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 > 0:00:15If you're paying for good service
0:00:15 > 0:00:18you expect a good service and 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 > 0:00:23You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and investigate the extra charges you say are unfair.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29The wool's being pulled over our eyes.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30I don't think we get a fair price.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I think they should always put the customer first.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And when you've lost out but nobody else is to blame,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39you'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 > 0:00:49So whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake, we're here
0:00:49 > 0:00:53to find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Your stories, your money.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain, where, as ever,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05we're armed with the very best advice to make sure
0:01:05 > 0:01:08that you don't end up losing your hard-earned cash,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and particularly not to any of the fraudsters
0:01:10 > 0:01:12coming up in the programme
0:01:12 > 0:01:15with ever more audacious ways to trick you out of your money.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Today we're going to be exposing some of the very latest scams
0:01:18 > 0:01:19you've told us about.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22All the ones we're going to be looking at are very different,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26but they do have one thing in common - a really plausible story
0:01:26 > 0:01:31to draw you in but which turns out to be a complete pack of lies.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Usually, of course, the truth sadly comes way too late, which is why
0:01:35 > 0:01:39the people who've contacted us have ended up being taken in,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42but what's truly frightening about some of their stories
0:01:42 > 0:01:45is that the situations in which they find themselves could
0:01:45 > 0:01:48very easily happen to you as well, so today we've got
0:01:48 > 0:01:52everything you need to know to avoid being caught out in the same way.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Coming up, the elaborate con
0:01:56 > 0:01:59that saw this woman tricked into thinking she was working
0:01:59 > 0:02:04for the police, pursuing the very fraudsters who were after her cash.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I mean, as silly as it sounds, I'm quite into the undercover,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10because he used that term so many times -
0:02:10 > 0:02:12"Now, don't forget you're working undercover."
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Which sounds ridiculous, but...
0:02:15 > 0:02:17I was being reeled in.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And thinking of replacing your wheels?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23How scammers exploit the most trusted names
0:02:23 > 0:02:25to trick you out of your savings.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31I started to feel panicked. "I can't have just lost £7,000."
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Well, I guess that these days most of us know to be very suspicious
0:02:38 > 0:02:41if we get a phone call out of the blue from somebody
0:02:41 > 0:02:43who wants to discuss our finances,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47which is why the people who are behind such calls continue
0:02:47 > 0:02:51to come up with ever more inventive ways just to keep you on the line.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And when it comes to scam phone calls, well,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57the fraudsters making those have unfortunately become
0:02:57 > 0:03:01especially ingenious at making their lies appear totally believable.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Over the past couple of years we've reported several times
0:03:06 > 0:03:10on scams that rely on fraudsters keeping open the phone line
0:03:10 > 0:03:12when you think that it's been hung up.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14But now there's a new twist -
0:03:14 > 0:03:17one that's leaving a lot of people out of pocket.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22I never cease to be amazed at the really convincing stories
0:03:22 > 0:03:24that criminals come up with
0:03:24 > 0:03:28to ensure that they can part us from our hard-earned cash, and really,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31if it wasn't for women like the person that I'm about to meet,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35who are prepared to share their experiences with us,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38we wouldn't be able to be on our guard
0:03:38 > 0:03:42and ensure that exactly the same thing does not happen to us.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Valerie?- Hello!- Hi, I'm Angela.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49- Good to see you.- Come in.- Thank you.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Come in.- Thanks.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53'Valerie is a very busy professional.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:55What a lovely, spacious kitchen you've got here.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57'And she's long been aware
0:03:57 > 0:04:00'of the ways in which scammers can target us in our own homes.'
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I'd look on the internet because that gives you up-to-date scams
0:04:03 > 0:04:08and just generally speaking to people and just general awareness.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12So Valerie was immediately on her guard when in June of 2015
0:04:12 > 0:04:14she received, out of the blue,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18exactly the sort of phone call that would set her alarm bells ringing.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23The man on the end of the line claimed to be a police officer.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26This guy is saying that he's a serious fraud officer
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and they were working with the bank and that...
0:04:29 > 0:04:33could I confirm whether I'd been in London the previous day
0:04:33 > 0:04:38because an amount of £1,200 had been taken out, spent at the Apple Store?
0:04:38 > 0:04:43So I said, "No, no, I wasn't in London, that's absolutely not me."
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And he said, "Well, you will need to phone your bank
0:04:47 > 0:04:49"and get your card stopped,"
0:04:49 > 0:04:53so I immediately thought, "I've heard about this on your programme
0:04:53 > 0:04:57"and that they stay connected," so I said, "Yes, OK".
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- So you immediately thought this might be a scam?- Yes, yes, I did.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Valerie had seen our previous reports on so-called vishing cases,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09where scammers cold-call homes,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12typically pretending to be from your bank, warning
0:05:12 > 0:05:14of suspicious activity on your card.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18In order to trick you into thinking they are genuine, they'll suggest
0:05:18 > 0:05:19that you call them back,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22usually by ringing the number on the back of your card,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but if you don't wait the recommended five or so minutes
0:05:25 > 0:05:27after putting the phone down,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30the phone line to the scammer doesn't disconnect,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34meaning when you think you're making a new call to your bank, you're not.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37You're actually discussing your personal account details
0:05:37 > 0:05:40with the same scammers who made the original call.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Knowing this, Valerie did not immediately call her bank,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47but the so-called police officer was one step ahead and rang HER back.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51He said, "Have you phoned your bank yet?"
0:05:51 > 0:05:52So I said, "No, I haven't,"
0:05:52 > 0:05:57and I said, "By the way, I need your police ID number and your name."
0:05:57 > 0:05:58He gave me that.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03So Valerie's next call was to check him out with the police,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07but that was when she made an unfortunate but crucial mistake
0:06:07 > 0:06:10because this time, in the heat of the moment,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13she didn't hang up long enough for the line to clear,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15so when Valerie dialled 999,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18the scammers were still on the line, and of course,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22they reassured her that she had been talking to a bona fide officer.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25"It's perfectly OK to speak to him,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27"he is the fraud squad, Charing Cross."
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Now satisfied that the original caller was, as he said,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38a police officer, Valerie next called her bank, Barclays, to say
0:06:38 > 0:06:42that her account had apparently been involved in fraudulent activity.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49But again, she didn't wait long enough before dialling out.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And you were convinced at that point you were talking to Barclays?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Yes. Yes, I was.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58But she wasn't. The person supposedly at the bank told Valerie
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that to be in a stronger position to get her money back,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03she'd need to help the police with their inquiries,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07and shortly afterwards, the so-called DC Daniel Roberts rang
0:07:07 > 0:07:11again with the first stage of his plan to get her to do exactly that.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14First, he wanted her to move money from her savings
0:07:14 > 0:07:17to the more easily accessible current account.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21He asked me to go and look up my internet banking.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25He's not giving me a second, and then he's asking about my other accounts.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I said, "Well, I have an ISA account."
0:07:28 > 0:07:32He said, "Well, can you transfer that into your current account?"
0:07:32 > 0:07:35"But why would I want to do that?" He says, "Well, we do need you
0:07:35 > 0:07:38"to use your money today but it will be totally safe."
0:07:40 > 0:07:43And that is when things got really audacious.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Valerie unwittingly found herself at the centre of an extraordinary con
0:07:47 > 0:07:49that sounds like something
0:07:49 > 0:07:51straight out of the pages of a crime thriller,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55because rather than simply try and talk her into handing over her cash,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59over the next five hours and throughout dozens of phone calls,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02now mainly on her mobile, the scammers persuaded Valerie
0:08:02 > 0:08:06that she was taking part in an undercover police operation
0:08:06 > 0:08:08to trap a whole gang of crooks that they said
0:08:08 > 0:08:12were using her card details to shop at Selfridges in London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17I did put myself in a very vulnerable situation
0:08:17 > 0:08:20but I wasn't thinking that at the time.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23And though she thought that being asked to transfer her own money
0:08:23 > 0:08:25between accounts was rather odd,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29she assumed that it must be an essential part of the police's plan
0:08:29 > 0:08:32to bring down the very criminal gang
0:08:32 > 0:08:36that she was being told had attempted to scam her bank account.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37He's on the phone again immediately.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41He's then telling me that this gang are working in London
0:08:41 > 0:08:47and that several elderly people had really lost a lot of money and that
0:08:47 > 0:08:51almost £500,000 had been scammed.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Realising that he had hooked her,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58the scammer moved on to the next phase of his plan.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02At that point he said, "We need you to make a purchase in London."
0:09:02 > 0:09:06But you need a second to process that thought and he wasn't giving me that.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- So he was railroading you with information...- Yes.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11- ..with questions...- Yes, yes. - ..all of the time,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- not giving you time to stop and think.- Not giving me a minute.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Valerie was being asked to transfer £33,000 of her savings
0:09:19 > 0:09:21into her current account.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24She was told that the money would help at the crucial moment
0:09:24 > 0:09:26when the criminal gang would be caught in the act,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28but because it was such a large sum of money,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Valerie had to go physically to her bank to transfer it in person.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36The crook even had the gall to caution her to be careful
0:09:36 > 0:09:37because somebody in her own bank
0:09:37 > 0:09:40could be working with the criminal gang that she was being asked
0:09:40 > 0:09:42to help to bring down.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47He said, "Don't forget, somebody in the bank is in cahoots with this.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50"If somebody asks you what you're going to do with the money,
0:09:50 > 0:09:51"you need to have an answer,"
0:09:51 > 0:09:55he said, "and I want you to observe the bankers there."
0:09:55 > 0:09:58During all of this, still posing as the police,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01the scammers were constantly on the phone, chasing her progress.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06After transferring the money to her current account,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09they convinced Valerie to take a taxi and travel over an hour
0:10:09 > 0:10:11to Selfridges in London.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15She was told that the gang was about to try and use her card details
0:10:15 > 0:10:19to purchase a Rolex watch, so she needed to be there at the same time
0:10:19 > 0:10:21to prove to the sales staff
0:10:21 > 0:10:24that the other person was using her card fraudulently.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27By now, Valerie was tired, worried and upset,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29but she was determined to see it through.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Were you sort of quite excited at this point?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Well, I'm thinking we're going to get them.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I mean, as silly as it sounds, I'm quite into the undercover,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39because he used that term so many times -
0:10:39 > 0:10:42"Now, don't forget you're working undercover."
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Which sounds ridiculous, but...
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I was being reeled in.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52You can find out later how the drama unfolded, and how the true nature
0:10:52 > 0:10:56of the scam was revealed, as Valerie arrived at Selfridges.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I was feeling very vulnerable, very frightened, because
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I'm in the store, I'm in London, my family don't know where I am.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And we hear from the police how people across the UK are
0:11:06 > 0:11:10falling victim to scams like this, and the effect that can have.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Absolutely devastating, the loss of considerable amounts of money,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17and in some cases I've known, it's people's life savings.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25As you know, buying a car isn't always easy,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and it certainly isn't always cheap either.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Forking out for new wheels,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32which many Brits do every five years or so,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35is right up there amongst the biggest purchases we'll ever make,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37even if we're buying second-hand.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And while that old stereotype of the dodgy used-car salesman
0:11:41 > 0:11:43is increasingly a thing of the past,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47I'm afraid that doesn't mean you won't still get caught out,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52because an increasing number of cars are now bought and sold online,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55which makes the internet a particularly fruitful hunting ground
0:11:55 > 0:11:59for the scammers determined to get their hands on your money,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01and here's a very common way they go about it.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Car-buying scams cost British consumers
0:12:07 > 0:12:09around £3 million every year,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12and for many of the people who are tricked out of their cash,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15there's a particularly bitter sting in the tail.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18They've lost out after responding to ads on websites
0:12:18 > 0:12:22of some of the best-known and most reputable names in the business.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Like other people who got in touch with us, Essex-based Kayleigh Beard
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and her husband Daniel fell foul of a fraudulent ad -
0:12:29 > 0:12:32in their case, one which was published on the AutoTrader website.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35They wanted to expand their childcare business
0:12:35 > 0:12:36and needed a new van.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41I put my all into my business. We offer whatever the families need.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45It's interesting, no two days are the same,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47lots of fun, lots of laughter.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Hayley offers a service where they pick up and drop off children
0:12:54 > 0:12:57during the school runs, so to help their new business grow,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00they wanted to upgrade their current seven-seater vehicle
0:13:00 > 0:13:04to a bigger nine-seater, with room to accommodate more children, and
0:13:04 > 0:13:09one of the first places the couple thought of looking was AutoTrader.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I've trusted AutoTrader, it's been going for years,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14whether it be for looking for a vehicle
0:13:14 > 0:13:18or adverts to have some work done on a vehicle, it's great.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23The couple found what, to them, seemed to be just what they needed,
0:13:23 > 0:13:29a blue VW Transporter van which was being sold by a company for £6,995,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32which seemed to be a fair price.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36The vehicle looked great. It was exactly what we were after.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40So following the instructions on AutoTrader,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Kayleigh set about contacting the seller via e-mail.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48We started e-mailing to and from for several weeks,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50we asked all the right questions,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52what you're meant to ask about a vehicle.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The couple did ask to see the van, but were told that they couldn't
0:13:57 > 0:14:00because it was still in use in the seller's travel company
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and the owner was away on business.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Having already sold their old van, they were eager to secure
0:14:06 > 0:14:10the replacement, so Kayleigh bit the bullet and agreed to buy it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14We received what seemed to be an invoice from PayPal
0:14:14 > 0:14:16and there was a note on it saying,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19"Due to the high value of the transaction,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23"can you do it as a bank transfer?"
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Which seemed feasible.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30The invoice looked like it was genuinely sent from PayPal.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34The layout, the wording and the logos all gave that impression,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37so the couple were happy to pay almost £7,000
0:14:37 > 0:14:40into the Barclays bank account that was printed on the invoice.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43However, on closer inspection of the e-mail,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46it asked for payments through a bank transfer,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49something that PayPal would never ask you to do.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52In fact, you would only ever receive an e-mail from PayPal
0:14:52 > 0:14:55if the money was going into a PayPal account,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59but unfortunately, Kayleigh and Daniel only realised that too late,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02immediately after their payment had gone through.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Kayleigh began to fear that
0:15:04 > 0:15:07this hadn't been the genuine PayPal site after all.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I started to feel panicked.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13"I can't have just lost £7,000."
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Hoping for reassurance, Kayleigh got in touch with PayPal,
0:15:18 > 0:15:19but they only confirmed
0:15:19 > 0:15:23what she was dreading - that the invoice had in fact been fake.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Kayleigh then contacted her own bank, HSBC,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30but was horrified to discover that not only had she been scammed,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33but because she had willingly transferred the money herself,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36there was nothing the bank could do to help her.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Kayleigh really had lost £7,000 to a scammer.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44They said, "No, it's gone, there's nothing you can do about it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47"You might as well have handed them cash."
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Desperate, Kayleigh even tried contacting the seller again
0:15:50 > 0:15:54to find out exactly what was going on, but to no avail.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Next she tried writing to the seller's bank, Barclays,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00in the hope that they might help her get her money back,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04but the offer Barclays made was not what she was expecting.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06We received a letter from the bank
0:16:06 > 0:16:13where the fraudulent account was based, offering us £50.95
0:16:13 > 0:16:16with terms and conditions of acceptance
0:16:16 > 0:16:20that we were not allowed to open our mouth about it to anybody
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and that we couldn't pursue our £7,000.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26The couple turned the offer down.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32And now, without a van and nearly £7,000 out of pocket,
0:16:32 > 0:16:37the couple had to take out a £6,500 loan to buy a replacement van.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41I think the person that would do something like this to somebody
0:16:41 > 0:16:43probably don't even care what they're doing to people
0:16:43 > 0:16:45as long as they're getting money.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Now, someone else who was caught out the same way
0:16:49 > 0:16:53is 18-year-old Leicester college student Akshay Limbachia.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56After working two part-time jobs, including nights,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00he finally managed to save up enough cash to buy his first ever car.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And he soon found just what he wanted
0:17:05 > 0:17:07on the classified website Gumtree.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10The car I found had good mileage on the clock.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It was a reasonable age.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Akshay contacted the seller, asking to see the car,
0:17:16 > 0:17:21a 2004 VW Golf priced at £1,150,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24but the seller told him that that wasn't possible
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and instead offered delivery of the car to Akshay's house.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Akshay too was sent an authentic-looking invoice
0:17:31 > 0:17:33carrying the PayPal logo
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and requesting a payment of £1,150
0:17:36 > 0:17:39by bank transfer to a Barclays account.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And unfortunately, he transferred the cash.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I contacted them the next day,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47asking how long it would take to get delivery from them,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51but I didn't get no reply and the account was deleted straight away.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Realising his mistake, Akshay called PayPal,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58at which point he too realised that
0:17:58 > 0:18:02he'd effectively just handed his money over to the scammers.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04He and Kayleigh have learned too late
0:18:04 > 0:18:08that just because an ad is on a trusted website, it doesn't mean
0:18:08 > 0:18:10that the ad itself is trustworthy.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Both AutoTrader and Gumtree,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16the sites where the ads they'd responded to were placed,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19told us they work very hard to combat fraud,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23but they emphasise that consumers should always make sure
0:18:23 > 0:18:26that they see a vehicle before handing over any cash.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29PayPal also assured us
0:18:29 > 0:18:33it goes to great lengths to keep its customers safe.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36And the three companies supplied a number of simple precautions
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and security tips to stop you being scammed,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42all of which you can find on our website...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48We also got in touch with Barclays,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51where the fraudulent accounts in both cases were held.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53It told us that it had acted swiftly
0:18:53 > 0:18:56to investigate and close the account in both cases
0:18:56 > 0:18:59once inappropriate activity was reported.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04But Barclays had some great news for Kayleigh.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07After we got in touch, it reviewed her case and acknowledged
0:19:07 > 0:19:11that the bank could have acted sooner in closing the account,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14so they have refunded Kayleigh in full
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and given her £250 compensation.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22As for Akshay, although Barclays did look again at his case,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26it told us that, unfortunately, by the time the fraud was reported,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28all the money had been withdrawn from the account,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32so sadly he won't be seeing a single penny.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35And with thousands of people every year falling prey to these
0:19:35 > 0:19:40types of scams, it's more crucial than ever that we truly understand
0:19:40 > 0:19:44the risks involved whenever we pay for anything using a bank transfer.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50And that advice is reiterated by cybersecurity expert David Emm.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54If in an e-mail or any other form
0:19:54 > 0:19:58somebody is asking you to give up confidential information
0:19:58 > 0:20:00like your bank details, like your credit card,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03like passwords, that should immediately be a red flag.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07The PayPals and the eBays of this world are not going to ask you
0:20:07 > 0:20:10just to give out information, particularly via e-mail.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16All of that is great advice, but sadly too late for Akshay.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20I just hope that people can learn from what happened to me
0:20:20 > 0:20:22and try and not make the same mistake that I did.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34the jobseekers caught out by a recruitment business
0:20:34 > 0:20:37that can leave you hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41The cost was about £212 and it just totally shocked me.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I was really, really, really upset.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Once again, we're ready to open up our Rip-Off Britain pop-up shop.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Now, this time, we've come to one of the busiest shopping centres,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00right in the heart of Nottingham.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03For two days only, we've brought our team of experts out on the road
0:21:03 > 0:21:06so that we can give advice face-to-face.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08And it's absolutely free,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11because we've got a terrific team here that are ready
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to give you the tools and all the information you need
0:21:13 > 0:21:16to ensure that the next time you hand over your hard-earned cash,
0:21:16 > 0:21:17you won't be ripped off.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Faye Lord and her dad, Mick, came to see finance expert Sarah Pennells
0:21:24 > 0:21:27after being caught out by a scammer advertising on eBay.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30They'd bought a voucher for a big-name holiday company,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32but had become suspicious
0:21:32 > 0:21:35after seeing another very similar listing from the same seller.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Do you mind if I ask, how much did you bid for this card,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40this holiday voucher?
0:21:40 > 0:21:45- It was, erm, £1,850.- Wow! - So, obviously...- Almost £2,000.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It was a massive amount of money to us.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50We decided something wasn't quite right and we thought,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52"This is a lot of money.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54"The best thing to do would be to cancel this transaction
0:21:54 > 0:21:56"and ask for a refund."
0:21:56 > 0:22:00The seller agreed to a full refund, but the money never arrived.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03So Faye turned to eBay, who gave the seller a deadline to either
0:22:03 > 0:22:07pay up or send proof that the voucher had been delivered.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09And the day before that time was up,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12the seller sent an e-mail claiming the voucher had been sent,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16providing a tracking number which they said proved it.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21A day later, we saw this tracking number had been signed for
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- when we checked it online. - So, in other words...
0:22:24 > 0:22:25We'd not received anything at all.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29No card through the door for mis-delivery or anything.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And no way of tracing whoever
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- it might have been who'd had the item?- No. No.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36And so the plot thickened
0:22:36 > 0:22:38when they called at their local sorting office to find out
0:22:38 > 0:22:40what had gone on.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42We said, "Look, allegedly, this item's been sent to us,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45"but we've not received anything. How can this happen?"
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And we provided them with the tracking number.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49They said, "Oh, this rings a bell with us, actually.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52"We know about this." A gentleman had come in and said,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54"Ooh, I've got a special delivery item.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58"I'm not expecting anything. This is all very strange."
0:22:58 > 0:23:00But he handed over the card nevertheless.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And all there was inside it was a piece of paper that said,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04"Your gift card is enclosed."
0:23:04 > 0:23:06But there was nothing else inside it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It seems rather than sending the voucher,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12the seller has simply sent an empty envelope by recorded delivery
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to a random address in Nottingham,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16and they'd done so deliberately,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18knowing that they could then demonstrate
0:23:18 > 0:23:20proof of posting and delivery.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24As a result, eBay told Faye they couldn't refund her money,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27leaving her nearly £2,000 out of pocket.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31The auction site just keeps saying, "The seller's provided evidence
0:23:31 > 0:23:33"that the item's been delivered to you."
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Which is just not true.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38I mean, really, it's down to the online site to reimburse you,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41because you have undoubtedly been the victim of fraud.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45And they have a procedure which says very clearly the terms and conditions
0:23:45 > 0:23:48you have to meet in order to be covered by it, which you meet.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51It wasn't delivered to your address and it wasn't signed in your name.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53It wasn't even addressed to you.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57The company's quite adamant you haven't got a case. I disagree.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Erm... I mean, I think this might be one that we need to get involved in.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- Mention the name Rip-Off Britain and see...- Mention the name.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Give them a bit of a shake and just see whether it changes their mind,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10because I can't see how they are saying you haven't got a case.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Immediately after filming, Sarah contacted eBay herself
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and the company conducted an investigation
0:24:17 > 0:24:20using specialist teams in both the US and Europe.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24They concluded that Faye had been the victim of a sophisticated
0:24:24 > 0:24:27fraudster and have now refunded her the full amount,
0:24:27 > 0:24:28so a great result.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33In the heart of the shopping centre, many of you came to our Gripe Corner
0:24:33 > 0:24:37to let off steam about all sorts of subjects that really wind you up.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Something that really annoys me
0:24:40 > 0:24:42is when you go into a supermarket
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and you only mean to buy one or two things,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48but you get bombarded with a load of offers where things are
0:24:48 > 0:24:50buy-one-get-one-free or three-for-the-price-of-two,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and you end up buying about ten more things
0:24:52 > 0:24:54than you actually needed in the first place.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I hate being put on hold.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Whenever I phone a company to complain, they always leave me
0:24:59 > 0:25:0230 to 40 minutes and never offer to phone me back.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04It's my phone bill. It's my money they're wasting.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05It's just not on.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Earlier in the programme,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14we heard the astonishing story of a very elaborate new scam
0:25:14 > 0:25:16in which the people behind it will try
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and trick someone into believing they are going to be working
0:25:20 > 0:25:24undercover for the police in a rather sophisticated sting
0:25:24 > 0:25:26to try and catch the fraudsters.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31I met a woman called Valerie who had been involved in exactly this scam
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and she had been persuaded to move all of her savings
0:25:34 > 0:25:38into her current account and then take a taxi into London
0:25:38 > 0:25:42to help the so-called police catch the fraudsters in the act.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Over a period of around five hours, a barrage of phone calls,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51supposedly from the police, had convinced Valerie
0:25:51 > 0:25:54that her bank account was the target of fraudsters,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56who she could now help to bring to justice.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00After transferring £33,000 into her current account,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Valerie was instructed to catch a taxi to Selfridges' flagship store,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07where the final act of the drama was to play out.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11The cab arrives, I go out there, get in the cab
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and no sooner sit down than the phone goes, the mobile.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15So he said, "Are you in the cab?"
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I said, "Yes, I'm in the cab and I'm on my way to London."
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Well, that phone, he kept ringing and ringing and ringing.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24"Where are you now? How long now?"
0:26:25 > 0:26:28After nearly two hours of frantic phone calls,
0:26:28 > 0:26:33the taxi eventually dropped Valerie outside the famous department store.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35It was only then that Valerie suddenly began to worry
0:26:35 > 0:26:37that she could be out of her depth.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I had said to him, "Hang on a minute.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43"Am I safe doing this? You know, if you're putting me
0:26:43 > 0:26:46"in a situation where I'm going where you know criminals are,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48"how safe am I?"
0:26:48 > 0:26:51"No," he said. "I'm going to have two plain-clothes police officers.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55"They'll be with you all the way. You'll be absolutely safe."
0:26:55 > 0:26:58As Valerie takes me through what happened next,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02the extraordinary ingenuity of the scammers becomes clear.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06She was told that the criminal gang was about to buy a Rolex watch
0:27:06 > 0:27:08using her card details,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12but by purchasing one at the same time with her real card,
0:27:12 > 0:27:13she'd be able to prove they were crooks.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18So, Valerie, you're at the Rolex watch counter in Selfridges.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19What happened?
0:27:19 > 0:27:23At this stage, I was feeling very vulnerable, very frightened,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26because I'm in the store. I'm in London.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28My family don't know where I am.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The only person that I'm in contact with is this guy
0:27:31 > 0:27:33that I totally believed was a police officer.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- And he's still on the phone? - He's still on the phone.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39He directs me. He says, "Now, I want you to go to the watch department."
0:27:39 > 0:27:42And I said, "I'm starting to feel really wobbly and faint."
0:27:42 > 0:27:44And he said, "Go, go, go!
0:27:44 > 0:27:48"They've just taken another £30,000 out of somebody's account.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51"We've got to get them. We're going to get them today. Go!"
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The scammer remained on the phone the whole time.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57The assistant asked me, "Can I help you?"
0:27:57 > 0:27:59And I said, "I'm looking to buy a Rolex."
0:27:59 > 0:28:00And she said, "Do you know what one?"
0:28:00 > 0:28:02So I said, "No, I'm not sure."
0:28:02 > 0:28:07But he's able to hear me and I said, "Well, just a minute then,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09"I'll ask him, cos it's for a friend."
0:28:09 > 0:28:11And then he gives me a number of a Rolex
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and I relay it to the assistant
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and she said, "Oh, yes, it's this one here."
0:28:16 > 0:28:20And he's now saying in my phone, "You're doing really well, Valerie.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23"It's all going to be over soon. Purchase. Make the purchase."
0:28:23 > 0:28:26And you were buying a watch that was valued at...?
0:28:26 > 0:28:27£13,000.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32- That's a bit scary in itself, isn't it?- Well, it is.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36It's probably my only opportunity to go and buy a Rolex for £13,000.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39But luckily for Valerie,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42the Selfridges staff could sense that she was on edge
0:28:42 > 0:28:46and what's more, they'd been warned about these kinds of scams
0:28:46 > 0:28:50involving expensive purchases in department stores just like theirs.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53What was there in your demeanour, do you think,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57that made them think that there was something not quite right?
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Because I didn't know what I was buying.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01And also, I'm on the phone to somebody.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04You know, I'm asking them which one it is that they want,
0:29:04 > 0:29:05which is ridiculous.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08If I was buying a present, I'd either be selecting
0:29:08 > 0:29:13what I liked or I'd go there knowing what I was going to buy.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Fortunately, the vigilance of the store's staff paid off
0:29:17 > 0:29:19and they intervened to stop the purchase
0:29:19 > 0:29:21before the scam could escalate any further.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24As for Valerie, she was understandably confused
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and unsure who she could trust.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Then I'm aware of two guys coming into the store.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33And one of them leans over and...
0:29:33 > 0:29:39He said something about fraud. So I thought, "Ah, this is my two guys
0:29:39 > 0:29:44"under plain clothes and they're the ones that are looking after me."
0:29:44 > 0:29:47And he said, "You're involved in a scam."
0:29:47 > 0:29:49- What's going through your head now? - I don't know.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53I'm sat there now and I don't know who's the baddie, who's the goodie.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57I just absolutely do not know who's who now.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And at that point, then, I did break down for a minute.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Eventually, genuine police officers turned up
0:30:06 > 0:30:08and took a very distressed Valerie home.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11They were also looking into similar cases -
0:30:11 > 0:30:15all of which produced the same perplexing question.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Why would crooks want someone like Valerie
0:30:18 > 0:30:20to buy an expensive item,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22like a Rolex watch,
0:30:22 > 0:30:23in the first place?
0:30:26 > 0:30:29DCI Anthony Archibald was the real police officer
0:30:29 > 0:30:31who took charge of the investigation
0:30:31 > 0:30:33dubbed "Operation: Edisto."
0:30:33 > 0:30:35As he explains, the purpose of this scam
0:30:35 > 0:30:38wasn't to secure Valerie's card details,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40but to persuade her to use them herself
0:30:40 > 0:30:41on a high-end purchase
0:30:41 > 0:30:43that the crooks would, ultimately,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45find a way to get hold of
0:30:45 > 0:30:47and then sell on.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49What was the point of this scam?
0:30:49 > 0:30:52The ultimate goal for the criminal is that the high-value watch
0:30:52 > 0:30:54would then get sent out of the country
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and sell it for a considerable amount of money.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57So, there's a huge profit for
0:30:57 > 0:31:00what was just a couple of hours' work for a criminal.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02If Valerie's purchase had gone ahead,
0:31:02 > 0:31:04the man on the phone would most likely have given her
0:31:04 > 0:31:07instructions on what to do with the watch next -
0:31:07 > 0:31:11which, inevitably, would have meant handing it over to the gang,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14supposedly as police evidence, and losing all her money.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16As it was, she had a lucky escape
0:31:16 > 0:31:18but others aren't so fortunate.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20You must have seen many instances
0:31:20 > 0:31:22where people have become the victims of scams.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25What sort of effect does it have on them, do you think?
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Absolutely devastating for some people.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30The loss of considerable amounts of money and,
0:31:30 > 0:31:32in some cases,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34people's life savings.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36They are mainly retired professional people
0:31:36 > 0:31:39who have fallen for a very clever scam
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and they get quite embarrassed
0:31:41 > 0:31:46and I can fully understand how Valerie, or other victims,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48are taken in by this.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51It wouldn't happen. The police would not put those demands on someone.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Variations of this scam have seen people persuaded
0:31:54 > 0:31:56to buy other high-value goods,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58including expensive clothes,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00supposedly to help with the police operation.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02And because they've all been bought
0:32:02 > 0:32:04using the customer's genuine details,
0:32:04 > 0:32:05rather than stolen ones,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07the criminals leave little footprint
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and, if all goes to plan,
0:32:09 > 0:32:11they can simply melt away with the purchases
0:32:11 > 0:32:14with no real hope of them ever being brought to justice.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Has it done a lot of permanent damage
0:32:17 > 0:32:19and hurt to you, do you think?
0:32:20 > 0:32:23There's a lot of anger in me still.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26I was lucky. All he took from me was a day of my time -
0:32:26 > 0:32:29but other people, they've taken your life savings,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31they've taken your life away
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and I'm very angry about that.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36That's why I'm prepared to speak up about it.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44Now, in the world of job hunting,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46competition can be fierce
0:32:46 > 0:32:49and you might have to send your CV out to endless job sites,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51agencies and recruiters
0:32:51 > 0:32:53before you strike lucky.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54But a word of warning,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57not every company offering work is genuine
0:32:57 > 0:33:00and their ads may not be for a real job.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Indeed, instead of trying to help you get more money with a new job,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05they might simply be trying to trick you out of
0:33:05 > 0:33:07whatever money you've got right now.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14They've not yet met, but these two women have something in common.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16They're among the more than one and a half million people
0:33:16 > 0:33:19who've used recruitment consultancy
0:33:19 > 0:33:20in the last year...
0:33:21 > 0:33:24..and for both Hristina Chowdhry and Halle Fadeyi
0:33:24 > 0:33:28their job search came with an unexpected and very costly catch.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33The cost is about £212 and it just totally shocked me.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35I was petrified, thinking,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37"Oh, no, all the bills that I've got."
0:33:39 > 0:33:41In the past few years, both Hristina and Halle
0:33:41 > 0:33:43have had periods of unemployment,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47spending hours job hunting with little success.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49It was a very stressful time,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52simply because you keep on applying all day long
0:33:52 > 0:33:55and then, in the end, there is no result.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56When I was searching for jobs,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and I was unemployed,
0:33:58 > 0:33:59I felt very frustrated,
0:33:59 > 0:34:00very distraught...
0:34:02 > 0:34:04So, both were delighted when they were approached
0:34:04 > 0:34:07with the news of potential work by a company called...
0:34:10 > 0:34:11Now based in Devon and
0:34:11 > 0:34:14not to be confused with any companies with a similar name.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18For Hristina, it was just the news she had been hoping for.
0:34:19 > 0:34:20It was a very difficult period
0:34:20 > 0:34:22because I'm a single mum
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and I am looking after my two kids.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Not having a job,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29it was a strain on myself financially
0:34:29 > 0:34:31because I need to pay the rent,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I need to pay the bills and look after the kids.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Hristina wasn't sure how the company had found her CV,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40but the supposed job as a PA
0:34:40 > 0:34:42with multiple language skills
0:34:42 > 0:34:45sounded perfect and it came with a good salary.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48I thought, "Great, I'll go for this,"
0:34:48 > 0:34:50and I got excited thinking...
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I felt confident because it's very easy to go for something
0:34:53 > 0:34:56that feels like it matches you like a mirror.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Hristina responded straight away
0:35:00 > 0:35:02and the recruitment firm quickly e-mailed back
0:35:02 > 0:35:05with an appointment for a telephone interview.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Meanwhile, on the other side of London,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Halle had been approached by Total Recruitment Consultancy Ltd
0:35:10 > 0:35:14about an apparent marketing position.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15When they first contacted me,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18obviously, as anyone else would feel,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21you feel, "Oh, wow, there is hope out there and I can find a job."
0:35:23 > 0:35:26She too swiftly had a telephone interview arranged
0:35:26 > 0:35:27and, at the appointed time,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31rang the number she had been given in the recruitment company's e-mail.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33When Halle finally put the phone down,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36after what she thought was a two-hour job interview,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38she felt really positive.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Rather than it being just an interview,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43it felt like it was a conversation I was having with a friend.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44At the end of the call, I thought,
0:35:44 > 0:35:45"OK, I think this is good
0:35:45 > 0:35:48"because we was on the phone for a long time."
0:35:48 > 0:35:50So, it was a positive phone call.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57But when Hristina rang for her supposed job interview,
0:35:57 > 0:35:58the overfamiliar tone
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and the attitude of the person at the other end of the phone
0:36:01 > 0:36:03started to ring alarm bells.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06They seemed unready for the phone call,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and the way he spoke, it wasn't professional at all.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12So, towards the end, I was more than sure that something is wrong.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15I don't think that it's a genuine phone call that I made.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Hristina's suspicions were soon to be confirmed,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22but Halle, on the other hand, was convinced
0:36:22 > 0:36:24that her phone interview had been a success
0:36:24 > 0:36:26and that the job was in the bag.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28When I hung up the phone
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I just automatically thought I might get a job soon,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32I won't have any money problems,
0:36:32 > 0:36:34I would feel more positive.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36That's how they made me feel.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38Halle was sent an e-mail
0:36:38 > 0:36:42confirming she'd made it onto the books of the recruitment consultancy
0:36:42 > 0:36:44but, after that, neither women ever heard
0:36:44 > 0:36:47from Total Recruitment Consultancy again -
0:36:47 > 0:36:49but that wasn't their only concern.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52When Halle received her phone bill the following month,
0:36:52 > 0:36:54she could hardly believe her eyes
0:36:54 > 0:36:58when she saw how much that two-hour phone interview had cost.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00The call was £212
0:37:00 > 0:37:02and it just made me feel so shocked.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04I felt really let down.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09But Hristina, who was immediately suspicious after her phone call,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11found out the truth about her interview
0:37:11 > 0:37:13straight after she checked with her phone provider
0:37:13 > 0:37:19and discovered her call had clocked up a hefty £75.89.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22I was really, really, really upset.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24I've got two kids and,
0:37:24 > 0:37:25obviously, I need to pay the bills,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27to pay the rent and everything.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29It was a fortune at the time.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Both job opportunities had been entirely bogus
0:37:34 > 0:37:37and the huge costs were because Hristina and Halle
0:37:37 > 0:37:41had each been lured into calling an "09" premium rate number -
0:37:41 > 0:37:43costing around £1.44 a minute.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Although it was unclear from the firm's website,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48and unbeknown, at this stage, to the two women,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51the company doesn't actually offer any jobs at all.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It provides only job training and advice.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56They want you to call them
0:37:56 > 0:37:58so that you can do the interview.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00They sound in their initial e-mail
0:38:00 > 0:38:03that they already know who you are
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and what you're looking for,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07and they have found the bingo job for you.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11The original e-mail, sent to both women,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14did say, in the small print, that there might be extra charges
0:38:14 > 0:38:16for the training telephone interview
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and that there was no guarantee of a job,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22but Hristina and Halle both say that was far from the impression
0:38:22 > 0:38:23they were given.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Although the women both remember that there was a brief recorded message
0:38:28 > 0:38:32at the start of the phone call mentioning additional charges,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34they say that no specific cost was stated
0:38:34 > 0:38:39and nor was it made clear that they were calling a premium rate number.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The guidelines around premium rate numbers are very clear.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47For example, the cost of the call must be shown in close proximity
0:38:47 > 0:38:50to the premium rate number itself in any literature
0:38:50 > 0:38:52and the purpose of the number
0:38:52 > 0:38:54must be clearly set out too
0:38:54 > 0:38:56without being in any way misleading.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01So, just how did this recruitment firm manage to get away with it?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Keith Rosser is the chairman of Safer Jobs.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06These days, it is possible to be able to mask
0:39:06 > 0:39:08a premium rate phone number.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11So, often jobseekers won't actually know that they are calling
0:39:11 > 0:39:12a premium rate number.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16It's absolutely not standard practice that a legitimate,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19reputable recruiter would contact a jobseeker
0:39:19 > 0:39:23and ask a jobseeker to call a premium rate number
0:39:23 > 0:39:25for an interview.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26Desperate to get their money back,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the women did all they could to recover the cash,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32including contacting BT, the police
0:39:32 > 0:39:34and the regulator PhonepayPlus.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38I remember spending the whole day on the phone
0:39:38 > 0:39:40reporting the case, being told,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43"It's your word against them. It has to be investigated.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45"You have to pay the bill first."
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Halle, too, reported the case to the authorities
0:39:49 > 0:39:51and their persistence paid off.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Complaints from both women were submitted as evidence to a tribunal
0:39:55 > 0:39:58investigating Total Recruitment Consultancy.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00The company was found to be in serious breach
0:40:00 > 0:40:02of the rules and regulations
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and the owners were ordered to refund customers.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08But for Halle, there was a final sting in the tail.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11I received a cheque, finally,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14so, obviously, that made me feel like, "This is finally over."
0:40:15 > 0:40:17However...
0:40:17 > 0:40:18the cheque bounced back.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23We tried to contact Total Recruitment Consultancy
0:40:23 > 0:40:26but they didn't respond to our letters or e-mails.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Although this particular company's website is no longer active,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33it seems recruitment scams like this one
0:40:33 > 0:40:35are a growing problem.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Anybody can be targeted with a job scam
0:40:37 > 0:40:39just by having a profile
0:40:39 > 0:40:41or CV out there, online.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44So, if you're looking for work,
0:40:44 > 0:40:49Keith has some sound advice to help you steer clear of the scammers.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Don't phone the organisation for the interview, but have them phone you.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Check it is a genuine job.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Never part with money.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Never do everything online.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Choose reputable recruiters.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07'But there has at least been some good news for Hristina and Halle.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10'Both have now landed full-time, permanent jobs.'
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Here at Rip-Off Britain, we're always ready to investigate
0:41:19 > 0:41:21more of your stories.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Confused over your bills
0:41:23 > 0:41:25or feel you're paying well over the odds?
0:41:25 > 0:41:28It is too small and it's done on purpose
0:41:28 > 0:41:30so that you can't actually read it.
0:41:30 > 0:41:31People will look at it and they'll say,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33"I can't be bothered reading that."
0:41:33 > 0:41:36Unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out
0:41:36 > 0:41:40and that great deal has ended up costing you money?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42People are buying into this. I did.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Are they going to be as awkward with them as they were with me?
0:41:45 > 0:41:47You might have a cautionary tale of your own
0:41:47 > 0:41:50and want to share the mistakes you made with us
0:41:50 > 0:41:52so that other people don't do the same thing.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Just fobbed off completely
0:41:54 > 0:41:56and, you know, very disappointed.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58You can write to us at...
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Or you can send us an e-mail to...
0:42:11 > 0:42:13The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting
0:42:13 > 0:42:16to investigate your stories.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Time and time again,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23we hear from people who say that they would never fall for scams
0:42:23 > 0:42:26like the really nasty ones that we've been hearing about today -
0:42:26 > 0:42:28but I'm afraid the reality is that,
0:42:28 > 0:42:29whether the yarn that you're spun
0:42:29 > 0:42:31involves a potential job offer,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34fake e-mails or even the claim that
0:42:34 > 0:42:37you're going to be working undercover for the police,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40there is a scam out there to catch everyone,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43with more cynical and inventive ones cropping up all the time.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46And it doesn't really matter whether you lose a small amount
0:42:46 > 0:42:48or an absolute fortune,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50the effects of the worst scams
0:42:50 > 0:42:54can leave you picking up the pieces for months or even years afterwards,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56which is why we're so grateful that all the people we met today
0:42:56 > 0:42:59have been prepared to share their stories with us.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02And quite extraordinary stories they've been.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05But, you know, it's only because they have told us their experiences
0:43:05 > 0:43:07that the rest of us know exactly what to watch out for.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09So that, if we're targeted the same way,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12we don't end up handing over any money.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13At this point in the programme is
0:43:13 > 0:43:15where we have to leave it, I'm afraid,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18but do please tell us about any new scams that you've come across.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22But in the meantime, thank you very much for joining us in the programme
0:43:22 > 0:43:25- and until next time, from all of us, bye-bye.- Bye-bye.- Bye.