently, were looking for a cure for cancer.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20I just thought it was a good idea at the time to help them,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22and help me at the same time.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Tony invested £5,000,
0:33:25 > 0:33:26and a few days later,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30he received a share certificate from the company.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34The share certificate was just printed out,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37but it's got all their monograms and everything
0:33:37 > 0:33:39all over the shares certificate.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42It wasn't just a plonky bit of paper,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44and it all looked pretty genuine to me.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Delighted that his money was invested in something worthwhile,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Tony put the certificate away and thought little more about it...
0:33:52 > 0:33:53until two months later,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56when the salesman from Eden Brown Group called yet again,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58this time offering Tony the chance to invest
0:33:58 > 0:34:00in a Canadian mining company.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02I think he wanted a bit more to start with,
0:34:02 > 0:34:08but I said, "No, I'm limiting myself to the 5,000,"
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and they said, "Well, OK.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15"We'll see if we can sort something out," of which he did do.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Just like last time, Tony sent off his money,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19this time around £4,100.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22And again, a share certificate soon arrived in the post.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Like any investor, Tony wanted to track his portfolio.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29But the website that Eden Brown Group pointed him to
0:34:29 > 0:34:32wasn't in English, so Tony couldn't quite follow it.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37And I couldn't really understand too much what it was all about
0:34:37 > 0:34:39because it was all just figures and goodness knows what,
0:34:39 > 0:34:44so I never really knew exactly what was going on with the share prices.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49However, when a few months later the company called Tony again,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52offering him the opportunity to invest £10,000
0:34:52 > 0:34:57in an Australian financial company, he said, "No," this time.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59I said, "No, I've done enough.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02"I've had enough of what...the ones I've got,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06"and there's no way that I'm doing any more investing at this stage."
0:35:07 > 0:35:10After that, the cold calls stopped
0:35:10 > 0:35:13but the brochures detailing his other investments kept coming.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16So Tony was satisfied that his investments were working out.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Then, in early 2013,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21the glossy brochures stopped coming as well.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Tony tried contacting Eden Brown Group for answers,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26but the agent seemed elusive.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Any time that I tried to phone him up to find out any information,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34I just kept getting put off with
0:35:34 > 0:35:36they was at a meeting,
0:35:36 > 0:35:37he wasn't in that day,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39and I just couldn't get through.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41Fearful something might be wrong,
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Tony started to look into the company online.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48There was a few remarks from other individuals
0:35:48 > 0:35:52warning other people to go very careful
0:35:52 > 0:35:54with who they were dealing with,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57which, I thought, "Ah, this doesn't look too good,"
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and I was a little bit more concerned about it.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04And that's when I tried to contact my agent again,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and I couldn't get him on the phone.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10I kept getting put off, and then, all of a sudden,
0:36:10 > 0:36:11the number had just gone dead.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15With the company's phones suddenly disconnected,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Tony came to a horrible realisation.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22I was really worried, I was pretty sick, and I...
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Not so much sick, but
0:36:24 > 0:36:27for somebody to con me out of my money,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31is a big thing. I was really upset.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Over the next year, Tony kept on trying to get in touch
0:36:34 > 0:36:38with the company, whilst also reporting them to Action Fraud.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40So, almost £10,000 out of pocket
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and unsure whether he really owns any shares at all,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45we're bringing Tony to the City Of London
0:36:45 > 0:36:47for some expert advice.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Justin Urquhart Stewart has more than 25 years' experience
0:36:51 > 0:36:53within the investment trading industry,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56so he knows a genuine share certificate when he sees it.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Tony, we've got two of your share certificates here
0:36:59 > 0:37:01and this looks beautifully fancy, doesn't it?
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- It does, yeah.- Nice pictures on it, and it's got the form on the back,
0:37:04 > 0:37:05so it could be a real one.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08They've even got some sort of watermarks on here,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11but I'm afraid that doesn't mean anything at all these days.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- They look good to me. - They look fantastic.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16They may look like the real thing,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18but Justin's pretty sure that they're not.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23And he's even more confident of that when he hears more of Tony's story.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25- And they'd phoned you up directly, had they?- Yes.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- Yeah, and told you a nice story about an opportunity?- Oh, yeah.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32The story you've told me, it sounds like a classic boiler room scam.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Boiler room scams are a very simple con,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38in which a group of individuals set up a sort of mini call centre,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40from where they cold call people,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42attempting to sell things such as holiday homes,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44luxury goods, and stocks and shares,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46which, in reality, either don't exist at all
0:37:46 > 0:37:50or are only worth a fraction of the price that the buyer pays for them.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52First of all, people shouldn't be cold calling you
0:37:52 > 0:37:54about investments in the first place, anyway.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Now, no doubt, you'll get people trying to proffer financial advice,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00but anybody trying to sell shares over the phone,
0:38:00 > 0:38:01that's a big no-no.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Anyone trying to do that at the moment
0:38:03 > 0:38:05will be breaching all sorts of regulation.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09It is against the Financial Conduct Authority's rules
0:38:09 > 0:38:13for a business to make the sort of cold call that Tony received.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15But, when a company has tempted you once,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17they'll keep coming back for more.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20So it's good news that Tony called a halt to any further buys
0:38:20 > 0:38:21after his second investment.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25What you quite rightly did was say, "No."
0:38:25 > 0:38:27But all they need to do is to come up
0:38:27 > 0:38:31with some names of companies - whether they exist or not -
0:38:31 > 0:38:34have your name, and then a really slick sales patter,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36and persuade you to be able to part with your money,
0:38:36 > 0:38:37and they've got away with it.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39And then, a few months later, the telephones go,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43the fax machines go, and there's no response any more.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46All of which, of course, is exactly what happened to Tony.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49As for the companies he supposedly bought shares in,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53the biotech firm was delisted from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and we can't find any information that suggests it was ever
0:38:56 > 0:39:00the pioneering, cancer-busting company that Tony was told about.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Both it and the Canadian mining company are no longer trading.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07So it's pretty clear that the money Tony invested has gone.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11And it's cold comfort for him that it could have been much worse.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12I've come across people -
0:39:12 > 0:39:15sadly, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18and people who really were taken in by that,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21and then felt obliged to put in more.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Despite his best efforts to contact them,
0:39:24 > 0:39:29Tony last heard from Eden Brown Group in October, 2013.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32And we had no joy whatsoever in getting in touch them either.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35The Spanish-based company hasn't answered any of our questions
0:39:35 > 0:39:37or e-mails.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39We also contacted the two companies
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Tony bought nearly £10,000 worth of shares in,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45but we've had no response to the various e-mails we sent.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48The best advice if you're cold called by someone offering
0:39:48 > 0:39:51an incredible-sounding investment is to end the call.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53And hold on to your cash
0:39:53 > 0:39:57until you've taken independent, regulated advice.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00We have this regulation to protect us from these scams
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and to protect us from these...these evil-doers,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05and sadly, there are more of them around,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07and therefore, we need the regulation even more.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10As for Tony, I'm afraid
0:40:10 > 0:40:13he's now resigned to the fact that his money has gone.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17It is a big kick in the teeth
0:40:17 > 0:40:21because that was for my future
0:40:21 > 0:40:23and it's for my grandchildren.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26I just feel that, somewhere along the line,
0:40:26 > 0:40:31I'm trying to help other people not to get conned to the extent I am.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Well, like Tony, we thought we'd seen the end of his investments,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41but as we were finishing this programme,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43there was a further twist to the tale.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46We finally had a reply to one of the e-mails we'd sent
0:40:46 > 0:40:49to the companies Tony thought he owned shares in.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Though the biotech firm didn't respond,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54the people behind the Canadian mining company did,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56assuring us that Tony does, in fact,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58own 5,000 shares in their company,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01but that's not quite the good news it sounds
0:41:01 > 0:41:04because the company isn't currently active
0:41:04 > 0:41:06which means that while Tony's shares,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08along with those owned by anyone else,
0:41:08 > 0:41:09do at least exist,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13unfortunately, they are almost certainly worthless.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Here at Rip-Off Britain, we're always ready to investigate
0:41:20 > 0:41:23more of your stories on any subject.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Are you confused over your bills or
0:41:25 > 0:41:28just trying to wade through never-ending small print?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31It's very frustrating because it makes what should be a
0:41:31 > 0:41:34quite simple job a lot more complicated, and I think some people
0:41:34 > 0:41:37just give up and so they don't get the best deal.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Maybe you're unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out
0:41:40 > 0:41:45and that so-called "great deal" has ended up costing you money.
0:41:45 > 0:41:46People are buying into this. I did,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49you know, and are they going to be as awkward
0:41:49 > 0:41:50with them as they were with me?
0:41:50 > 0:41:53You might have a cautionary tale of your own and want to share
0:41:53 > 0:41:55the mistakes you made with us.
0:41:55 > 0:42:01It upsets me an awful lot because, you know, I'm retired and I begrudge
0:42:01 > 0:42:03having to pay that kind of money out.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06You can write to us at...
0:42:14 > 0:42:17..or you can send us an e-mail to...
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Remember that the Rip-Off team is ready and waiting
0:42:24 > 0:42:26to investigate your stories.
0:42:30 > 0:42:31Well, as we've seen,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34there is a seemingly endless range of scams out there.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38So while we certainly all love receiving your letters and e-mails,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42what we don't relish is the thought of hundreds of scam correspondence
0:42:42 > 0:42:44coming through your letterboxes and computers.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48But, as we've been hearing, the perpetrators really can go
0:42:48 > 0:42:51to enormous lengths to make what they're saying sound legitimate.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54So it really is very easy to see how you can be taken in.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57So before you hand over any cash
0:42:57 > 0:43:00to someone promising an amazing investment opportunity,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02or a top prize in a draw you never even entered,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04take a deep breath
0:43:04 > 0:43:07and think about why they've contacted you in the first place.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Hmm.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11So here's the message - do not be seduced.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Go away and do your checks and research,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16or you could bring it to us to have a look at on your behalf.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20If it is a scam, we, of course, can warn other people about it as well.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22So, on that note and that advice,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24that's where we have to leave it for today.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Until the next time, thanks for watching,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29- and from all of us here in the team, bye-bye.- Bye-bye.- Bye.