Episode 4 Rip Off Britain

We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling ripped off,

and you contacted us in your thousands.

You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong,

and the customer service that simply is not up to scratch.

When you have to call them, it takes ages and somebody else answers

the phone who pretty much doesn't know what you're saying.

The customer is not benefiting and no, I'm not getting value for money.

You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money

and investigate the extra charges you say are unfair.

They don't deserve to be in any form of business whatsoever.

They just want shutting down.

And when you have lost out, but no-one else is to blame,

you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.

They took the money out of my account and I don't even know who it was who was scamming me.

So whether it is a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake...

We are here to find out why you're out-of-pocket and what you can do about it.

Your stories, your money - this is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello and welcome to Rip-Off Britain,

where today we're doing all we can to help you steer clear of overblown

sales pitches and promises that turn out to be, well, a load of old guff,

is probably the politest way of putting it.

We're going to be looking into situations where you were told that

you'd be getting something, but it turned out to be entirely false.

But particularly upsetting if you paid out hundreds or even thousands

of pounds, only to discover far too late that what you bought isn't all

that was promised. And as you'll see in one of the cases we'll be

investigating, that could have had even life-threatening consequences.

Well, let's see if we can't bring about a happier ending in at least

one of the situations into which we have been looking.

Because at the heart of it

is a fundamental and ruthlessly cynical lie,

and we're going to use a little touch of Hollywood stardust

to try and fight it, as we channel the Force with a big-name star

who is quite determined to stop unscrupulous traders in their tracks.

Coming up, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill is going after

the fraudsters making big money from forging his signature.

The rate of fake autographs is in the 50 to 90 percentile.

There are more fake autographs than real ones.

And the false promises made for a heating system it's claimed

will slash your bills, but could it catch fire instead?

What do I do? Do I pay another 8,000 to get my gas put back in?

Because they weren't going to give me my money back.

Even in an age of selfies and social media,

a rare autograph of a famous celebrity or historical figure

is for many still a very much-prized possession.

And while some can cost thousands of pounds,

thanks to the rise of online auctions, it is easier

than ever before to get your hands on a more affordable collectable.

But, unfortunately, there can be a very big downside,

because as the lifelong autograph collector in our next film found out

to his cost, even when you buy those signatures from a respectable

and well-known source,

you can't always guarantee that you're actually getting the real thing.

For celebrity-spotters the world over,

collecting those highly-prized signatures of stars has long had

both a sentimental and, if you're lucky, financial value.

The market for a big-name autograph is huge,

with some commanding thousands of pounds.

For instance, after the death of David Bowie,

the average price for his signature shot up 200%.

Steve Burbage from the Isle of Wight has collected autographs

for most of his life. So when he's not hunting for fossils,

it is celebrity signatures that he likes to track down,

ever since a childhood trip with his dad.

This is what started it off, really,

this little autograph book.

My dad took me to the Oval

to see the cricket match,

and this is the autographs of the Pakistan touring team in 1962.

Over the years, Steve has collected autographs from some of the world's biggest stars,

from JFK and Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson and Muhammad Ali.

But the jewel in Steve's collection is this song sheet signed

by all four Beatles which he bought 24 years ago.

It was in the catalogue at £1,000 for just The Beatles,

and the Muhammad Ali is in the catalogue at £125.

So, I got a deal where I got both items for £890.

Memorabilia signed by one of The Beatles is quite common,

with the real thing typically selling for around a couple of hundred pounds or more.

But Steve's song sheet potentially has a much greater value

because it's signed by John, Paul, George and Ringo

making it a perfect souvenir for any Beatles fan.

They were just iconic figures of the '60s.

To own something that John Lennon actually held,

that's what I wanted.

Steve bought the song sheet in 1992 from Fraser's Autographs,

which has since then has become one of the largest dealers

and auctioneers in the world.

And, for the next 24 years, he didn't dream of parting with it

until curiosity got the better of him.

I had seen adverts in the papers offering to buy

genuine Beatles signatures for £4,500-£5,000.

So, if that was what dealers were prepared to pay for them,

what was the real market value of them?

So, Steve took a photo of the song sheet to auction house Bonhams

in London and asked them to value it.

But instead of receiving a quote for thousands of pounds,

he was told by the auctioneers that his four prized Beatles autographs

were in fact fake.

I was devastated, obviously, and annoyed,

but it meant that all of these years I haven't had a set

of genuine Beatles signatures.

I was just holding a worthless piece of paper that I'd paid

almost £1,000 for.

The unexpected news has now made Steve question the authenticity

of his entire collection,

especially the other autographs that he bought in the same batch

as the bogus Beatles signatures.

And it seems he's right to be worried.

Gary King is one of the country's leading autograph experts

and he reckons that the vast majority of those you might see

being sold on some online sites are not the genuine article.

The number of fakes in circulation in the UK is actually quite high.

I would estimate that if we talk about internet auctions,

we are looking in the region of 80% of what you see is not authentic.

Gary's expertise in identifying which signatures are forged

and which are the real deal has been called upon by dealers,

collectors and Trading Standards.

But as he's watched the market flood with fakes,

his job has become much harder thanks to the new techniques

at the forger's fingertips.

Modern technology has changed the way forgers are working.

No longer are they just simply handwriting signatures,

they are now using printers,

laser printers and even other machines

to recreate signatures to fool you.

The fakes can be so hard to spot that some auction houses

now openly admit that they can't guarantee the autographs they are selling are genuine.

And Gary's spotted warnings at recent sales to that effect,

including one where another set of supposed Beatles signatures

was up for grabs.

If we look carefully at their small print, it says...

In other words, they have listed the items as a set of Beatles signatures

signed at such and such a date,

and then they tell you that they haven't checked the authenticity,

or they may not be genuine.

I think it's very likely that you're going to end up with items

that aren't any good.

We took Gary to the Isle of Wight so that he could cast his expert eye

over Steve's autograph collection,

and confirm if the Fab Four really are faked.

I have had these signatures for quite some time now.

I have been told that one of them is a fake,

and I'd just like your opinion.

I've got to pick out which one, have I?

If you like.

Right, well, let's start with this one.

The Beatles. Nice, original She Loves You song sheet.

OK, well, first, I would say these are not authentic.

Right.

I suspect that these two were done, possibly, by one person

and I would say that the Ringo Starr was done by somebody else.

I would say, no question, that they are forgeries.

This kind of thing turns up at the smaller,

provincial auctions all the time.

So with Gary's second opinion confirming the Beatles song sheet

is almost worthless, Steve's nervous about what the expert will make

of some of his other signatures.

Looking at these, I would say that the Bruce Springsteen is,

without question, a forgery.

The Muhammad Ali - I would say that that one is not authentic.

And the Michael Jackson...

His signature style changed a lot during his lifetime.

But, again, I would say that is not authentic.

-We're not doing very well here.

-We're not doing very well so far, are we? No.

And I'm afraid, in my opinion, all four of them are not authentic.

Turn them over

and look at the photographs on the back.

Now, these were all produced on the same paper by the same company,

which is suspicious.

If it had been legitimate,

Steve's Muhammad Ali autograph would have been worth around £1,950.

And the Michael Jackson, £1,750.

Instead, it seems all of these,

and the Beatles song sheet that cost Steve just shy of £1,000

in 1992, have no value whatsoever.

I'm really, really upset, really.

Of course, it's the investment value, as well.

Presumably, you bought these with partly investment in mind.

I knew that they would appreciate in value,

and that the family would then benefit from that.

Because £1,000 back in 1992 was worth a lot more than £1,000 now.

Adding to Steve's frustration is the fact that he bought these autographs

not from some tin pot seller, but one of the world's top specialists.

And though, at the time,

that gave him peace of mind about what he was buying,

it just goes to show that even the best in the business can't always

spot the work of a skilled forger.

How could a company as big as this get it so wrong?

They use what they consider to be their own experience.

Autographs are a lot more complicated than people think

and it's so easy for a skilled forger to knock out a set of

Beatles signatures and fool anybody.

The forger often is not just a forger, he's a confidence trickster.

You trust them, and that trust can let you down.

Though bitterly disappointed after years

of cherishing his prized possessions,

it's not all bad news for Steve.

The company from whom he bought all that time ago

offers a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

So when he contacted Fraser's Autographs,

after that first suggestion that his Beatles song sheet was a forgery,

he was surprised to be told that, if he could get a second opinion

confirming that, he'd have his money refunded,

even 20 years after the sale.

Now, thanks to Gary, he has that second opinion.

When we spoke to the auction house Fraser's,

it apologise to Steve for the inconvenience caused

and said that, at the time he'd bought the autographs,

the company was under different ownership.

It told us that, since then...

..with higher levels of authenticity.

The company went on to say that it had contacted Steve

as soon as it was made aware of his situation,

and it's now gone much further than simply giving him his money back -

it's let him select genuine replacement signatures

of Muhammad Ali, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and, of course,

a complete set of Beatles autographs worth well over £10,000.

Steve is thrilled by the way this has all been resolved,

but it's not just collectors like him affected by the trading fakes.

Celebrities aren't happy either if it turns out that fans have paid

a small fortune for signatures that are forgeries.

And, as we'll hear later in the programme, some are fighting back.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself,

tells me how he's putting all the Force he can muster

into taking on the fraudsters that are faking his autograph.

There are people out there that obviously,

because it is a lucrative business,

that are going to take advantage of the fans.

You know, one issue that still appears in our inbox more than most

is the amount it costs to heat our homes.

So I think we'd all jump at the chance to stay warm and save money.

Now, that's as exactly the promise used by one company as the winning

sales pitch for its cutting-edge new heating system,

said to be so efficient, it can slash your bills by up to 70%.

And who wouldn't fancy that?

But some of the families who paid thousands of pounds to get

their old heating system ripped out and the new one put in

have seen those assurances go up in smoke, literally,

when their smart new radiators started going dangerously wrong.

Wood or coal fires, gas or electricity...

When it comes to heating your home, there's plenty of choice on how to do it.

But staying warm and not spending too much money at the same time

can be a challenge, which is why Enid Hall from Doncaster

found herself in the market for something new.

The first heating we had was a coal fire,

but then we had gas central heating put in,

and over the years it didn't give us the heating that we needed.

We found that having it on a lot of hours,

it was costing a lot of money.

So a cold call from heating company Complete Energy Europe in June 2015

couldn't have come at a better time.

The company, which is not to be confused with other firms

with similar-sounding names, told Enid about its innovative

new heating system that couldn't fail to save her money.

And when a salesman popped in with more details,

Enid signed up on the spot.

He was here about four hours, explaining the brochure.

It looked really good, it was going to be on 24-7.

If you'd got it set at 18 degrees,

then it would click in just below 18 degrees,

and when it went above 18 degrees, it would click off.

It said in the brochure "70% saving", so we thought,

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Those bold claims that the system would slash Enid's energy bills

by up to 70% were thanks to an innovative new technology

inside the radiators.

It's called graphene,

the lightest and strongest material on the planet,

and if Enid had any worries about being an early adopter of this

cutting-edge new system, they were allayed by the 20-year guarantee.

We thought it could be a good idea, it could be saving money,

and it was going to be sort of the best thing since sliced bread.

So Enid signed on the dotted line

and paid Complete Energy Europe £7,500 to take out her old

gas heating system and replace it with nine new Xefro gRAD radiators.

But Enid's confidence in the new system soon started to fade.

They put the first lot of radiators in -

they didn't work.

I probably did have doubts,

but because they had taken my gas central heating out,

I had to go with it. I had no heating.

But then they fetched me some new radiators, they put them in,

I thought, "Great."

With the system finally now in place, Enid thought she could relax.

The very next evening, her smart new heaters began to smoke.

The second night that we had them in,

the fire alarm went off in the hallway,

and we rushed downstairs, opened the kitchen door, and you couldn't see.

The radiator had burnt out.

The radiator hadn't gone alight, but the choking fumes

from an electrical fault inside

was enough to make Enid switch the whole system off.

Complete Energy Europe offered to install another replacement set

of radiators, and Enid, not sure she had any other option, agreed.

What do we do? Do I pay another 8,000 to get my gas put back in,

because they weren't going to give me my money back?

I knew that.

I was nearly in tears, but where did I go from here?

Two months earlier,

100 miles away from where Enid lives, the same thing had happened

to Val and Geoff Higginson from Stoke-on-Trent.

They'd paid Complete Energy £6,000 for their new system,

but less than two weeks after it was installed,

Val and Geoff also smelled smoke.

As I was going into the hallway, I said to Geoffrey,

"Oh, there's a funny smell in here, there's something wrong."

And as I opened the bedroom door, the smell was horrendous.

It nearly knocked you over, it was that strong.

And when I looked,

the panel heater had set on fire.

The room where it caught fire is where we actually slept.

I dread to think what would have happened later on

if we had been asleep, with the fumes. I dread to think.

Val and Geoff opened windows and doors to let the smoke out

and contacted the Fire Brigade.

Fire safety manager Kelvin Knapper visited them after the fire,

and is in no doubt about what could have happened.

If you'd had had your bed closer to it, or to the child's room,

where there were toys,

comics, papers up against it,

that really had the potential to cause a serious fire.

If you'd had been in bed fast asleep and that happened,

you might not have woken up.

It's frightening, that is.

When Kelvin first inspected the heaters,

it wasn't just the smoke damage he could see that made him worry -

there were things he couldn't see that caused more concern.

With a heater, you tend to find a sign saying,

"Do not place items on top, hot surface." I can't see that.

There may be a CE mark or British Standard

that are marked on the back,

but there's nothing showing on it.

So he's returned to take the heater off the wall,

and look more closely for those vital warning labels

and safety markings.

The first thing that strikes me

is a complete lack of any information on it whatsoever.

There is no country of origin, there's no British Standard,

there's no CE mark,

there's no voltage, ampage, or any information whatsoever on any side.

No idea where it's come from.

The law says that any electrical goods such as these heaters

must meet certain standards, and bear the CE mark,

but neither Val and Geoff's radiators, nor Enid's,

display any CE marks or details about the power supply.

So Kelvin's second visit

has confirmed Val and Geoff's worst fears.

We've paid £6,000 for this new heating system.

Are you telling us not to use them?

I would advise you not to use these products until we are

100% guaranteed that they are safe.

So whilst the Fire Service continues to monitor the safety of these

radiators, what's the truth of those very bold promises made about the

technology inside them?

The glossy brochure says that each radiator contains

a layer of graphene, cutting-edge material that's super-strong

and very good at conducting heat.

It's supposedly what makes this system so efficient

that it can slash up to 70% off a home's energy bills.

Now that's a very ambitious claim, so we've brought Val and Geoff's

radiator to an energy expert at Sheffield University

to see if he thinks the product matches the pitch.

This radiator system is meant to be able to save you about 70%

on your heating bills. I find this very unlikely.

Every kilowatt hour you put in to the radiator comes out

as one kWh of heat into your room, so this radiator is unlikely

to be able to be cheaper than any other electric radiator.

And the professor doesn't seem any more impressed by the claim

that the radiator can generate more heat with less power.

They claim that the graphene within this radiator

creates a better form of infrared radiation.

I find it very unlikely that this will have any effect at all,

because there are other layers between the graphene

and the outside of the radiator.

So he's cutting into the radiator to see if the claims are plausible.

But when he does, with the graphene buried deep inside,

he can't see how this could possibly be the efficient,

bill-busting system that manufacturers Xefro Trade Ltd claim.

I can't see how this radiator would be significantly cheaper to run

than any other electric radiator.

Nonetheless, it's all part of a sales pitch that's tempted

plenty of people to put down a deposit on these systems.

We've heard from eight unhappy customers, some of whom,

like Colin Newsome from Leeds,

haven't even had their systems installed.

I paid out £3,100.

This was for round about eight or nine radiators.

They were going to be fitted within six weeks,

and it never happened.

Exasperated by the continued delays,

Colin decided to cancel the purchase, but he's had no refund

from retailer Complete Energy Europe.

And though, after we filmed with him,

he did get letters from the manufacturers, Xefro Trade Ltd,

offering to refund his deposit in instalments, or to install

the radiators if he preferred, that didn't happen either,

and the company's phone numbers are no longer active.

In the benefit of hindsight, I wish I'd never,

ever invited them through my door.

We wrote to Complete Energy Europe for its take on all this,

but I'm afraid, as yet, we've heard absolutely nothing back.

And we couldn't help thinking there was a distinct similarity

between this story and one we featured in our last series.

Then, too, we'd heard from viewers disgruntled with an apparently

hi-tech heating system,

supposed to slash your bills once again by as much as 70%.

I feel like I've made a fool of myself,

and I've gone and done the most stupidest thing.

Now, in that case,

the eRAD systems you told us about were being sold by

a North West-based company called Optima Energy Solutions Ltd,

and one of that business's directors just happens to also be

a director of Xefro Trade Ltd, the company behind the gRAD system

that is the subject of these latest complaints.

What's more, Xefro Trade Ltd is registered to the same address

as Complete Energy Europe, the company selling the systems.

Even in what's quite a specialised field,

these connections between these businesses seem more

than just coincidence.

So we got in touch with all the companies involved,

and with the director that two of them have in common.

But again, we heard nothing back.

So, while it's clear that the best advice for the rest of us is to be wary

of any heating systems sold on the promise

that its breakthrough technology will cut your bills,

unfortunately, Val and Geoff and Enid too,

have paid out thousands of pounds for something they don't have

any confidence in and wish they'd never put in their homes.

I wish I'd never come across this company.

At our time in life, senior citizens,

we don't want this hassle.

I believe it'll have to be ripped out and we'll have to start afresh.

I really wish I'd never accepted that cold call.

I wish I'd never heard of Complete Energy

and I wish I'd still got my gas in.

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain, as our pop-up shop opens its doors,

we've got important advice for anyone who owns a pet

or who needs to change their e-mail address.

I shall be going home and put it into practice.

I'm glad I called in today.

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Follow me.

One of the biggest shopping centres in Europe was this year's venue

for the annual Rip-Off Britain pop-up shop.

While we enjoyed meeting as many of you as we could...

I've watched you on the telly.

..our team of experts was tackling a broader range

of your consumer problems than we've ever heard before.

Don't give up yet.

We'll try and see if we can get something sorted out for you.

Jean and Anne called in to discuss a problem the two friends

have in common - the spiralling cost of their pet insurance.

So these are the two dogs in question, are they?

Little did they know that in me and personal finance expert

Sarah Pennells, they'd found two very enthusiastic fellow dog lovers...

They are lovely, aren't they? So cheeky. Look at them.

..who'd agree that when it comes to the health of your pooch,

sometimes you have little choice but to pay up.

My dogs are like my babies. And so, to a certain extent, I'm going to

be paying whatever it takes in order to look after their health.

-Thomas is like my child I've never had.

-Yes.

Anne's dog, Thomas, is 11 years old, and she's been paying

for pet insurance for him all his life with no claims.

It was only recently, after Thomas developed arthritis,

that she was forced to claim for his treatment for the first time.

And while she did expect that that would lead to an increase

in her monthly premiums when it came to renewal,

she hadn't realised by how much.

His insurance was 34 and then it went, last year...

It trebled to £91.

From 34 to 91?

To 91, yes.

The increase means that Anne is paying out

over £1,000 a year for Thomas's insurance.

And things are no better, I'm afraid, for Jean.

When her renewal arrived,

the insurer had bumped up the premiums for seven-year-old Harry

and 13-year-old Cherry to a total of £245 a month.

It was so much more than she paid previously

that she felt she had no choice but to cancel the policy altogether.

I've got two dogs at my house that aren't insured,

because the premiums have gone sky-high

and I just couldn't afford them.

I don't know about you, but that is a lot,

almost like a mortgage every month.

Sarah reckons that, at the heart of these price hikes,

is the fact that Jean and Anne both have what insurers would consider

to be comparatively old dogs and, as the dogs increase in age,

the insurance market simply isn't that competitive.

I think that some of those insurers on the market,

they sort of know they've got a captive audience and I think,

if you've got an older pet,

you can't often switch company once they're over six or seven years,

so then your room for manoeuvre is really, really...

-Catch-22, isn't it, really?

-Yeah.

Cherry, the older one on that policy, she's 13 and a half.

She's only in the last nine months needed any sort of medication.

So, I have insured her for 13 years,

and now when she needs some help,

she isn't getting it because the premiums are too high.

That's the problem. Now, instead of her insurance,

Jean is now putting aside some money each month to cover any vets' bills that do arise.

We're setting it at £170, and we're putting that away and,

touch wood, we haven't had to use it.

Sarah thinks that that kind of saving is a good idea

for anyone whose pet premiums have become unaffordable.

But, rather than abandon any insurance altogether,

she recommends backing up what you put aside with a cheaper policy

than the one you had before.

It might have a higher excess to explain the lower premium,

but at least you'll have the peace of mind that you will be covered

for unexpected and potentially expensive treatments.

I would probably try and find an insurer that would offer a policy

with a much higher excess that I could really keep

for those emergencies where I knew my savings wouldn't stretch.

Thank you.

Yeah. Thank you so much.

Later on, out and about in the shopping centre,

dogs were also very much in the mind of our legal expert, Gary Rycroft.

How many dogs do you have?

-Five.

-Five? And do you have them as well?

I've got three German shepherds.

-My goodness! Huge dogs.

-Yeah.

He wanted to know if pet owners were up to speed with the latest rules

on their four-legged friends and, if they're not,

explain how that could leave them out of pocket.

Yes, so a new law came in in April 2016 that you've got to

have your dog microchipped now and that is a fine of up to £500.

You've also got to have a tag.

-Oh, is that a collar?

-A collar...

-I wasn't aware of that.

A collar and a tag, and the tag has got to have the name and address of the owner on it.

If your four-legged friend is caught without a collar and tag,

the fine can be as much as £5,000.

If it's on your property,

do you still have to have the collar on and everything,

or is that just if you're going out?

It's just if you're going out of your house and your garden.

So, have you learned something today, then?

Yeah, yeah, I didn't realise you had to have a collar.

Lovely to see you.

Meanwhile, we have advice of a different kind for those unsure

of how to make the most of our Gripe Corner.

Go and stand in front of the camera and just let off steam.

-Let it rip.

-And with a bit of arm-twisting, I think it paid off.

We got plenty of complaints on camera.

But sometimes it wasn't the big things that bugged you,

it was everyday expenses that drive you mad.

£2, £2.20 for a bottle of fizzy drink.

Dishwasher tablets.

52 for £3, and then there's 52 next door,

but they're at the higher cost. What's going on?

The biggest rip-off for me is paying 5p for plastic bags.

If the government want to think about the environment,

they should just stop making them altogether.

Next in to see tech specialist David McClelland was Tom Hewitt.

He was struggling with getting to the bottom of a problem

with receiving his e-mails at home.

We've been having problems, I would say, for the last two years, easily.

David reckons the best thing for Tom to do

would be to ditch the company altogether

and set up a new e-mail account elsewhere.

To sort out this e-mail thing,

you can make your life a whole lot easier if you consider going with

another e-mail service provider. There are lots that are free out there.

I have thought of that, but then there's that many people,

businesspeople, banks, doctors have all got your e-mail address.

Changing your e-mail address can seem like a hassle,

but according to David,

merging your different accounts is easier than you might first imagine.

Some of these e-mail service providers that I'm thinking of

will let you check your old e-mail and your new e-mail.

They will all go to the same inbox,

so it'll check them both for you at the same time.

I've done that before, when I've started a new e-mail address.

-Never thought about that.

-That will hopefully remove many of

the problems that you've been having. How does that sound?

That sounds good. It's just a case of putting it into practice and...

Well, Tom, that is what we are here for at the Pop-up Shop

and I will very happily pop open my laptop and show you

what it is I'm thinking of.

With a bit of hands-on help from David...

So, let's take a look at this.

..Tom soon knows exactly what he needs to do,

not just to get his new e-mail account up and running,

but to be able to keep across e-mails from his old address as well,

and it was all a lot more straightforward

than he'd first anticipated.

Thanks very much for your help.

Yeah, David gave me some very good advice.

I shall be going home and put it into practice.

I'm glad I called in today and got the advice off David.

If, like Tom, you'd like a guide to a hassle-free way to change

your e-mail address, and still get your old e-mails,

log on to our website...

Now, earlier in the programme we saw how fakes and forgeries now make up

such a huge proportion of the celebrity autograph market

that collectors and auction houses really do have their work cut out

when it comes to finding genuine signatures among the sea of fakes.

In fact, the only sure-fire way to check whether or not the autograph

you've got really is the real deal is, of course, to ask the person

who is supposed to have signed it in the first place.

Well, of course, usually that's a lot easier said than done, but I've

been lucky enough to do exactly that with Luke Skywalker himself,

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill.

He recently revealed that most of the examples of his signatures

for sale online are fake,

and he wants to make sure that fans know how to spot the difference.

As we saw, it was quite a shock for avid autograph collector Steve Burbage when he discovered

that some of his most treasured purchases weren't the real thing.

Looking at these, I would say that the Bruce Springsteen is,

without question, a forgery.

And the Michael Jackson, again,

I would say that that is not authentic.

Though we helped Steve's story end happily,

the market in buying and selling celebrity signatures is huge,

and it's not just international music and movie stars whose names pop up.

Even my autograph makes it on to those auction sites these days.

Now, as far as I can tell, none of those are fakes but then,

the demand for my autograph is frankly a joke compared with this one.

That's the signature of Luke Skywalker,

otherwise known as actor Mark Hamill.

Now, when the excitement over the reboot of the Star Wars franchise

hit its peak, demand for all sorts of related merchandise surged.

And when a genuine Skywalker signature typically fetches

hundreds of pounds, it's easy to see why talented forgers were quick

to take advantage, making easy money by imitating Mark's signature.

When people ask for your autograph, as Luke Skywalker, as Mark Hamill,

they must be thrilled, knowing they've got the original.

-Yeah.

-How does it make you feel, then,

when you realise that some of your fans are paying hundreds,

maybe thousands of pounds or dollars for the fakes?

It just breaks your heart.

The rate of fake autographs is in the 50-90 percentile.

So what I'm saying to you is,

there are more fake autographs than real ones.

But there are people out there that, obviously,

because it is a lucrative business,

that are going to take advantage of the fans.

There's a lot of money involved here, isn't there?

Very much. I don't want to go out on a limb here,

but I would say it's hundreds of millions of dollars.

Determined to do all he could to stamp out the trade in fakes

of his own signature, Mark took the unusual step

of agreeing to verify them for his fans.

He used Twitter to ask them to send photos

of autographs that were supposedly his.

People were sending you copies of your signature, saying, "Is this real or fake?"

Exactly. Photographs of my signatures or photographs

of their memorabilia, their toys.

I don't want to bring unhappiness to the fans.

On the other hand, it's just so pervasive.

There are more fakes than there are reals and, every day, it's like homework,

you have to sit down and go through 30, 40, 50 of these things.

And sometimes they're really close calls.

It doesn't bring me any pleasure to disappoint someone and say,

"That's a fake."

One of Mark's fellow Star Wars actors, Anthony Daniels,

who plays C-3PO, has fought autograph forgers

by naming and shaming sellers on his website,

and plenty of other big names who've seen their fans exploited

have also taken action to try and stop the scammers.

In 2015, classical singer Katherine Jenkins

called in Trading Standards officials

to investigate a company that was selling photographs with signatures

that it falsely claimed were hers.

And ex-rugby player Jonny Wilkinson's management team

weren't afraid to tackle the fraudsters selling memorabilia signed with his name.

For Mark, though, the best way to ensure your autograph is real

is to make it personal.

Presumably, also to ensure that it is genuine,

you like to write to the person themselves.

Oh, absolutely. And a true fan would love that.

They want it to be, "Best to Angela".

They want it to be, "Best to Mark", whoever.

And these days there's a more modern way to capture a moment

with a famous face, and it's one that's much harder to fake.

I love selfies.

-They're the best.

-Because that's what people ask for now, do they,

more than an autograph, a selfie?

Pretty much. One thing you know when you're doing a selfie is that

it is for them, they're not going to be able to sell that.

And those are so easy, so fun,

you have the personal contact,

cos you huddle up and you take the picture,

and that's what they want, they want just that one moment.

And I have to remember that when you meet the public,

that little 30, 40 second exchange,

that's what they're going to remember the rest of their lives.

But whether it's a selfie or a signature,

such highly personal mementos aren't worth as much on the open market

as a simple autograph that isn't dedicated

to any particular individual fan,

which is why Mark is highly suspicious of anyone who asks him

to sign without adding any other name or greeting.

Cos a lot of times you will start to sign that and they'll say,

"Oh, don't put it to anyone, it's a gift. I don't know who I'm going to give it to."

-Is that a giveaway?

-You might as well say, "Best wishes to eBay".

Because, come on, I don't believe that for a second.

In an attempt to tackle the fakes once and for all,

Mark is now working with the authorities in his home state

of California to bring in a law which he hopes will clamp down

on those fraudsters who are making money by duping his fans.

If this law goes through in California, what implications

would it have in other states in America and indeed worldwide?

Well, I did my homework for our interview, and apparently,

if the legislation goes through,

the person who has been exploited can get ten times

their expenditure back, plus court fees and attorneys' fees.

So it's quite punitive?

Oh, yes, and I think it would act as a real deterrent for people that casually do this.

Of course, this law would only apply in California,

but as the home of Hollywood is also home to a good chunk

of the multi-million pound forgery business,

Mark hopes that it could have a positive impact

right across the globe.

In the meantime, if you have a Mark Hamill autograph

and you're desperate to know if it is the real thing, well,

here's how to check.

Mark, I said I was going to ask you to show me the original,

genuine Mark Hamill signature.

What does it look like, then?

Well, first of all I'm left-handed, so it looks like...

..that.

How the heck do they forge that?

You know, like I say, most of them are just ridiculously wrong.

It was such a treat to meet you.

I've been a fan of yours for so many years.

I couldn't believe it when you walked in,

"Oh, my God, Angela Rippon!" I won't ask for your autograph.

-OK, well, I won't ask for yours, then.

-All right, fair enough.

If you have a story you'd like us to investigate,

then you can get in touch with us via our Facebook page.

Our website is...

Or you can e-mail us at...

And of course you can always send us a letter to our postal address...

I've got to say, it was great to see a famous name so keen to take on

the Dark Side of online fraudsters, and, Angela, you and Mark Hamill

seemed to get on like a house on fire.

A bit of the old chemistry going on, I thought.

He was seriously charming,

and he was so generous with his time and with his stories of the

behind-the-scenes things that were going on with the Star Wars movie,

and the latest one, obviously,

but he also let all the crew take selfies with him so at least we know

that they are all genuine.

Very good. Now, of course, celebrity or not,

we just love to hear from anyone who's done their bit

to stop underhand practices in their tracks.

So if you've got a story of your own, do please tell us about it.

The e-mail address, as ever, is...

And you never know, it could be your experience we look at on a future programme.

And there's going to be plenty of those coming up, because our series

on holidays and food will be returning very soon

and we'd especially be keen to hear from you on those topics.

But I'm afraid that's all we've got time for in today's programme.

As always, thanks for joining us,

and so, until the next time, from all of us, bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

-Goodbye.