0:00:02 > 0:00:04We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling ripped off,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and you contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and the customer service that is simply not up to scratch.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15When you have to call them, it takes ages and somebody else
0:00:15 > 0:00:17answers the phone who pretty much doesn't know what you're saying.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22The customer is not benefitting and, no, I'm not getting value for money.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money and
0:00:26 > 0:00:29investigate the extra charges you say are unfair.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32They don't deserve to be in any form of business whatsoever and they just
0:00:32 > 0:00:34want shutting down.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And when you've lost out but nobody 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 > 0:00:44They took the money out of my account and I don't even know who it was that was scamming me.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48So, whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake...
0:00:48 > 0:00:52we're here to find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Your stories, your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Hello and welcome once again to the Rip-Off Britain office where,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05I have to say, today, the entire team has turned detective to try and get
0:01:05 > 0:01:08to the bottom of cases that, when you first told us about them,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11immediately it sounded very murky indeed,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14even if it wasn't immediately clear what exactly was going on.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17In fact, our initial instinct was that at the heart of
0:01:17 > 0:01:20all of these stories was an out and out scam.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And while that's most definitely true of some of them, with the others,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26well, things aren't quite that simple.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30And even when it is clear that there's something distinctly dodgy going on,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33unpicking exactly what has happened and why
0:01:33 > 0:01:35has not been that easy, has it?
0:01:35 > 0:01:38But we love a challenge here on Rip-Off Britain,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42and some of the people in our stories today have lost a considerable amount of money.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45So, as well as solving the mystery of how that happened,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49we'll be making sure that you've got all the information you need to
0:01:49 > 0:01:51avoid losing out in the same way.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Coming up - phantom postboxes mysteriously stuck to your home with
0:01:56 > 0:01:58a sinister purpose.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They were hanging around in the area,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03waiting for the post to be delivered
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and were then going to remove the box.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09And the job ads fleecing people desperate for work,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12using actors to add a touch of credibility.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16It's kind of embarrassing, you know, to be caught out like this,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and you feel kind of stupid, really.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26You know, we've been doing this programme long enough for us to
0:02:26 > 0:02:28think that there weren't too many types of scam we hadn't heard of before,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31whether the fraudsters behind them were after your cash,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33your personal details, or both.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37But a few months ago, we came across something that is completely
0:02:37 > 0:02:41new and indeed, dare I say it, quite extraordinarily inventive.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44The barefaced cheek of it, I think, is going to take your breath away.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46But when the residents affected
0:02:46 > 0:02:48first noticed something very odd happening,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50establishing exactly what was going on
0:02:50 > 0:02:53raised more questions than answers.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03A quiet, leafy suburb in Chorlton in Greater Manchester.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08But behind these peaceful surroundings lurks a crime spree.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17I'm mystified that anyone would think they could attach a postbox to
0:03:17 > 0:03:21someone's house and get away with it.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25No-one knows how many people have been affected or even how much money
0:03:25 > 0:03:29may have been lost. In fact, one of the few things that is clear
0:03:29 > 0:03:33about this most mysterious of scams is that whoever was behind it
0:03:33 > 0:03:35had been watching the comings and goings on
0:03:35 > 0:03:37these streets very carefully indeed,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41in order to use the residents' identities for their own ends.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- Hello.- Good to meet you. Come in.- Thank you.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Alan Dunn was the first to notice that something was amiss when he
0:03:52 > 0:03:54happened to be at home one afternoon.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Alan, could you start by telling me
0:03:56 > 0:03:59when you realised something was going on?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03My daughter had been out for lunch and she came back after about an
0:04:03 > 0:04:06hour, and as she walked up the path,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09there was somebody stood on the doorstep and she said,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13"Oh, can I help you?" And he said, "Oh, I'm sorry,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16"I think I might be in the wrong place. Uh..."
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And left quite quickly.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Alan's suspicions were aroused and he popped outside to take a look,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and immediately noticed that a small black letterbox had been stuck to
0:04:26 > 0:04:28the outside of his house.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Baffled as to where it had come from and why,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Alan prised the letterbox away from the wall and took it inside.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39He soon discovered that the postman had dropped the family's mail for
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the day inside the new box, rather than,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45as usual, through the letterbox on the front door,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and amongst that mail was something very odd indeed.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51What sort of letters were they?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54It was a letter from the TSB saying
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I'd opened a new account with them
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and I had negotiated an overdraft for £1,000.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Neither Alan nor his partner Linda banks with TSB,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and they knew for sure they hadn't opened a new account there.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Putting two and two together,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13they deduced that Alan's identity had most likely been stolen and the
0:05:13 > 0:05:17crooks behind it had applied to borrow money in his name.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21But of course, they couldn't activate the account or spend the overdraft
0:05:21 > 0:05:23without the cards, paperwork and PIN number
0:05:23 > 0:05:26that would all be sent through the post.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29So they'd added their own postbox to make sure they could get
0:05:29 > 0:05:31their hands on what they needed.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36At that moment, we realised that the letterbox had been put up to
0:05:36 > 0:05:38intercept the mail.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41In that letterbox, we had a confirmation letter and the online
0:05:41 > 0:05:44PIN number for internet banking,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and we imagine that the person that Bethan encountered on the doorstep
0:05:48 > 0:05:51was probably in the process of retrieving the mail at that moment,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- so she spooked him. - How did you feel when you realised
0:05:54 > 0:05:56you'd come very close to being scammed?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Well, I was quite relieved in a way that we'd stopped it happening.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04They obviously knew the delivery times for the postman on that day.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08It was a little window of an hour where they stick it up,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and the postman was still in the street as they are retrieving it.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15They're following him round, almost, retrieving the mail.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Realising that, by chance, they'd stopped a crime in its tracks,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23they called the police.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26The police didn't accept it was a crime at all.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29She was just saying perhaps the box has been put on the wrong house,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31which is what we thought originally.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It was only when we rang back the next day and actually kind of
0:06:35 > 0:06:37insisted, because I thought...
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I'm not really expecting them to catch the person,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42but I did want it logged in case anybody else rang up,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44so they could see there was a pattern.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Did you have a word with the postman the next day and ask him about it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I did, but actually it wasn't the same postman,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52but I explained everything to him,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I even showed him the letterbox and said,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57"Look, this is what was stuck up in our porch,"
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and he took all that information back, and they distributed that
0:07:00 > 0:07:05round the local postmen so they're aware of it as an issue.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09As well as talking to the Post Office,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Alan and Linda contacted TSB.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16They immediately put a stop on the account,
0:07:16 > 0:07:22and assured us there was no way the account could be activated.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28And though it was good news that the account had been shut down before
0:07:28 > 0:07:31the fraudsters could rack up any debt in Alan's name,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34the couple can't be certain that the fraudsters haven't used his details
0:07:34 > 0:07:36to open other accounts.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41But Linda and Alan weren't the only people that the scammers had in
0:07:41 > 0:07:43their sights, because guess what?
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Another box appeared round the corner just a couple of days later.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53Retired university professor Harold Somers lives one street away from
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Alan and Linda, and he too had initially been confused to find one
0:07:56 > 0:07:59of the strange and scruffily numbered letterboxes
0:07:59 > 0:08:01outside his house.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It was Saturday afternoon and I was on my way out
0:08:05 > 0:08:09to an important show that we were doing that evening with my band,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13and as I went out the door, I noticed, stuck to the wall,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17was this metal postbox that I'd never seen before,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and it had a crudely painted house number on it,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25so my first instinct was that perhaps it had been put there
0:08:25 > 0:08:30by mistake and delivery people had installed it in the wrong house.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Hoping to find out who the box really belonged to,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Harold took to his local community's Facebook page, where he learned the
0:08:37 > 0:08:40same thing had happened to Alan and Linda.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I was a bit worried that taking it down might damage the wall,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45because I had assumed it was screwed onto the wall,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and I couldn't get inside it to unscrew it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51And they said, "Oh, just pull it off,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53"get it off under any way possible."
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Did you contact the police?
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Yes, I did report it to the police.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00They were more concerned with me reporting it
0:09:00 > 0:09:02as a potential identity theft.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05They gave me the number of Action Fraud to call.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07And how do you feel about it now?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I'm mystified that...
0:09:10 > 0:09:15anyone would think they could attach a postbox
0:09:15 > 0:09:19to someone's house and get away with it without anyone noticing,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23except that, I suppose, and this is the scary bit,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27what I suppose is that they were hanging around in the area,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29waiting for the post to be delivered
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and were then going to remove the box, almost as quickly as they'd
0:09:33 > 0:09:37attached it, with the stolen mail inside it.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Harold's been on the lookout for any signs that his identity may have
0:09:43 > 0:09:46been stolen, but so far nothing has come to light,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and no bank cards or PIN numbers have been delivered.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Imagine if we'd been on holiday.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56They would have had two weeks' worth of post being delivered into this box.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Well, you were lucky, Alan and Linda were lucky,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03but it could have so easily been more serious.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Tony Blake is a fraud prevention specialist who says that,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10though the goings-on in Chorlton are relatively new,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12they're certainly not isolated.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The fraudsters may target some particular area
0:10:15 > 0:10:19because they have customer information from somewhere.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21They may target a particular area
0:10:21 > 0:10:23because they feel it's more affluent than others.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The numbers that I'm aware of are very low for this type of crime,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29but it's something we're definitely keeping an eye on.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32It's an evolution of a crime that, in the past,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34has targeted blocks of flats
0:10:34 > 0:10:37which have letterboxes in one communal area.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40There's been student properties where people's identities have been
0:10:40 > 0:10:44stolen and, again, communal areas where mail is just left around.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Fraudsters are making applications for products,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50whether it be an account or a loan or something similar,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52in someone else's name,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and they're having the mail sent to the genuine person's address.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Now, they need to intercept that mail before the genuine customer
0:10:59 > 0:11:01even sees it.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06The crooks behind this new version of the scam are taking a much
0:11:06 > 0:11:09riskier approach by targeting suburban streets
0:11:09 > 0:11:12rather than blocks of flats.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16There is a risk to doing it, but the rewards are potentially high.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19You take out a loan for a few thousand pounds,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21then the rewards are quite high,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25so they see it that the risks are worth taking.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31And, of course, by the time Alan and Harold came across those postboxes,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34it was clear that at least some of their personal details had already
0:11:34 > 0:11:36been exploited by the fraudsters.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40So, while it's not clear exactly how that happened, for Tony,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44it's a reminder of how vigilant we all need to be.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48People need to be very, very careful how they put their information
0:11:48 > 0:11:51out there and protect their own identity.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56Back in Chorlton, it seems the scammers have moved on to pastures new.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01But it's worth keeping an eye out in case a mysterious postbox suddenly
0:12:01 > 0:12:04appears outside your door or on your street,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08which is what Harold and his neighbours will be doing in future.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10I'm just reassured that it's the kind of good old-fashioned
0:12:10 > 0:12:14neighbourhood where a lot of people know each other by name so, yes,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I think the general awareness has
0:12:16 > 0:12:20been raised and people are watching out for each other, certainly.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I think all of us know that applying for a job can be a pretty
0:12:31 > 0:12:33nerve-racking process at the best of times,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and if it's a job that you really want,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38you are most likely going to put your heart and soul into the application,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and, of course, into the interview.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42If you're not successful
0:12:42 > 0:12:45then usually the only thing that's damaged is your pride,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but I'm afraid we're hearing more and more about an increasing
0:12:48 > 0:12:53number of job opportunities that turn out to be entirely bogus,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57and the people who've gone for them, who are desperate to earn money,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00have instead been tricked into losing it.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06'Jobs board.'
0:13:10 > 0:13:13For the 1.7 million unemployed people in Britain,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17job ads like these can be familiar reading.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23And for Debbie Cordis, they were very familiar indeed.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26After taking voluntary redundancy from her previous job,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Debbie had been searching online for vacancies for months when she came
0:13:30 > 0:13:32across one that sounded ideal.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45What was it that you saw there that made you feel,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47"This is a job that I'd like to apply for"?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Well, the website looked quite professional,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55and also they had a YouTube video as well with a guy that said he worked
0:13:55 > 0:13:58for the recruitment for the company.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The ad was posted by a job agency called Madeem Recruit,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06which was hiring on behalf of a clothing company based in central London.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And here's the man Debbie saw in the video.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14We require customer service reps with no experience required...
0:14:14 > 0:14:16After applying for the job,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Debbie was over the moon
0:14:18 > 0:14:21when Madeem Recruit asked her to do a phone interview.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25What sort of questions did he ask and how did the interview go?
0:14:25 > 0:14:31Just quite basic questions, like did I have data entry experience,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and was I computer literate.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37No alarm bells went that maybe this was something that wasn't quite kosher?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Not at that time.- No.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43The interview went so well that, four days later,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Debbie was told she'd got the job
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and would be working in the company's warehouse.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50But before she could start,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52she needed to send the job agency
0:14:52 > 0:14:55scans of her passport and National Insurance card
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and, or so it was claimed, undergo a criminal records check,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04and to cover all of that, she'd have to pay almost £100.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Did you have £100?
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Because presumably at that point you were unemployed.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Yeah, yeah. I was a little worried,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12but at that time I really wanted a job, so...
0:15:12 > 0:15:15you know, I really wanted to start as soon as possible.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17But once she'd paid that money,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21the recruitment company was in no hurry to firm up the details of when
0:15:21 > 0:15:23she'd actually start,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and a whole month passed with still no start date.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Growing suspicious, Debbie searched online to see if anyone else
0:15:31 > 0:15:34had experienced problems with Madeem Recruit,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and to her horror it quickly became clear
0:15:36 > 0:15:39that the whole operation was a scam.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43The agency was claiming to offer jobs with real companies,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46but rather than genuinely placing anyone there,
0:15:46 > 0:15:51it seemed to have simply been pocketing the cash from that £100 charge.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54So what did you do when you realised you'd been a victim of scam?
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I immediately got on to my bank and told them,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00just in case they could use any of my bank details,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and I got on to the Passport Office
0:16:02 > 0:16:07and I told them what happened so that I could get a new passport.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09That was about £100.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11So you're now £200 out of pocket.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Yeah, yeah.- And what did you feel at the end of all of this?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Um, well, it was very stressful at the time,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and it's kind of embarrassing,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23you know, you feel kind of stupid, really.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Of course, the scammers have a copy of Debbie's old passport and her
0:16:28 > 0:16:32National Insurance number, so she's worried they know enough
0:16:32 > 0:16:34about her to use her identity illegally,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and she's had to contact credit agencies and the police for help.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42When we contacted Madeem Recruit, perhaps unsurprisingly,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44the company didn't respond.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47But sadly we hear stories like Debbie's all the time,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52and the number of fraudulent job ads is rising so fast that a voluntary
0:16:52 > 0:16:55organisation called Safer Jobs has been set up to work with
0:16:55 > 0:16:58the City of London Police in cracking down on them.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Keith Rosser is its chairman.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Presumably they're getting more and more clever at persuading you that
0:17:04 > 0:17:06these are genuine advertisements.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Scammers now, more and more, are using real company logos and brands.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14The other thing they're doing to add legitimacy to this scam is they're
0:17:14 > 0:17:15even introducing third parties.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So they're saying to job-seekers, "You've been offered a job,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22"now contact this organisation to get some background checks done on you,"
0:17:22 > 0:17:26and it makes it look even more like it's genuine to the job-seeker.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30How big is the problem of online scammers?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Well, we currently get in the region of 70,000 people
0:17:33 > 0:17:36to our site a month, looking for free advice,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40and we receive five reports a day of potential fraud,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43so we've seen a real growth in the last few years of online job scams,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48and it's... All signs look like it's only going to increase.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51As Debbie had discovered, what makes these scams so plausible
0:17:51 > 0:17:55is that there's more to them than just fake adverts and e-mails -
0:17:55 > 0:17:58she'd been through a phone interview as well.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And, of course, there'd been that video in which a man claiming to be
0:18:01 > 0:18:04from the clothing company had talked about the job
0:18:04 > 0:18:06that he was hoping to fill.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08We need people to start pretty much...
0:18:08 > 0:18:09well, straight away.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Now that's taking the scam to a higher level, isn't it,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14because that's a full-blown video
0:18:14 > 0:18:18supposedly from the man who is going to employ you.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21That's right, it's legitimacy, that's what they're doing all the time is,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24"How can we make this look more and more genuine?"
0:18:24 > 0:18:27So what would happen next in this case is that the person would be
0:18:27 > 0:18:29offered the job, they'd get their contract of employment and,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31because of the immediate starts, there'll be saying,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34"Pay for a police check," hence the job-seeker goes to them,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38pays their £100. Of course, there is no police check.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Now, why would somebody put their face on this if this is a scam?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I suspect this person actually has been duped themselves and doesn't
0:18:46 > 0:18:49realise they're part of facilitating a fraud,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51otherwise it's slightly unusual
0:18:51 > 0:18:55that a fraudster would make themselves so readily identifiable.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, we did our own digging into the man Debbie had seen.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Turns out he's an actor who, online,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04offers his services to anyone who wants to hire him to record a video
0:19:04 > 0:19:06testimonial for their company.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10He'll happily provide a positive review for a product or,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12as he did in the case of Madeem Recruit,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15pretend to be a manager looking for new employees.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19In fact, on this web page where he sells his acting services,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21he calls himself Yoogle.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Hello there, I'm Yoogle, and...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27But here he's Richard.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28My name is Richard Turner.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32And for less than £20, he'll record anyone a video testimonial,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37bestowing the virtues of pretty much anything.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I'm offering a 40-word video testimonial,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44or a voiceover, to promote your product, your service,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48your website or anything else that you want to promote.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50We dropped Yoogle - or is it Richard? - a line,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and asked if he knew that
0:19:52 > 0:19:55when he recorded the videos for Madeem Recruit,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58he was helping the perpetrators of a scam.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It turns out his name is David.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04He told us he provides acting services for many, many clients
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and that he simply gets sent the script and performs it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11He went on to insist that he had absolutely no idea
0:20:11 > 0:20:12that this was a scam
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and he wouldn't have done the video if he had known.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18We also contacted the clothing company
0:20:18 > 0:20:20that David claimed to represent,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23which is a genuine, successful company.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The owners stressed they have nothing to do with Madeem Recruit,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and say that they feel like victims of the scam, too.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33They've even had people turning up at their premises to start jobs
0:20:33 > 0:20:35that simply don't exist.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37But it's perhaps no surprise
0:20:37 > 0:20:39that they too were fooled by Madeem Recruit,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43because the agency's website is full of glowing references
0:20:43 > 0:20:47and testimonials from supposedly satisfied customers,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50all of which add another level of credibility to the scam.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02You probably won't be surprised to find out that they're fake, too.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07I'm going to give you a natural-looking video testimonial.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09And we found at least two of the people
0:21:09 > 0:21:12who recorded videos for Madeem Recruit
0:21:12 > 0:21:16also offering to record testimonials and fake reviews
0:21:16 > 0:21:20for anything, for the princely sum of 5.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24If you want a natural, high-quality testimonial review or any other kind
0:21:24 > 0:21:27of promotional video, look no further.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29It's all designed to make Madeem Recruit
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and the jobs they're advertising
0:21:31 > 0:21:32look like the real thing.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37When we contacted the two actors in these videos,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40one chose not to comment and the other simply said,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43"Yes, I am a paid actor for that testimonial."
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The credibility that these fake testimonials add
0:21:46 > 0:21:49is just one reason why the number of job scams
0:21:49 > 0:21:51we hear about is on the rise.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55But according to Trading Standards National Scambuster Team,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the cases that get reported are just the tip of the iceberg.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03This is a growing problem in that we've received several hundred
0:22:03 > 0:22:06complaints over the last four or five months.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Clearly a fraud is being perpetrated on these people, in that
0:22:09 > 0:22:12they're being offered jobs which simply don't exist.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17The team's investigations have revealed links to
0:22:17 > 0:22:20sophisticated organised crime networks
0:22:20 > 0:22:23making a lot of money out of eager job-hunters.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27We've executed a number of warrants on individuals who we believe are
0:22:27 > 0:22:29associated with it.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33We're aware that some bank accounts that have been used have been taking
0:22:33 > 0:22:35between £3,000 and £6,000 a week,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37so a bank account is usually operational
0:22:37 > 0:22:41for between two and four weeks before it is shut down,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45but within that period there could be £20,000 or £30,000 through that
0:22:45 > 0:22:48bank account and off to a third-party account.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51And to make it more difficult to catch them,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55the fraudsters move around the country using the same scam.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59What appears to be happening is that they're setting up a number of
0:22:59 > 0:23:01different companies offering different jobs.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04So, for example, they'll target Liverpool one week
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and then they might target Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11to avoid people becoming too aware of a scam taking place
0:23:11 > 0:23:14in a particular area.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15To avoid being taken in,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Keith Rosser from Safer Jobs says it's crucial that job-seekers
0:23:19 > 0:23:24watch out for the telltale signs that an ad may be a scam.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28What can be done to set the alarm bells ringing that tells you that
0:23:28 > 0:23:31perhaps this is not a genuine job application?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33So, for all job-seekers,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37what we would say is always run a few basic tests -
0:23:37 > 0:23:40check the quality and grammar of the job advert
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and any subsequent e-mails or contacts you have.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Always check the e-mail addresses that they're coming from.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Does it look like a bona fide company address?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51If this company purports to be a well-known retail brand,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54check them out online and call their head office
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and check they are recruiting.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00If it's an unknown company, always do your research online -
0:24:00 > 0:24:03find out if the company exists, check with Companies House.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06What we'd say to all job-seekers is Safer Jobs,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09which is a non-profit organisation set up by the police,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11offers free advice to any job-seeker.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15One of the things that Safer Jobs does is it partners
0:24:15 > 0:24:19with most of the big job boards to share information about fake jobs,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22to make sure that all those job boards then remove it from their site.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Fraudsters are known to pose as recruiters, not just for local jobs,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29but for some very big multinational firms.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34Petroleum giant Shell and one of the world's largest mining companies,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38AngloAmerican, are among those whose names have been hijacked.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Back in Harrow, Debbie knows now to be much more wary of any supposed
0:24:43 > 0:24:45recruitment agency that asks you
0:24:45 > 0:24:48to pay upfront for any of its services.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Debbie, what do you think you've learnt from this experience?
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Erm, not to take things at face value and also, like,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57when anybody's asking, you know,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00for payment for anything to always check it, especially, you know,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04with looking for a job.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Still to come on Rip-Off Britain -
0:25:12 > 0:25:14a spate of mystery phone calls
0:25:14 > 0:25:17racking up high charges in the middle of the night.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19So, who made them and why?
0:25:19 > 0:25:21When I saw the times on the bill,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I just could not believe it because they were outrageous times and on
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Christmas Day as well, early hours of the morning.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32This year the Rip-Off Britain team
0:25:32 > 0:25:35worked through the night to get ready for our annual
0:25:35 > 0:25:39consumer advice clinic in one of the UK's busiest shopping centres.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44We were setting up right in the thick of it all...
0:25:46 > 0:25:49..to create an open-plan pop-up shop,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51very different from any we've opened up before.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54We've been absolutely thrilled by the number of people
0:25:54 > 0:25:57who've been passing by and then just popped in to talk
0:25:57 > 0:25:59to our many experts and try and get
0:25:59 > 0:26:01their consumer problems sorted,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and it's been terrific for me, for Gloria and for Julia as well,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08because it's our opportunity to meet you, our viewers.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15One of those calling in for help was Trish, who wanted advice
0:26:15 > 0:26:18on finding a long-lost pension.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Last year when I was 68, I retired,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and when I went through some old papers,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I found this letter dated 1968
0:26:27 > 0:26:32offering me a job in an insurance broker's in Leeds.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It sets out the terms and conditions quite clearly,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40and one of those terms and conditions is that I would be
0:26:40 > 0:26:44required to join the staff contributory pension fund.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46So I thought, "That's very interesting,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49"I'll see what happened to my contributions."
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And there the fun began.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56So far, unpicking what happened to the pension contributions Trish
0:26:56 > 0:26:59had made in the five years she worked there has proved impossible.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03I e-mailed the government's pension tracing service.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06They gave me the name of the company that
0:27:06 > 0:27:11this company became, so I wrote to them, rang them.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14They've not even acknowledged that I exist.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Do companies not have an obligation, a legal obligation,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20to keep up-to-date records of everything that's happened?
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I mean, if you talk to banks, they will say
0:27:22 > 0:27:25there are some records they just don't have because they're so old.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29There's an estimated one million unclaimed pensions in the UK,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31worth around £4 billion.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's supposed to be easier than ever to trace them,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36but that has not been Trish's experience,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38and for her, it's a matter of principle.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40It's not the pot of money.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's because no-one has given me any kind of answer.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45It got me thinking.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47There were thousands of women in my position
0:27:47 > 0:27:49where there was a staff pension fund,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52then they married, they left and had babies,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54and none of us looked back to think,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56"I wonder what's happening to my pension."
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Now, under the rules that were around at the time,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02it could be that when Trish left her job in 1974,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06she was refunded the contributions that she'd made.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Basically, before 1975,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12if you were a member of a workplace pension and then you left
0:28:12 > 0:28:14after a few years,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17it was likely that you would have just been given back the money
0:28:17 > 0:28:20that you'd paid in and nothing else.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23There wouldn't have been a pot of money growing with your name on it,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26ready for you to claim when you retire.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28But what's most frustrating for Trish
0:28:28 > 0:28:31is that she hasn't been able to find out for sure.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33It's just that no-one gives me an answer,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I think that's the problem.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37As Trish can't seem to get any further,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Sarah's offered to do some detective work of her own.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I'll make a call this afternoon, actually,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and see if I can actually speak to somebody in the first place,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47and we'll take it from there and find out
0:28:47 > 0:28:50- what you may or may not have. - That's great.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Following filming, Sarah did manage
0:28:52 > 0:28:56to speak to the right person on this, and, as she suspected,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00it turned out that Trish had been given the money way back in 1974,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and she was even able to track down
0:29:02 > 0:29:05a letter spelling it all out in black and white.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08So while there was no unclaimed pension,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Trish was thrilled to have the matter finally cleared up,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14which was what she hoped for in the first place.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Meanwhile, over in our gripe corner, our complainers were in full swing.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I'm not happy with that still, because I think it's very unfair.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26And rather than retail therapy, it was retail pain for some of them.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29My biggest rip-off in Britain is the price of children's school shoes.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I pay more for their shoes than I pay for my shoes.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35I buy a pair of trainers and it all comes up to about £100-odd.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38It's hard to look fashionable when you can't afford it,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40because it's pricey.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42I like quality garments, obviously.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45They look good but they don't last that very long.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50And it's just difficult to find a cheaper option, really.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Back at our shop, solicitor Gary Rycroft
0:29:54 > 0:29:57was ready for his next appointment,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and some of the group looked a little familiar.
0:30:00 > 0:30:01We've met before, haven't we?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- We have.- So, very nice to see you again.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Wendy and Mike had some help from Gary
0:30:06 > 0:30:09at our pop-up shop in Liverpool in 2013.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13It seems to me that the owner of the freehold is being a bit cheeky.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15They acted on his advice with great results.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18You gave us some ideas and we managed to sort it out
0:30:18 > 0:30:21and we got all our money back, so it was a positive outcome.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25- Brilliant.- So, when a new problem with their property cropped up,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27they were keen to see Gary again,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and this time they brought along neighbour Anna,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32who is suffering with the same issue,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35as indeed are plenty of others on the same development.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37We started noticing mortar coming off the roofs
0:30:37 > 0:30:39and coming on to the path,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42so we were wondering what was happening.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45The neighbours' roofs developed exactly the same fault
0:30:45 > 0:30:48only a few years after the houses had been built.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52So, Wendy called out the National House-Building Council, or NHBC,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54to investigate.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57At the point that the NHBC inspector came out,
0:30:57 > 0:31:01he said a lot of the houses on the estate were starting to get this
0:31:01 > 0:31:05problem, and he believed it was an inconsistency in the mortar that had
0:31:05 > 0:31:06been put on the roof.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Anna had an inspector out, too, who spotted another fault.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13There seemed to be a problem with the ridge tiles as well -
0:31:13 > 0:31:16they were inferior quality. And so there were two main problems
0:31:16 > 0:31:18that were going on here that they accepted.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Though the roofs were fixed on both Wendy and Anna's homes,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25the problem soon returned, and, they say, by now
0:31:25 > 0:31:28it was apparent that the recurring roof fault
0:31:28 > 0:31:30was commonplace on the development.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32What we found is that, across the estate,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36different people had already had it repaired and then had had to
0:31:36 > 0:31:39call them back a second time because they were having the same problem.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Four years on and the residents still have faulty roofs,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45but Gary thinks there's mileage
0:31:45 > 0:31:48in pushing the NHBC into further action.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53You can escalate what's going on now into a complaint and actually say,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57"Look, we're not happy with the way this is being dealt with on a piecemeal basis.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01- "There is clearly an estate-wide issue here."- Yeah.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05With almost 400 properties on the estate,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Gary thinks it would help if the residents all joined forces on this.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12But with many of the houses rented out,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Wendy hasn't been sure how she could get in touch
0:32:15 > 0:32:18with the actual homeowners.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Luckily for her, Gary's got a tip to help.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25The land registry will hold up-to-date information
0:32:25 > 0:32:29about who owns all of the individuals properties
0:32:29 > 0:32:30on your estate.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33- Ah.- Now, the land register is an open register...
0:32:33 > 0:32:38- Right.- ..we can all apply to the land registry for a copy of the
0:32:38 > 0:32:43- register...- Right. - The fee payable is £3 per property.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Gary also suggested some other avenues for them to try,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49including the financial ombudsman service.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52There's some practical points there and, hopefully,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55like we did three years ago, we can solve this.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00It's been a fantastic opportunity to come here today and we've learned an
0:33:00 > 0:33:03awful lot and it's been really inspiring as well to hear a
0:33:03 > 0:33:06professional point of view and advice on it.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09So, hopefully we can go away and try those ideas and get a result.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13And once we'd pulled down the shutters on this year's pop-up shop,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15we got in touch with the NHBC.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19It told us it's already assisted a number of homeowners on the estate
0:33:19 > 0:33:23whose properties are covered by its build mark warranty and urged
0:33:23 > 0:33:25any who still have concerns
0:33:25 > 0:33:27to get in touch with its claims team directly
0:33:27 > 0:33:30to ensure that they are getting the right support.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Next - a stressful situation that nobody wants to face -
0:33:37 > 0:33:41trying to correct a bill that's many times higher than you were expecting
0:33:41 > 0:33:44but you're getting nowhere trying to sort it all out.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Now, it happened to the people in our next film,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50who found themselves with mobile phone bills showing huge charges for
0:33:50 > 0:33:54hours and hours of phone calls that they're certain they didn't make.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56But while they're sure it wasn't them,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59proving who or what really did rack up such massive costs is actually
0:33:59 > 0:34:01proving quite a battle.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Christmas Eve 2015.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10She didn't know it yet, but for Claire Knifton from Burton-on-Trent,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12the start of the festive season
0:34:12 > 0:34:15also kicked off a mysterious set of events
0:34:15 > 0:34:18that even now she can't explain,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20all to do with her phone and some very odd calls
0:34:20 > 0:34:22made in the middle of the night.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26But it was a month later before
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Claire realised that anything was wrong.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31I'd gone out on my lunch break at work.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35- Hello.- Hiya. Pump number three, please.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40I went to use the card and the lady said, "Sorry, your card's declined."
0:34:40 > 0:34:44And I was like, "No, it's not, there definitely is money in there."
0:34:44 > 0:34:47She says, "I'll try again," and she tried swiping it...
0:34:47 > 0:34:49No, it's still having none of it.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53So you can imagine the journey back to the office then was,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56"Oh, my God, what's happened? Why have I got no money?"
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Cos I knew that if my card had been declined then it must have
0:34:59 > 0:35:01gone over my overdraft as well,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04so it's got to be a large amount of money that's come out of my account.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09Claire called her bank, who said that her latest mobile phone bill was for
0:35:09 > 0:35:13a hefty £309, which would be a shock for anyone,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17but particularly her, as she normally pays just £20 a month.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I was like, "Oh, my God, no way there...
0:35:20 > 0:35:22"What could have gone out?"
0:35:23 > 0:35:26So this is when alarm bells started ringing.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Assuming it was a mistake, Claire called her phone company,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33which insisted that a series of calls had been made from her phone
0:35:33 > 0:35:36throughout the night before Christmas,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39all to the same very expensive 0843 number.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45We've got one at 21.11 on Christmas Eve,
0:35:45 > 0:35:49and then 23.11, as well on Christmas Eve,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53so each phone call was £49,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56£44, £44, £44.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00£44, and then the last one was £30,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03and it also gives you a service charge as well of £5.56 each time.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06There was a total of six calls on the bill,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10each starting at two-hourly intervals, with the last call at 5.11
0:36:10 > 0:36:12on Christmas morning.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15When I saw the times on the bill, I just could not believe it.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Anyone in their right mind that's ringing a premium number
0:36:18 > 0:36:21for that amount of time on Christmas Day, you know,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24it's a definite no-no. I wouldn't do that.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27And when the number appears to belong to a PPI claims service,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31it does seem especially unlikely that Claire would have
0:36:31 > 0:36:33deliberately made those calls.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Now, she does recall seeing a missed call from that same 0843 number
0:36:37 > 0:36:38during Christmas Eve,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41but she's adamant that at the time the bill says she
0:36:41 > 0:36:45was on the phone, she was either celebrating Christmas Eve
0:36:45 > 0:36:47with her family or fast asleep in bed.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I was quite relieved, really, that it was on such a memorable day
0:36:50 > 0:36:52that I knew exactly what I was doing.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I know for definite that that phone was on its own, on a charger,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58in the bedroom all that time.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00We've spoken to numerous people
0:37:00 > 0:37:02who've been billed sizeable sums for calls
0:37:02 > 0:37:04that they're sure that they've never made.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Even industry regulator Ofcom got involved to investigate what could
0:37:08 > 0:37:09possibly have happened,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13and plenty of newspapers have also picked up on what they call
0:37:13 > 0:37:16a fake call scam with reports of dozens of people
0:37:16 > 0:37:19who found themselves in the same situation...
0:37:19 > 0:37:22including Oriel Ross Wardell from Hull,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25who was charged £289 for a phone call
0:37:25 > 0:37:27that she insists was made while
0:37:27 > 0:37:30her phone was shut away in a drawer at home.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Gillian Innes, a care worker from Ripon,
0:37:33 > 0:37:37received a bill for nearly £180, ten times her usual monthly charge,
0:37:37 > 0:37:42following a call to an 0845 number that she too is sure she never made.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44And Hazel Brown from Surrey,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48who had three witnesses to prove she was not on the phone during
0:37:48 > 0:37:51a seven-hour call that cost £211.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Well, it's not clear exactly what's gone on,
0:37:55 > 0:38:00but one theory is that someone could be hiring out 0845 or 0843 numbers,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03setting them up with high fees for incoming calls,
0:38:03 > 0:38:04and then here's the clever bit,
0:38:04 > 0:38:09very sneakily hacking into people's Smartphones and programming them to
0:38:09 > 0:38:10automatically call back if there's
0:38:10 > 0:38:13a missed call from their particular numbers.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14Well, it's terrifying stuff,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17but it isn't necessarily the explanation
0:38:17 > 0:38:19for what happened to Claire.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23To see if we could help shed any more light on the mystery,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25we asked CCL Solutions,
0:38:25 > 0:38:29a company that specialises in analysing the data on mobile phones,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31to take a look at Claire's handset.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34We can recover a whole range of information
0:38:34 > 0:38:36about the usage of the phone,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38the software installed on the phone,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40deleted data as well.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So it helps us really build up a big picture of how the phone was being
0:38:44 > 0:38:46used, and we can timeline events.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50CCL put Claire's phone through a series of rigorous tests,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54but there was no evidence it had been hacked by scammers or indeed
0:38:54 > 0:38:56of any other rogue phone activity.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59We didn't find any evidence that
0:38:59 > 0:39:01there were any malicious applications on the phone,
0:39:01 > 0:39:06so it's quite difficult to conclude why that call or those calls
0:39:06 > 0:39:09were made, or indeed what made them.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13Except the team did make a discovery that opens up another possibility.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18The phone bill showed a series of two-hour calls,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22whereas the phone itself showed a single call of 11 hours.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26In other words, while the bill lists the calls as separate,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29there may have been just one very long call,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32which makes it more feasible that Claire might perhaps
0:39:32 > 0:39:35have redialled the number of her missed call by mistake.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38I think the fact that it was a single call
0:39:38 > 0:39:40as opposed to multiple calls
0:39:40 > 0:39:43makes it more likely that it was probably an accidental dial,
0:39:43 > 0:39:48but if the user is confident that they did not make those calls
0:39:48 > 0:39:52or that call, and we can't find any evidence
0:39:52 > 0:39:55of any malicious applications or any malicious activity,
0:39:55 > 0:40:00then I think it's safe to say it's a mystery.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05But certainly, as far as Claire's phone company is concerned,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07these situations generally are caused by...
0:40:12 > 0:40:15It has confirmed, as our expert suspected,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19that there was simply one 11-hour call made to that 0843 number,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21explaining that the bill suggested otherwise
0:40:21 > 0:40:24because the company's billing system refreshes
0:40:24 > 0:40:27call records every two hours.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29In common with other phone companies,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32it regards the behaviour of whoever is making these missed calls as
0:40:32 > 0:40:35fraudulent and actively blocks the numbers involved
0:40:35 > 0:40:37as soon as it becomes aware of them.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41So while it recommends caution when returning any missed calls
0:40:41 > 0:40:43from a number you don't know,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45in case it too has unexpected extra costs,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49it has in this case refunded Claire the cost of the call.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Of course that's great news for her,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54but there's one simple way anyone can ensure they're not landed with
0:40:54 > 0:40:56unexpected sky-high bills,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59whether it's because a scammer has got your number
0:40:59 > 0:41:02or you've unwittingly made a call from your pocket.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Call your mobile phone service provider
0:41:04 > 0:41:07and ask them to put a cap on your usage,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10so that you don't get any surprises when the bill comes
0:41:10 > 0:41:12at the end of the month.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19If you have a story you'd like us to investigate,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22then you can get in touch with us via our Facebook page...
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Our website is...
0:41:28 > 0:41:33Or you can e-mail us at...
0:41:33 > 0:41:37And, of course, you can always send us a letter to our postal address...
0:41:50 > 0:41:53You know something, I love a good old detective story,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56and a lot of the e-mails and letters that you send us start in exactly
0:41:56 > 0:41:59that way - with a situation that doesn't seem to make any sense
0:41:59 > 0:42:03whatsoever, and you want us to help work out what exactly has gone on.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07But sometimes, as we've seen, there is a reasonable explanation,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11but in other cases those first impressions were totally correct
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and it was really all down to an ingenious scam.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Well, the team here is always ready,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20waiting and really eager to get stuck into even more of those
0:42:20 > 0:42:23seemingly inexplicable situations,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26so if you've lost out but can't for the life of you fathom out
0:42:26 > 0:42:28what's happened, do let us know,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31because even if we can't help get your money back,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33we may at least be able to unravel the truth,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35and, of course, that means that we can
0:42:35 > 0:42:38stop others from falling into similar traps.
0:42:38 > 0:42:39In the meantime,
0:42:39 > 0:42:42we hope you've picked up some useful tips to help steer you well clear of
0:42:42 > 0:42:44situations that either really are a scam
0:42:44 > 0:42:47or simply look as if they might be.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49But that's all we've got time for for today.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Thanks very much for joining us.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55- Till the next time, from all of us here, goodbye.- Goodbye.- Bye-bye.