0:00:02 > 0:00:04We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling ripped off
0:00:04 > 0:00:07and you 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 is not up to scratch.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16If you're paying for a good service, you expect a good service
0:00:16 > 0:00:18and a good product, whatever it may be.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20At the end of the day, we expect value for money.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money
0:00:24 > 0:00:27and investigate the extra charges that you say are unfair.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29The wool has been pulled over our eyes.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I don't think we get a fair price.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33I think they should always put the customer first.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37And when you've lost out but no-one else is to blame,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- And no-one could sort that out for you over ten years?- No-one has.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48So whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51we're here to find out why you're out of pocket
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and what you can do about it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Your stories, your money, this is Rip Off Britain.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Hello, and welcome to Rip Off Britain,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04the programme that's here to help
0:01:04 > 0:01:07when it seems you have reached a dead-end
0:01:07 > 0:01:09in trying to get your problems resolved.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Now, no matter how complicated or tricky your situation might be
0:01:13 > 0:01:14we will try and find the answers
0:01:14 > 0:01:17that you might otherwise be struggling to get.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21But the stories you contact us about can often be pretty complicated.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23There are unexpected twists and turns
0:01:23 > 0:01:26that make it hard to predict what the outcome will be.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29But rest assured we will be trying to get to the bottom of why
0:01:29 > 0:01:31you have been left feeling right out of pocket.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And, as always, you can be definitely assured that we have lots of
0:01:34 > 0:01:37advice to make sure you don't end up in that situation again.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Coming up, how offers to help sort out your pension
0:01:42 > 0:01:45could lead to those savings disappearing altogether.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49And what are the chances of me ever seeing any of it again?
0:01:49 > 0:01:54I have to say that the chances are probably quite slim.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57OK. That's actually just made me feel sick.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01And the pitfalls of discovering a long-forgotten mineshaft
0:02:01 > 0:02:03under your house.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I would like to know what's going on.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I don't want to come out one morning and find you in a hole, Roy!
0:02:08 > 0:02:10What I want from the Coal Authority
0:02:10 > 0:02:13is absolute assurance that the mineshaft is safe.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Now here's one of the things that you complain to us about most of all -
0:02:21 > 0:02:23those dreaded nuisance calls.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's no wonder that we're all hung up about them
0:02:25 > 0:02:28because an estimated one billion of them are made every year.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31What's, perhaps, even more frustrating,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33as continues to be the case with so many of you,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36is the fact that you're still being plagued by them
0:02:36 > 0:02:38after signing up to the official services
0:02:38 > 0:02:40designed to filter them out.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So, in the end, is there anything that can be done
0:02:42 > 0:02:46to stop those companies determined to pester us in our homes?
0:02:47 > 0:02:48PHONE RINGS
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- We've all had them... - Hello?
0:02:50 > 0:02:52..and we could all do without them.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56You think, "Oh, this actually might be important."
0:02:56 > 0:02:58No, it's not. It never is.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01I donated to a charity a few months ago and now they call me every day.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Every single day. Sometimes two or three times a day.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05I don't answer them.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07I just literally put the button down on them now.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I think they're absolutely awful.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The experience of Rita and Keith from Yorkshire will, I'm sure,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17strike a chord with many of you.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21There has been a gradual build-up of calls over the years,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23from originally two or three up to...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The maximum has been seven in one day.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28PHONE RINGS
0:03:28 > 0:03:31The calls can disrupt home life at all times of the day and night,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33much to the couple's annoyance.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Hello.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Goodbye.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's just annoying that my space is being verbally invaded
0:03:41 > 0:03:45by something that's unwanted.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Rita thinks that her phone number may have been sold
0:03:50 > 0:03:52or passed on by a company she's previously contacted,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and she's probably right.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Maybe I've bought something over the internet,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59or bought something through a magazine,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and then they've passed my details on to somebody else,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04on to a third party,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09which is wrong, because I don't want that.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Bye.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Rita signed up to the Telephone Preference Service,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21a free service supposed to stop unsolicited marketing calls.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Because once your number is registered, by law, companies
0:04:24 > 0:04:28shouldn't call it without consent, but I'm afraid Rita's phone still
0:04:28 > 0:04:30hasn't stopped ringing.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Hello.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37It's annoying that they are somehow deviously finding a way round them.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43This service was set up to stop these calls, to stop unwanted calls.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But whilst for most of us these are, as the name suggests,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52simply nuisance calls, for others, they can have a far greater impact.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55You all right, Mum? How are you today?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I'm OK, thank you.
0:04:57 > 0:04:5987-year-old Catherine
0:04:59 > 0:05:02is known locally for her terrific craftwork, selling greetings cards
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and knitting little outfits to donate to the local hospital.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09But she was recently, diagnosed with dementia
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and can struggle to remember things, so her son Terry
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and daughter-in-law Jenny call in ever day to check on her.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17- Have you had breakfast this morning? - Yeah.- What did you have?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Eh... What did I have?
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Toast.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- OK. Make it yourself?- Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27And it was on one of those visits that they realised
0:05:27 > 0:05:31that there was a risk to Catherine that they hadn't really anticipated.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33We discovered she was getting a lot of
0:05:33 > 0:05:35pestering phone calls, if you like
0:05:35 > 0:05:38from various companies, like PPI,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40but very pressurised,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43bearing in mind she's very vulnerable and old.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Jenny and Terry discovered that Catherine had been bombarded
0:05:46 > 0:05:49with phone calls from companies asking her for money.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- You can't remember how many you've had in the last week or so.- No.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54OK. But you've had a few, yeah?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- So I'm told.- OK. You can't really remember.- No.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Jenny estimates that Catherine now donates hundreds of pounds a month
0:06:04 > 0:06:07to many different companies. And that many of these arrangements
0:06:07 > 0:06:10were made as a result of Catherine answering a cold call.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14This is why we're so concerned about her
0:06:14 > 0:06:15and worried about the people out there
0:06:15 > 0:06:18that are preying on her, basically.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Some may be legitimate, and I think some aren't.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I know she's bought some medication -
0:06:24 > 0:06:26it's like garlic pills and things.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29There's enough there to keep the whole street going for a month.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Jenny and Terry think that, despite being registered
0:06:32 > 0:06:35with the Telephone Preference Service, Catherine probably gets
0:06:35 > 0:06:37around 12 nuisance calls a day,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40one of which even came while we were filming.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45Hello. A laptop? Yeah. What about a laptop?
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So I need to switch the laptop on so you can see what the problems are?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51They're going to fix my computer because apparently it's got a virus.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54As you can see, I have no computer in front of me.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56We do not have a computer or a laptop
0:06:56 > 0:06:59of any description in this house.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01It is a scam.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03If my mother had picked that call up,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05I don't know what she would have done.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07She might have told them she hasn't got a computer,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10but she would have been very confused and very concerned
0:07:10 > 0:07:12as to what's going on and why.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15In 2014, the Information Commissioner's Office
0:07:15 > 0:07:19received over 175,000 complaints
0:07:19 > 0:07:24relating to nuisance calls and texts. And since 2015,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27it's had new powers intended to make it easier to find
0:07:27 > 0:07:29the people behind them.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32But, despertate to stop the barrage of calls,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Jenny needed a more immediate solution.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38And when she contacted her local Trading Standards team,
0:07:38 > 0:07:39they had just the thing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41They offered to install in Catherine's home
0:07:41 > 0:07:45a nifty little box that works as a call-blocking device.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50And Steve Smith, the man who invented it, is going to fit it in person.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- This is Cath, my mother-in-law. This is Steve.- Hello, there, Cath.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Hi, Steve, nice to meet you. - Very nice to meet you too.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Once the box is fitted, you load it up with friends
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and family phone numbers and it lets them straight through.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Everyone else is blocked with a message asking them
0:08:05 > 0:08:08to ring their carer if their call is important.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11There are other similar boxes available to buy,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14although, as we've reported before, watch out.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Some are a lot more effective than others.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20This device, however, is the one that around 100 councils
0:08:20 > 0:08:22right across the country are now
0:08:22 > 0:08:25loaning out free of charge to those worst affected
0:08:25 > 0:08:27by persistent unwanted calls.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31OK, what I'm going to do is install the equipment.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35We simply unplug the telephone from the phone line
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and plug it into the back of the unit here.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Then we plug the unit back into the telephone line.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48Then we plug the power into the unit. OK, we're all ready and set.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Fantastic. So, has it done the trick?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Well, Jenny says that Catherine's nuisance calls have now
0:08:54 > 0:08:58stopped altogether, which is an enormous weight off her mind.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01She knows if she picks the phone up it's going to be someone
0:09:01 > 0:09:03she wants to speak to rather than somebody
0:09:03 > 0:09:04that she's scared of speaking to,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06or somebody that's going to prey on her.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09We're just trying to give as much support and help as possible
0:09:09 > 0:09:12to make her life more comfortable and less stressful, basically.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15So if you or a relative is having real problems with nuisance calls,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17it is worth seeing if your local Trading Standards office
0:09:17 > 0:09:19does have something similar.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21And you'll find more information about how to handle
0:09:21 > 0:09:24nuisance calls on our website. It's...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34I guess most of us know there's been something of
0:09:34 > 0:09:36a revolution in the world of pensions recently
0:09:36 > 0:09:39with the biggest shake-up that we've seen for decades
0:09:39 > 0:09:41on how they exactly work.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Now, the changes have been broadly welcomed by most financial experts,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47because they do give a lot more flexibility on how you support
0:09:47 > 0:09:50yourself through retirement and they maybe even give you
0:09:50 > 0:09:53an opportunity to cash in your pension early,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55but it's not all good news
0:09:55 > 0:09:57for anyone planning ahead for the future.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Greater access to our pensions has also opened the doors to
0:10:01 > 0:10:05plenty of outfits who may try and entice you into taking advantage
0:10:05 > 0:10:08of what could be described as free pension reviews,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12a one-off investment opportunity or even a legal loophole,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13so watch out!
0:10:15 > 0:10:20In 2011, Garry Tough was really struggling financially.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Having lost his job as a manager at a software business,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27he'd racked up some big debts and the repayments and interest
0:10:27 > 0:10:29were getting increasingly unmanageable.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Over a period of time, financial pressures had grown
0:10:33 > 0:10:35to a point where it had become clearly evident that
0:10:35 > 0:10:38something needed to be done to release the pressure.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Desperate for a solution,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Garry contacted a company of independent financial advisors.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47They told him about a scheme that seemed to be
0:10:47 > 0:10:49the answer to his problems
0:10:49 > 0:10:52by freeing up money from his pension.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55On the surface, with the amount of monies it could release,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58it sounded like a very appropriate way to go forward.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Garry was told that by signing up to a type of what's often called
0:11:03 > 0:11:05a pension liberation scheme,
0:11:05 > 0:11:11he'd immediately be able to make use of his entire £167,000 pension pot.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Half of it would be invested on his behalf,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18but the scheme, run by a company called Ark Business Consulting,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22apparently allowed Garry to get his hands on the rest, £83,000,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25in a lump sum within just seven days.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29It's almost like someone waving a lottery ticket in front of your face
0:11:29 > 0:11:33saying, "This is the winning ticket and your money worries are over."
0:11:33 > 0:11:35So that's life-changing.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43Because at 47 Garry was too young to cash in his pension pot -
0:11:43 > 0:11:45you normally need to be 55 to do that -
0:11:45 > 0:11:48the lump sum would be a loan.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50It sounded plausible to Garry,
0:11:50 > 0:11:51but with so much at stake,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53he wasn't yet completely persuaded.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00I needed convincing that first of all this was a legal investment
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and it was explained to me that this was brand-new,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04this was literally weeks old,
0:12:04 > 0:12:05that there was nothing out there,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09it was a loophole being exploited quickly.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13But once Garry had signed a contract allowing Ark to withdraw
0:12:13 > 0:12:17all of his £167,000 pension, the seven days in which
0:12:17 > 0:12:23he should have received half of the money came and went.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I went on to the internet, searched for the name of the company,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29the investment vehicle, Ark,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and I could see that other people had commented in a blog that they
0:12:33 > 0:12:37had concerns as well, that something had gone, as they said, "smelly".
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It almost stops you being able to breathe, because you think,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44"Oh, my goodness, what's about to happen here?"
0:12:44 > 0:12:48When Garry spoke to his financial advisors, the news was not good.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Far from being the loophole that it first appeared,
0:12:50 > 0:12:55the Ark scheme had now been declared unlawful by the Pensions Regulator.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57That meant no lump sum,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59as it was classed as an unauthorised payment.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It is as if someone has just taken that lottery ticket
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and ripped it up in front of your face.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10To say that that was the most challenging time of my life
0:13:10 > 0:13:12is not to put too fine a point on it.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Garry's story is depressingly familiar to Sean Browes,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21who investigates pension schemes on behalf of the Pensions Regulator.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25He's currently looking into around 60 similar cases.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Many other people are encouraged to join these types of schemes.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Yes, they may be given access to a cash sum,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34but the price they pay for that is being exposed
0:13:34 > 0:13:36to significant tax penalties,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39they run the risk of their pension funds
0:13:39 > 0:13:42being invested in highly risky investments.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Some of the schemes that Sean and his team were investigating
0:13:47 > 0:13:49were entirely bogus,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54including the one that Jane Hammonds was talked into signing up to.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00In 2013, she invested her £129,000 pension pot
0:14:00 > 0:14:02into a scheme that was known as Iron Stream,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06but it turned out to be totally fictitious.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09You know, I get up and I do shift work for minimum wage
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and these guys are probably sitting on yachts somewhere,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14drinking champagne.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Jane has come to meet Sean to see if there's any hope
0:14:18 > 0:14:19of tracking down her cash.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24What are the chances of me ever seeing any of it again?
0:14:24 > 0:14:28I have to say that the chances are probably quite slim.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30The warning signs are there.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35OK. That's actually just made me feel sick.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37I'm not surprised.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Yeah.- We will do all that we can
0:14:40 > 0:14:42to find this money.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47If we can't find it, we will do all we can to go after the people
0:14:47 > 0:14:49that have spent your money.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's estimated that up to £1 billion has been lost
0:14:54 > 0:14:57to pension liberation schemes like these,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00with most of the cash disappearing into thin air.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03But there could yet be hope for Garry.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07When we asked Ark Business Consulting where exactly
0:15:07 > 0:15:11his £167,000 had gone, it told us the scheme he'd signed up to
0:15:11 > 0:15:14was taken over by the Pensions Regulator
0:15:14 > 0:15:17before it had received his pension funds,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20so it has no idea what's happened to his cash
0:15:20 > 0:15:24and it insists that everything it did was transparent,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27so we went back to Sean Browes' team,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30who the Regulator appointed trustees of the Ark scheme.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32While they're still working on this case,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35they're optimistic that Garry may get some of his money back,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37albeit with a hefty tax bill.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43But with the government reiterating warnings about any such scheme,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47personal finance expert Sarah Pennells has advice to keep in mind
0:15:47 > 0:15:51if what seems like an opportunity comes along.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55There's a magic age of 55 and if you're younger than that,
0:15:55 > 0:15:56then you can't, under the rules,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01take money out without either being seriously ill and only having
0:16:01 > 0:16:05months or a year or so to live, or having to pay a large tax charge
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and then for those people who are aged 55 or over,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11there are some companies who are trying to persuade you to put
0:16:11 > 0:16:13your money into either high-risk,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16high-charge or unregulated investments.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19If a company promises returns that are way above anything that
0:16:19 > 0:16:23anybody else is offering you, that's often a bad sign.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26If they're a financial advisor, always check the regulator
0:16:26 > 0:16:29the Financial Conduct Authority's register,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32because that will tell you whether they are genuinely registered
0:16:32 > 0:16:34and therefore regulated.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37The recent pensions reforms have created new opportunities,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41of which some companies and scammers have been quick to take advantage,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44so the best advice is to steer well clear of any business
0:16:44 > 0:16:47that links pension reforms to one-off investments,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50loans, or up-front cash.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Some of them will cold-call with recorded messages.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54Don't respond.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Meanwhile, Garry is still struggling to come to terms
0:16:58 > 0:17:00with what's happened.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Every day, actually, I ask myself, "How could this have happened?"
0:17:03 > 0:17:06All of a sudden, you could face the rest of your life
0:17:06 > 0:17:09without any financial comfort whatsoever,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12so it's a very, very difficult process to manage in your head.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Once again, we've taken Rip Off Britain out on the road.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Here in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29our pop-up shop gives us the perfect opportunity to meet you face-to-face
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and hear all about the situations
0:17:31 > 0:17:34where you feel you haven't got what you wanted
0:17:34 > 0:17:36or indeed you feel you've been ripped off.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39Outside in the market,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42our technology expert David McClelland was sharing tips
0:17:42 > 0:17:45on how to tackle the unwanted text messages
0:17:45 > 0:17:49that so many of us now get on our mobile phones.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Aidan, do you get a lot of spam on your phone and your iPad
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- and everything? - I do, it's quite difficult.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57It's pretty common, isn't it, for people to be bombarded with spam.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It is a growing problem and, unfortunately,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02as long as there is easy access to sims and computers
0:18:02 > 0:18:05that can send text messages to random numbers,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07it's not going to be a problem that goes away that easily.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09It is illegal to send a text message
0:18:09 > 0:18:12unless you've got the permission of the person
0:18:12 > 0:18:13to whom you're sending it, OK?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16What you can do to try and stop those spammers
0:18:16 > 0:18:18from spamming you again
0:18:18 > 0:18:23is there's a number, 7726, which, on your phone keypad,
0:18:23 > 0:18:24- it spells "spam".- There we go.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28If you're on one of the networks, it's 37726,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31but if you forward the spam message and the number that it came from
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- to this, then the networks will do their best to try and stop it.- OK.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39They say that they stop around 50,000 spammers per month,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- so it's definitely worth doing that. - That's huge.- That is massive.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45But what about spam phone calls?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Spam phone calls, we get them on the home phone.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49The trouble is, we always say put the phone down,
0:18:49 > 0:18:50but if you do that, David,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52it means they've still got the number and may call back again.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54How do you stop them doing it?
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Exactly, well, there's the official routes,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58things like the Telephone Preference Service,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01so you can put your telephone number on that register
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and in theory, companies that abide by the law at least
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- cannot continue to call you.- Yeah. - So you found all that helpful?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- That is all helpful, yeah.- And you've remembered the number?- 7726.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12- Well done!- And it spells "spam" on your keyboard.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- "Spam" on your keyboard. So no more spam.- No more spam.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And if you want to know how to maximise security
0:19:20 > 0:19:24on your now spam-free mobile phone, David can help with that as well.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28You say you've got a lock on your phone - what kind of lock
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- have you got? - Just the normal phone lock.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32OK, so you think that your phone is safe
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- because you've got that lock on the front there, yeah?- Yeah.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38You realise that the way he said that, it means it's not!
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- I know, yeah!- I've got some bad news for you, I'm afraid,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42because even though your phone itself is locked,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44what fraudsters can do is to take the sim,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47that little card that goes into your phone, they take that out
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and they put it into one of their phones, which of course is unlocked.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52That still works, it's only your phone that's locked
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and what they can then do is to make calls using your number,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58using your account, but even worse than that,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00they can make premium rate calls
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and they can make a heck of a lot of money through doing that,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05so one thing that not a lot of people know about
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and why we're here today, Angela,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09is to tell people about the sim pin and what that is,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12it locks down the sim card, so even if they take the sim
0:20:12 > 0:20:15out of your secured phone and put it into one of their phones,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17they still cannot make calls.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19If anyone takes that sim out of your phone
0:20:19 > 0:20:21and then pops it into another phone,
0:20:21 > 0:20:22they will have to know what that pin is,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and if they enter it in wrong three times,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27then that's it, that sim will then stop working.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29It varies from phone to phone how you do that.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Go and get it sorted, yes?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- That's it, definitely. - Thank you both very much.- Thank you!
0:20:34 > 0:20:35- Thanks! Bye!- See you!- Bye.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Our next story came to light from a viewer who has been in
0:20:41 > 0:20:45a state of flux for four years over fears that his house could be
0:20:45 > 0:20:47at risk from a mineshaft.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50But what does that actually mean?
0:20:50 > 0:20:54With his life on hold, he's asked us to come up with some answers.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57MALE CHORAL SINGING
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Roy and Glynyth Jenkins have lived in this former mining community
0:21:02 > 0:21:05of Neath in South Wales all their lives.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08The childhood sweethearts married back in 1950
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and soon after they found a plot of land
0:21:10 > 0:21:12ideal for setting up home together.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18We bought the land in 1954
0:21:18 > 0:21:23and we employed the architect to design our house
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and then we built our own dream home.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27We've been extremely happy here.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Neath was once a bustling coal mining town,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36but the local collieries had closed down long before the couple
0:21:36 > 0:21:37had built their home.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41It was only in 2011, after living there for more than 50 years,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44that Roy discovered his property was linked to the industry
0:21:44 > 0:21:47in a way he'd never imagined.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Out of the blue, we received a letter from the Coal Authority
0:21:50 > 0:21:54informing us that we had a mineshaft in the garden
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and in due course they would come and inspect it.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- This is dipping down here now.- Yep.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Turned out that a mineshaft lay under the side of the footpath
0:22:03 > 0:22:06in their back garden, just metres from the house,
0:22:06 > 0:22:07which got them wondering
0:22:07 > 0:22:11about some of the changes they'd spotted over the years.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- We hadn't noticed that before.- No.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15We've noticed a dip in there.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18When the house was built,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22all the earth from the building plot was thrown up here,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25so we thought it was just natural settling.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Of course, now that the Coal Authority
0:22:27 > 0:22:30has informed us of the mineshaft, it makes sense.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Roy wrote to the Coal Authority,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35who are responsible for making disused coal mines safe,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38to find out what work had been done on this one.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42They sent round an inspector, but all he could tell Roy
0:22:42 > 0:22:45was that the mineshaft was about 290 metres deep
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and was last worked in 1901.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51What I wanted to know was that whether or not the mineshaft
0:22:51 > 0:22:52had been filled in,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55or whether the mineshaft had been capped.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00In other words, I wanted to be assured that the mineshaft was safe.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06To avoid sinkholes appearing years later, abandoned mineshafts
0:23:06 > 0:23:10can be made safe by capping the entrance with a concrete panel,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12but no-one seemed to know if that had been done
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to the mineshaft under Roy's house
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and what's more, the fact that he now knew it was there began
0:23:17 > 0:23:19to cause serious problems.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22The couple found it was difficult to reinsure the house
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and their plans to sell up and move into sheltered housing
0:23:25 > 0:23:28were scuppered when a potential buyer pulled out.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33I mentioned to them that we had a mineshaft in our garden
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and the lady on the other end of the telephone,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38after a lot of spluttering back and forth,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42said that she would contact her solicitor for advice
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and would come back and let me know what the situation was.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Well, that's 18 months ago.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I'm still waiting for the telephone back.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Across the country, there are tens of thousands
0:23:53 > 0:23:56of disused mineshafts lurking beneath our feet
0:23:56 > 0:23:58and as many as eight million properties have been built
0:23:58 > 0:24:00on Britain's coalfields,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03but unless homeowners have actual evidence that the mines
0:24:03 > 0:24:06their homes sit on have been made safe,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09it can prove very difficult when it comes to selling them,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13as local estate agent Jonathan Morley has seen many times before.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Around this particular area, there are probably one in five houses
0:24:17 > 0:24:20that would come close to a mineshaft.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22The value of the property can definitely be affected.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24It could be anywhere from 10-20%.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Jonathan's called round to get a sense of how the house's value
0:24:31 > 0:24:32may now be affected.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Can you give me any further information about that mine?
0:24:36 > 0:24:37None whatsoever.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40We've had the letter from the Coal Authority informing us that
0:24:40 > 0:24:42they have no information about it whatsoever.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44This is why we want to know.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Unfortunately, it is going to affect the value of the property.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50There is going to be a question asked over it
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and any potential buyer that will come along
0:24:52 > 0:24:54will need that information for a mortgage purpose
0:24:54 > 0:24:56or for their own peace of mind.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I can recommend, before we actually provide you with a valuation,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01get a local mining search done.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- Thanks.- Take care.- Bye.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06We followed Jonathan's advice and went back to the Coal Authority
0:25:06 > 0:25:10to instruct them to carry out a property search on Roy's behalf,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12but while the report he got back made clear
0:25:12 > 0:25:14there's no evidence of any subsidence
0:25:14 > 0:25:16to his property because of the mineshaft,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18it also stated that there was
0:25:18 > 0:25:21no record of any safety work being carried out.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24If there was no record of anything being done,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28then surely they should make sure that the thing is safe
0:25:28 > 0:25:30in case it needs to be done.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34With the document shedding no further light on what for Roy
0:25:34 > 0:25:38is the most important question, the couple felt they'd hit a brick wall.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41But the Coal Authority did then agree to do some further
0:25:41 > 0:25:45investigative work to determine if the mine had been made safe,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48which was good news for Roy and his neighbours.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I would like to know what's going on.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I don't want to come out one morning and find you in a hole, Roy.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55No, it's going to be pretty deep down, isn't it?
0:25:55 > 0:25:59I feel very frustrated in that we are now still no further forward
0:25:59 > 0:26:02knowing the condition of that mineshaft.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06They acted responsibly informing us that we had the mineshaft,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10but since then, totally irresponsibly in that there has been
0:26:10 > 0:26:15a four-year gap and they have done absolutely nothing.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Well, we're delighted to say Roy did finally get the answers he needed.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23After we filmed with him, the Coal Authority conducted a full survey
0:26:23 > 0:26:27of the property and discovered that the mineshaft was indeed uncapped,
0:26:27 > 0:26:28so, shortly afterwards,
0:26:28 > 0:26:33the shaft was permanently secured with a reinforced concrete cap.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Roy and Glynyth are still discussing with the Coal Authority
0:26:36 > 0:26:38their concerns about the state of the garden,
0:26:38 > 0:26:43but at least it's a relief for them to know that their home is now safe.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51If you have a story you'd like us to investigate,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54then we now have even more ways to get in touch.
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0:26:57 > 0:26:59Just look for BBC Rip Off Britain.
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0:27:08 > 0:27:11www.bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15where there's plenty of advice and fact sheets full of tips
0:27:15 > 0:27:17on how you can avoid getting ripped off.
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0:27:19 > 0:27:21then our address is...
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Of course, you can always send a letter by post to...
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Of course, whatever deal or arrangement you're entering,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48none of us has that crystal ball which will say for sure
0:27:48 > 0:27:50exactly how things are going to turn out.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52There's always going to be
0:27:52 > 0:27:54an element of risk involved, I'm afraid.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57So do ask as many questions as you can and then,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00if the worst does happen and something does go wrong,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02you won't be reproaching yourself thinking,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05"Well, maybe I should have done something different."
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Of course, you'll never be able to prevent the unexpected,
0:28:08 > 0:28:09but the more you know,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13the better prepared you'll be and on that very sensible note,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I'm afraid to say we've run out of time for today.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Thanks for your company and do keep your stories coming.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Join us again when we investigate more of them next time,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23but until then, from all the team, goodbye.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24- Bye-bye.- Goodbye.