Episode 10 X-Ray

You are watching the programme that fights for your rights. If you have

been scammed or dealt a raw deal, we are on your side. Exposing the truth

and tracking down the road works, and we will not take no for an

answer. -- rogues. On tonight's programme: the Barry

shop open the spelling some incredibly sounding slimming pills.

He is not happy when he challenged his claims. Don't manhandle me. And

there is a nasty shock in store after he throws aside. Karl and his

partner thought they had found their dream flat but they were not

expecting to share it with another couple. Here is my tenancy

agreement. It was exactly the same as mine. Signed and dated. And Sadie

couldn't wait to use the hover board she had for Christmas but her

grandmother will not let her. I do fear that it could catch fire.

Hello. Welcome to a brand new series of X-Ray. It is great to be back and

we are kicking off the New Year in a place you may have spent some time

in the recently, particularly if you've been trying to lose some

weight. But Rachel has been investigating one Welsh company

whose slimming supplements promised rheumatic results. And you don't

even have to break a sweat. New Year, new start. Losing weight

can be hard work so the promise of a trick -- quick fix is tempting. Some

companies claim you can jack in the gym and lose weight simply by

popping a few pills. But the boom in diet tablets is causing concern.

Wales's leading obesity expert believes they offer false hope to

patients like his. I would challenge any of them if they could provide me

with a scientific and clinical trial, proper trial. Have you had

people come to your clinic who have tried these sort of products? Yes,

of course. I discourage them. Some of these products were absolutely

useless in relation to weight loss. So I believe in lifestyle

modification. If you want to lose weight, you've got to do it

physiologically. That is what Karen Dawson did. After joining a slimming

club, she lost a massive eight stone over two years. We get fed up with

the humiliation and you've got to do something about it. I didn't want my

three young children having an unhealthy mother. But others were

cashing in on Karen's success. She got in touch with us after finding

heard before and after photos being used to promote slimming pills. Sold

by a Barry -based company, sculpts extreme. I've never taken slimming

tablets. I don't agree with slimming tablets and I was raging. I was so

annoyed about it. So what about some of the other pictures posted by the

company? Well, some of these are not what they seem either. Apparently,

this is Becky from Cardiff but we found the same photo on a blog by

Steph from Sydney. And how about this chap, Dave? He is plastered

across the shop in Barry but he told us he had never heard of the company

or taken their pills. We decided to pay the shopping visit, wearing a

hidden camera, to find out what they tell customers in person. The owner,

Lee shows Nick, greets us. Sounds promising. Next, our

researcher asks about the man in a window, who we know is called Dave.

Next, Lee gets all scientific honours.

We showed these claims to obesity expert, Professor Hobley B. There is

no fact that you cannot lose, providing you address it in the

right way, which is exercise, correct diet and changing your

lifestyle. Lee recommends our research tries his top of the range

diet pills. So, what is so great about them?

Well, they contain orange peel. That doesn't make any scientific

sense. There is no way that a peel or orange extract can shed away the

fat from the wall of the stomach. So, it is fantasy. Yes.

Dangerous. That is a very dangerous statement. He desperately needs to

go to the gym. Everybody needs to exercise. He gave our researcher a

diet plan and sold him a month's supply of tablets for ?65. We asked

our expert what he thought of the ingredients in these miraculous

pills. This extract has been studied, whether it causes worked

lost ten, and the evidence is that it doesn't. Brazilian cocoa extract,

I am not aware of any study that shows this can cause weight loss.

There are a few clinical trials on green tea which shows some not very

significant weight loss. The rest, I've never come across them. These

work in tandem to liberate fat from fat cells? Does this make sense?

This doesn't make sense. It's rubbish, absolute rubbish. We asked

a lab to test the pills we bought. A daily dose contains more than 800 mg

of caffeine, twice the recommended daily limit. And there is another

problem. By law, they should have an expiry date on here, a warning to

keep them away from children and clear information about the

manufacturer. But they don't. Any health claims must also be

authorised by the European Food Safety Authority. Unsurprisingly,

the rating fat from fat cells isn't a recognised claim. When we

contacted this man about our findings, if he had plenty to say.

He admits they were labelling errors with a few parts but he will be

putting that right. He says that many weight loss supplements contain

high levels of caffeine. He also told us he has lots of happy

customers, many of whom have lost weight without exercising.

Lee claimed he removed all these photos but some are still on the

company's Facebook group. We don't think that is good enough. I have

come back to their shop in Barry to find out myself. Hi, there. We are

from X-Ray and want to speak to you about the pills you are selling. If

they are so brilliant, do you want to tell us why you have been lying

and using fake photos? The fake customer photographs were used by

one of our colleagues who has now been fired. You only took one

photograph down because we told you. Yeah, with regards to that one, we

changed the printer. You didn't think to check when you are putting

something as prominent as that that he was a customer of yours. All

companies across the UK different -- use different photos. You know that

is false advertising. That is why we took it down. So you aren't happy

that you were advertising falsely? Do you want to leave the shop then,

guys? You don't want to tell us. Don't manhandle me. You are in my

shop. Get out of my shop. Excuse me. You don't want to tell us about the

ridiculous claims that you have been making on your products. If you wish

to speak to our customers, you can... Medical experts don't rely on

stories. They rely on clinical trials and you don't have any. So,

that was the end of that. Also thought.

Can you believe that? He has just chucked a bucket of water over us.

That is what you get when you ask him about his tablets. That is

really, really grown up, isn't it? Trading standards have told us they

will be looking into our findings. If there is anything you would like

us to investigate, get in touch. Here is the number:

still to come: hover boards, the craze that is sweeping the nation

that after spending hundreds of pounds on them, some customers are

scared to take theirs for a spin. Alarm bells are ringing with this

and I would certainly not use it. Finding a new place to live can be

stressful and expensive as the best of times. What has been to visit and

the dash and lucky tenants who have been targeted by a cruel scam.

They are called generation rent, the young people of Wales who just

cannot get on the housing ladder. They don't have too just deal with

sky-high rents and hefty charges from letting agents, the scammers

are after them, too. I am heading to a flat at the centre of one cruel

con. Karl Dinis and his partner were over the moon when they've found

this desirable resident in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff just a few

weeks ago. I felt great because I thought my life was sorted. We were

fine, moving back down to Cardiff. He spotted the Fat on gumtree and

went to meet the landlord. He was a nice guy, chatty. He knew where

everything was. We didn't assume anything was different other than he

was the landlord. They decided to sign on the dotted line and handed

over almost ?1200 in cash for a deposit and a month 's rent.

We were really excited, we got up in the morning and we were ready to go.

But when they arrived the flat was full of junk. Everything was still

left in the kitchen, the cupboards were full of food, your workloads,

cleaning stuff, dirty dishes in the sink. A bed and these parent room

wasn't made, the where kids toys in there. But there was a bigger shock

in store. Another couple were on their way to the flat. Martin and

his wife Eva thought they were moving into. I asked him what are

you doing here and he just said I moved yesterday. They claimed they

were moving in. They said the paid him ?550. He was like, either as my

tenancy agreement. It was exactly the same as mine, signed and dated.

They realised they had given their cash to the same man who had no

vanished. I tried to phone him. He had switched off the phone. It turns

out the man who had run off with their money was not the landlord, he

was the former tenant. His real name, Mike Dawson. He is now wanted

by the police. This was the rule corn but not an uncommon one. Action

Fraud recorded 3000 rental scams last year. -- Democrat. So how do

you avoid being ripped off like this? Firstly think about using the

letting agency which may be less risky than going direct to a

landlord. You would be able to attend their offices and ask

relevant questions about the property and carry out online

searchers to see if there had ever been any bad reviews about that

agency. If you are going through a landlord on the Internet make sure

you know who you are dealing with. Beat to the landlord, ask questions

about the property, ask questions about the companies who supply the

electricity for example, if they are the person who let this property

they are going to know this. Check they have the right to let out the

property. The belt and braces approach would be to obtain

confirmation who actually owns the property you are looking to rent. A

simple registration with the land Registry for under ?5 will give you

the immediate result. New laws are coming into force in Wales which

mean landlords will need to be registered and sometimes even

licensed which means there are even other ways to check. At this is cold

comfort for Martin, with no money for another deposit he and his

family have had to stay in their cramped flat. It is important

because we are on benefits. Karl and his partner have had to find a new

place to live, too. We basically skinny ?1200 together to get down

here and we literally used practically everything of what we

had. We have actually find something else with an estate agent this time

luckily. We have had to borrow money to pay the deposit and now we are

broke, literally. Such a nightmare for those tenants and South Wales

Police have confirmed the are looking for a 35 Grove man, I call

Dawson, on suspicion of fraud. Nash the 35-year old man. If you know his

whereabouts get in touch with the police or get in touch with us. You

can e-mail us. We have advice on how to avoid letting scams on our

website including details of the Welsh government scheme to license

and register by the landlords. Hugh on X-Ray did is nothing be like more

than to see a conman brought to justice. Even if it takes the law a

little while to catch up with them. 2010, the year we went gaga for Lady

Gaga. David Cameron moved into number ten and the iPad was

launched. On X-Ray we were fighting for justice for this man who was

cutting grooves in concrete wall planes which he had been advertising

in a local farming magazine. I thought they were to do with the

farm. He caught me looking to advertise. But they were not and

Dylan soon started to get bills for hundreds of pounds from a series of

companies he had never heard of. I hadn't got a clue who they are. I

hadn't got a clue where my advert was supposed to be. I don't know.

Like thousands of other people, Ellen had been run by a firm based

in this Liverpool office. Weinstein Williams associates Limited run by

this snappy dresser, George Williams. When police raided the

company they found the had been busy scanning innocent victims including

many Welsh firms with promises of adverts in magazines which few

people ever got to see. When unhappy customers refused to pay the

received threatening phone calls. This recording seized by police

shows the tactics they used. Threats like bees persuaded Dylan to

part with more than ?2000. I thought they would take me to court and it

would have gone badly. You feel that if they take you to court you got no

legs to stand on, they are going to win and things will go bad. So, when

you played the first few do you think you got wind of the fact that

you were... Gullible? Yes. Yeah. Rachel is with me now, this has been

rumbling on for a long time, what is the latest? Police and trading

standards have been investigating this for five years but finally

company boss George Williams has found himself in court along with

six other people including seals wrecks. Just how big was there

operation? -- sales representative. The victims together where corn note

of more than ?5 million. A lot of the scams involve persuading victims

to advertise in magazines that they were taught where associated with

the police or emergency services at this was a pack of lies according to

emergency services. What happened in court? We are not always happy with

the entrances handed out to these conmen but he did get what he

deserved, a seven-year Yale sentence. His sales manager was

jailed for a year and three seals wrecks together got 750 hours

community service, almost six months full-time work. Justice for Dylan,

late but better than never. On a birthday you always want your

child's present to be just perfect but for some Welsh families their

choice of gift turned out to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

It was the must have toys of 2015. Officially the art electric powered

self balancing scooters. But everyone knows them as hoverboard

's. They can take a while to get the hang of and I am definitely not

there yet but they have really taken off in a big way with around half a

million sold in the UK. Hoverboards have had a bumpy ride. In December

15,000 of them, mostly from China, where seized by trading standards on

safety grounds. Tom had faulty chargers and plugs which could and

sometimes dead, catch fire. -- sometimes did catch fire. Beverley

from Carmarthen bought one back in November as a birthday present for

her 11-year-old granddaughter. What did you think when you're

granddaughter said she wanted the hoverboard for her birthday? It was

a concern because there had been a few things in the press about

hoverboards but I made sure I did my be search. I went online and looped

into a company. They looked very professional. The aware warranties,

good customer service, everything that you could have looked for was

there on the website. When it arrived CD was thrilled and at

almost 300 towns Beverley was expecting a top quality product but

then she noticed the charger. What was it that first major start to

worry about it? When I looked at the writing on the charger you can see

quite a lot of spelling mistakes. Look at the word before.

Expose to green. That was when I realised something was not right

with the charger. I would not let my granddaughter rider because I do

fear it could catch fire. Breeze Board Pro is based in Warrington and

calls itself a trusting UK seller. We spoke to others who do not trust

the hoverboards they have bought. This couple from Carmarthenshire

bought one of the boards as a Christmas present for their

14-year-old son. It is not something we would usually spend that amount

of money on but my husband had been quite broadly over the last 12

months and had been in hospital five times. We thought we would try to

get something extra special this year because he seemed to have

missed out on a lot. But when hoverboard safety hit the headlines,

Lisa and David took a closer look at the board they plan to give your

son. The CE mark was not right, the English on the charger as well it

was just obvious ones I took a close look that it wasn't right. We sat

and David had to tell their son he wouldn't be getting the gadget he

had set his heart on. We had spent a lot of money, that was the main

gift. It was a complete waste of time. So, art Breeze Board Pro

products safe? Trading standards are not convinced. They have banned the

company from selling hoverboards until they can prove they are up to

scratch. We took Beverley 's product to a specialist in appliance testing

to see what he made of it. The plug on first inspection seems to be OK

but it is missing the British standards logo. If I opened the club

B would be expecting a brown live wire and the blue neutral wire and,

as expected, you can see the brown wire is missing altogether. The blue

that you would he to the neutral in fact connected to the lives and we

have a black wire that we would not expect to find in the UK. The wire

is very thin as well as expected and the fuse is not a British standard

views. I can see that the BS 1362 is printed on the but the British logo

is not the. This fuse has the logo and rated at 13 amp, you can see on

the counterfeit fuse that the wire has been bent over and the end caps

slept on. Richard passed through the fuse and be soldered on in the

centre as you can see with a genuine fuse. The most important part of the

test is the visual inspection and for me all alarm bells are ringing

with this and I certainly would not use it and would not get as part as

carrying out an electrical test on it. So the birthday present goes

back in the box. Beverley has contacted Breeze Board Pro Ford

times to ask for at refund but all the e-mails have been ignored. For

the safety is the most important thing of anything that Dubai and

especially when you have got children using them, I think it is

absolutely diabolical. Well, we did manage to get through to Breeze

Board Pro and we got the result. Beverley will be getting a full

refund, almost ?300. David and Lisa Jones have already had their money

back and the company is promising the same for all customers whose

boards are of unsatisfactory quality. Breeze Board Pro say they

are working with trading standards to make sure their products are

safe. Remember if you have bought a hoverboard from any company never

leave it charging unattended, especially overnight. And be careful

where you use it, it is against the law to ride it on public roads or

pavements and the lease good hand you a fine. -- police. That is we

have time this week. If you have any stories please get in touch. You can

e-mail us. Or follow us on Twitter. Next week the residents of this

Rhondda estate are fighting back against a property company. People's

lives are on this, I am 70 next year and I want to get this sorted for my

family. We will see you next Monday, goodbye.