:00:11. > :00:15.This is the programme that fights for your rights. If you have been
:00:16. > :00:21.scammed or dealt a raw deal, we are on your side. Exposing the truth and
:00:22. > :00:31.tracking down the rogues. We will not take no for an answer.
:00:32. > :00:33.This is a great investment opportunity.
:00:34. > :00:40.They were promised their ?50,000 life savings were safely invested.
:00:41. > :00:43.Now Ann and Geoff's retirement plans are in tatters.
:00:44. > :00:46.I kept checking the bank account every hour.
:00:47. > :00:49.I was thinking they have got all of this money of ours,
:00:50. > :01:01.We meet a Welsh woman who was ripped off, then arrested!
:01:02. > :01:04.They put me in a cell, took my photo and fingerprints
:01:05. > :01:11.and basically treated me as a criminal.
:01:12. > :01:14.And the man behind this garage has been in the dock
:01:15. > :01:22.Do you care at all about the safety of your customers?
:01:23. > :01:24.You sell vehicles - you let them go from your forecourt
:01:25. > :01:26.knowing that those vehicles are unsafe.
:01:27. > :01:34.First tonight, when you retire, you want to make sure you're not
:01:35. > :01:41.But one in five women and one in ten men don't have a personal pension.
:01:42. > :01:43.Instead, many people put their savings into schemes
:01:44. > :01:58.But Rachel's been to meet one couple who fear they've made a big mistake.
:01:59. > :02:00.Understanding the ups and downs of the money markets
:02:01. > :02:13.choosing what to invest can feel like a financial minefield.
:02:14. > :02:16.Newly retired couple Ann and Geoff Inch from Rhoose had
:02:17. > :02:21.always saved and were looking forward to a secure future.
:02:22. > :02:24.40 years of hard graft - I think I have earned
:02:25. > :02:29.Our dreams were to enjoy life, you know,
:02:30. > :02:34.go on holidays as many times as we could.
:02:35. > :02:36.Wanting to make their money go further, last November they started
:02:37. > :02:43.We were looking for the best interest so we could get money back
:02:44. > :02:55.We found a company called Prusik PLC and it said put your name and email
:02:56. > :03:05.address and your telephone number and well get back to you -
:03:06. > :03:07.so thats what I did, and they rang me.
:03:08. > :03:11.Thats right, I am calling about the bonds.
:03:12. > :03:13.And Prusik PLC had a tempting offer for Ann -
:03:14. > :03:16.the chance to buy bonds in trusted British department store
:03:17. > :03:22.So John Lewis was mentioned, that was pretty interesting.
:03:23. > :03:23.Well, we thought that was wonderful -
:03:24. > :03:28.they are bound to have good profits.
:03:29. > :03:29.This is a great investment opportunity.
:03:30. > :03:33.What I am looking for is a serious commitment from you.
:03:34. > :03:35.Well, we were looking to invest 30,000
:03:36. > :03:41.Our interest every quarter would be ?600.
:03:42. > :03:48.When the paperwork arrived, Ann and Geoff
:03:49. > :03:50.were reassured to see that company had a financial
:03:51. > :03:59.We did the payment beginning of December and he was actually
:04:00. > :04:09.OK, so I want you to type in the amount, thats the amount
:04:10. > :04:10.Ann didn't suspect anything was wrong.
:04:11. > :04:13.Even when she was asked to send the money to a foreign account.
:04:14. > :04:19.I mean he was so plausible he made you feel like everything
:04:20. > :04:25.OK, within a couple of weeks you start
:04:26. > :04:26.seeing some interest on that investment.
:04:27. > :04:28.He told me that we would get the first interest
:04:29. > :04:34.Yes, thats what I said, "That's quick."
:04:35. > :04:36.But he said it would get it in line
:04:37. > :04:42.like it would be December, March and so on.
:04:43. > :04:45.But on the day the money was due to hit her account,
:04:46. > :04:49.I kept checking the bank account every hour.
:04:50. > :04:55.I thought surely it's got to be there by tomorrow,
:04:56. > :05:02.I phoned to see if he was there in his office
:05:03. > :05:07.but I couldn't get any answer - it was just ringing off.
:05:08. > :05:09.How exactly were you feeling at this point?
:05:10. > :05:24.I was thinking they have got all of this money of ours -
:05:25. > :05:28.When she couldn't get through, Ann turned to the police.
:05:29. > :05:32.They took all the details and said they would be in touch with us.
:05:33. > :05:35.In the end, we phoned Xray, yourself,
:05:36. > :05:46.it took them a lifetime to build up those savings.
:05:47. > :05:50.So how does an investment company disappear overnight
:05:51. > :05:56.Back to the office to make some calls.
:05:57. > :05:59.Let's see if there is anyone at Prusik PLC that can explain
:06:00. > :06:11.Hi, there can you tell me if you have a company called Prusik
:06:12. > :06:23.Prusik PLC have never operated from there.
:06:24. > :06:34.John Lewis did not sell any bonds at all in 2015.
:06:35. > :06:42.I wonder if the contract holds any clues.
:06:43. > :06:45.They have a financial conduct authority registered number
:06:46. > :06:48.on all of their paperwork, so I am going to check to see
:06:49. > :06:58.it actually says on here that the company
:06:59. > :07:03.is unathorised and it is running a scam, which means that Ann
:07:04. > :07:10.Things are looking more ominous by the minute.
:07:11. > :07:12.I'm hoping a cyber crime expert can shed some light
:07:13. > :07:19.What they are doing is using a real company.
:07:20. > :07:23.They are creating a name that looks like that real company
:07:24. > :07:26.and they are using that to socially engineer you into believing
:07:27. > :07:34.you can trust them and therefore give them your money.
:07:35. > :07:37.So Prusik Umbrella UCITS, they are regulated by the FCA
:07:38. > :07:42.and have nothing to do with this scam - they are victim of this scam.
:07:43. > :07:44.The scammers have targeted them and created a fictitious website,
:07:45. > :07:47.a fictitious company - thats the trick - making you believe
:07:48. > :07:53.OK, now I want you to type in the amount...
:07:54. > :07:55.The moment the money landed in the Singapore
:07:56. > :07:57.account, it will have been transferred to other accounts.
:07:58. > :08:01.It will have been split up and moved round the world to make it virtually
:08:02. > :08:03.impossible for the police to trace.
:08:04. > :08:12.Ann and Geoff are almost certainly victims of organised crime.
:08:13. > :08:20.What I found out I'm afraid is not great news really.
:08:21. > :08:23.Prusik PLC is what we call a clone firm, and unfortunately is a total
:08:24. > :08:50.You always think it is never going to happen to you.
:08:51. > :08:59.The police have told us they're looking into Ann and Geoff's case
:09:00. > :09:07.If you've been affected by this or a similar scam, let us know.
:09:08. > :09:16.Call us on 03703 334334 or email, xray@bbc.co.uk.
:09:17. > :09:18.And remember, if you're making an investment,
:09:19. > :09:26.Check that the company's registered on the Financial Conduct Authority
:09:27. > :09:31.and hasn't been reported as a scam or cloned company.
:09:32. > :09:35.We'll put the information you need on our website.
:09:36. > :09:41.Looking for a special someone for Valentine's day?
:09:42. > :09:47.But people aren't loving the idea here in Bridgend!
:09:48. > :09:49.Would you ever consider using an online site?
:09:50. > :10:02.No, no, you don't trust anyone online any more.
:10:03. > :10:08.We meet a woman whose online romance cost her dear.
:10:09. > :10:15.I believed in him so much, I did anything for him.
:10:16. > :10:18.Next, the latest on the long running saga
:10:19. > :10:27.of one of Wales' most complained about car dealers.
:10:28. > :10:31.This garage in Barry has been on our radar for years.
:10:32. > :10:36.The names may have changed, but the man behind it hasn't.
:10:37. > :10:42.He was first prosecuted five years ago for selling unsafe cars.
:10:43. > :10:44.But that didn't stop him trying to give his customers,
:10:45. > :10:48.and Trading Standards, the runaround.
:10:49. > :10:51.The business name was changing very often,
:10:52. > :10:58.this was a way of trying to escape investigation.
:10:59. > :11:00.Customers were queuing up to tell X-Ray
:11:01. > :11:06.about the dangerous situations they'd found themselves in.
:11:07. > :11:07.All of a sudden my power steering died
:11:08. > :11:11.I was coming off the motorway, off the slip-road
:11:12. > :11:14.and the car just cut out completely, totally died.
:11:15. > :11:18.Going 50, 60 miles an hour with my family in the car.
:11:19. > :11:24.All these should have been picked up.
:11:25. > :11:26.He just kept saying to me 'I don't sell unsafe cars,
:11:27. > :11:32.But that's exactly what he did to Mike Smith.
:11:33. > :11:36.His brakes and suspension were dangerously worn,
:11:37. > :11:39.and how's this for a quality repair job, the exhaust had been patched
:11:40. > :11:45.It looks like it had been standing in a scrap heap for two
:11:46. > :11:48.years and basically they threw the car together just to sell it.
:11:49. > :11:50.My wife, obviously, I bought her a car that
:11:51. > :11:58.Mike's case gave Trading Standards enough evidence to prosecute
:11:59. > :12:01.Nasser Asfi again for selling unsafe cars.
:12:02. > :12:08.He's been handed an eight month suspended prison
:12:09. > :12:13.sentence, ordered to pay more than ?20,000 in costs
:12:14. > :12:17.and has been banned from the motor trade for ten years.
:12:18. > :12:19.His brother, Ashgar, was also fined and banned
:12:20. > :12:23.from selling cars for five years.
:12:24. > :12:26.The judge said the Asfis were lucky to avoid jail.
:12:27. > :12:30.As Nasser left court, we asked whether he was sorry.
:12:31. > :12:33.Do you care at all about the safety of your customers?
:12:34. > :12:37.You sell vehicles you let them go from your forecourt knowing
:12:38. > :12:41.You're telling the viewers lies, by telling them that I'm
:12:42. > :12:44.going to prison so obviously you need to get your facts right.
:12:45. > :12:47.I think you need to look at the facts as well,
:12:48. > :12:49.we said you might spend Christmas in court.
:12:50. > :12:52.What about the safety of the vehicles?
:12:53. > :12:54.Well, as it happens, I haven't gone to prison.
:12:55. > :12:57.Yeah, that doesn't matter does it, what about the safety
:12:58. > :13:00.You never checked those vehicles when you sold
:13:01. > :13:03.Never checked those vehicles, you let people leave your forecourt,
:13:04. > :13:11.You don't care what state those vehicles are in as you long
:13:12. > :13:21.Now we understand Nasser Asfi wants to appeal against his banning order,
:13:22. > :13:26.but for now, he's definitely not allowed to sell cars.
:13:27. > :13:30.So if you see him on a forecourt, let us know!
:13:31. > :13:33.Next Rhodri's been investigating a canny way of making a few savings
:13:34. > :13:51.But there's a way to get some of that money back.
:13:52. > :13:57.You've just got to go through a few hoops!
:13:58. > :13:59.Instead of shopping directly with a retailer, you could use
:14:00. > :14:07.There are dozens of them, Topcashback and Quidco
:14:08. > :14:16.The basketball team here at Coleg Gwent are going
:14:17. > :14:22.Normally, when I go shopping I pass my money to the shopkeeper
:14:23. > :14:32.But with cashback there is another player.
:14:33. > :14:36.He's like a middle man, introducing me to the seller.
:14:37. > :14:40.So this time when I buy something from the retailer he's got to thank
:14:41. > :14:46.He passes a bit of my money on to the cashback site.
:14:47. > :14:53.It's not much, But when you do it all the time it can
:14:54. > :15:05.I'm off to meet a real fan, you could say, a cashback champion.
:15:06. > :15:09.Science fiction writer Meg Kingston, from Rhymney, buys almost everything
:15:10. > :15:15.So over the last couple of years, how much have you managed
:15:16. > :15:20.Well, the total since 2008 is nearly ?6,000.
:15:21. > :15:30.Meg's house is bursting with cashback deals.
:15:31. > :15:36.She even gets cashback on her holidays.
:15:37. > :15:43.Time to set Meg a little challenge, with a Six Nations theme!
:15:44. > :15:47.Now Meg, I'm after a nice TV to watch the match on,
:15:48. > :15:50.so what sort of cashback can we get on one of these?
:15:51. > :15:52.Okay, tellies are good thing to look for cashback
:15:53. > :15:56.on because they are a single large purchase.
:15:57. > :15:59.If you put television in here you get all those retailers
:16:00. > :16:03.2,3, 4% just click on the buttons and it takes you directly
:16:04. > :16:09.Tell you what, lets go large, let's get a nice big one.
:16:10. > :16:15.That one is coming up for ?360 and you are on 3% cashback but that
:16:16. > :16:24.That might not sound like much but it all adds up over the years.
:16:25. > :16:26.You will have to wait for the money though,
:16:27. > :16:29.at least until the returns period has ended.
:16:30. > :16:33.But the million dollar question, are cashback sites safe?
:16:34. > :16:36.It is no different to what you do shopping online,
:16:37. > :16:39.if you are comfortable shopping online then this is just an extra
:16:40. > :16:43.click to go through and to something you were going to do anyway.
:16:44. > :16:46.If you go via the bigger cashback sites, given how long they've been
:16:47. > :16:51.established they are more financially established as well.
:16:52. > :16:54.The chance on getting your cashback is reduced, if you go
:16:55. > :16:57.via are the smaller ones , I think you are taking a bigger
:16:58. > :17:03.It turns out you do have to be on the the ball.
:17:04. > :17:06.For a start the payments are never guaranteed.
:17:07. > :17:18.There are there are loads of reports of people claiming they've not had
:17:19. > :17:22.And cashback sites don't always guarantee the deals are accurate
:17:23. > :17:27.and up to date so you could end up getting less than you expected.
:17:28. > :17:30.Make sure that what you are getting is actually the best deal,
:17:31. > :17:33.don't look at whatever the amount of cashback is and think oh great,
:17:34. > :17:36.I'm going to get ?50 or 5% or whatever back.
:17:37. > :17:40.If the price of the item you are buying or the service
:17:41. > :17:43.you are buying isn't good anyway, having the cash back isn't
:17:44. > :17:46.going to make any difference, you could find you get a cheaper
:17:47. > :17:52.price on a different site and not taking in account the cashback.
:17:53. > :17:56.So the name of the game, shop around and treat any cashback
:17:57. > :18:08.That way if you score a cashback. you can really celebrate.
:18:09. > :18:16.And remember, lots of voluntary groups and charities are signed up
:18:17. > :18:19.to these services too, so if you're feeling generous
:18:20. > :18:23.you can channel your cash back to them!
:18:24. > :18:26.Now, it's Valentine's day this weekend, but not everyone will be
:18:27. > :18:29.shopping for chocolates and flowers...
:18:30. > :18:32.if you're single and looking for love, you may well try online
:18:33. > :18:39.dating, but are these sites as straightforward as they seem?
:18:40. > :18:48.I had a lot of friends come up to me who said these sites are a bit
:18:49. > :18:50.Quick question, have you ever used an online dating site?
:18:51. > :18:52.I have actually, it's really embarrassing my partner's here!
:18:53. > :18:59.I have you ever used an online dating site at all.
:19:00. > :19:04.And what was your experience of it, did you find it was safe
:19:05. > :19:08.It was safe, but it wasn't very successful.
:19:09. > :19:19.I planned to meet him so we met up, I knew by when he pulled up
:19:20. > :19:22.in the car, I was like, I looked at him and I thought,
:19:23. > :19:25.he looked totally different to his photo and I was like,
:19:26. > :19:28.you don't look, and he said yeah that was a few years ago.
:19:29. > :19:30.I said you need to update your photo!
:19:31. > :19:33.I said I can't come with you! So did you see him again?
:19:34. > :19:45.I had a lot of friends come up to me who said these sites are a bit
:19:46. > :19:48.dangerous, watch out for the photos and that had me worried,
:19:49. > :19:50.but I met, there's nothing wrong with the site itself,
:19:51. > :19:53.it just wasn't the right thing for me really I'm sure they're
:19:54. > :19:55.regulated by whoever owns the websites, so,
:19:56. > :19:56.yeah, I don't see a problem with them.
:19:57. > :19:58.You hear so many stories though don't you?
:19:59. > :20:00.Did you have any sort of dodgy experiences?
:20:01. > :20:03.Oh, yeah, I ended up deleting my account quite quickly,
:20:04. > :20:05.you just get a lot of people who clearly aren't
:20:06. > :20:09.Online dating scams in Wales are on the rise, as Rachel's
:20:10. > :20:18.This is where more and more people come to search
:20:19. > :20:24.But how much faith can you put in the online dating
:20:25. > :20:28.How do you know that the person behind the picture is
:20:29. > :20:36.Dating websites are now huge global businesses,
:20:37. > :20:38.but at the same time, they've become a big hit
:20:39. > :20:42.with the scammers Last year more than three and a half thousand
:20:43. > :20:46.people in the UK went to the police after losing money
:20:47. > :20:52.It's almost certainly the tip of the iceberg.
:20:53. > :20:56.The victims feel they've lost their confidence,
:20:57. > :20:59.some of them feel silly that they've been drawn into these things
:21:00. > :21:01.and given their money to a fraudster.
:21:02. > :21:05.And probably a lot of them think, well, I'm never going to see
:21:06. > :21:08.One Welsh victim, who we'll call Sue, has bravely agreed
:21:09. > :21:16.She wants to warn others about the tactics scammers use.
:21:17. > :21:21.While I was on these websites, I met a gentleman who told me
:21:22. > :21:24.he was a doctor attached to the United Nations and serving
:21:25. > :21:32.And we built up a friendship and corresponded every single night.
:21:33. > :21:36.She was gradually drawn into a world where she believed that the man
:21:37. > :21:41.who was emailing her really cared for her.
:21:42. > :21:52.He said I love your personality, he said you know you sound
:21:53. > :21:54.like an amazing woman and I felt good.
:21:55. > :22:01.I felt I was on cloud nine, yes, somebody out there wants me.
:22:02. > :22:04.The man began asking for money, convincing Sue that he was on his
:22:05. > :22:09.He said, so I can actually be home for Christmas,
:22:10. > :22:12.because I really want to spend Christmas with you.
:22:13. > :22:15.He said, if I send a form to you from my commanding officer.
:22:16. > :22:19.It said on there request for leave, what was the reason.
:22:20. > :22:22.I said, 'What reason do I give?' Tell them you are my fiancee,
:22:23. > :22:31.On the bottom then it said I needed to send a fee of ?500.
:22:32. > :22:33.Sue sent the money and could hardly wait for Christmas Eve,
:22:34. > :22:41.I turned up at Cardiff airport and I waited,
:22:42. > :22:48.and I waited, and there was no sign of this person.
:22:49. > :22:52.I felt really sick in my stomach, thinking, oh, what's going on.
:22:53. > :22:56.He didn't show up, but was quickly back in touch with the first
:22:57. > :22:58.of a series of extraordinary excuses, designed to make her hand
:22:59. > :23:05.On the way to the airport he'd been kidnapped by the Taliban
:23:06. > :23:14.They want ?3,000 to release him, so I ended up paying ?3,000.
:23:15. > :23:17.Now he was supposedly free, he said he was desperate to visit
:23:18. > :23:22.Sue, but needed security to get him to the airport.
:23:23. > :23:30.Again I paid the ?500 because I know then he was going to be safe.
:23:31. > :23:34.But, on his way to catch the plane, he said he'd had a car crash.
:23:35. > :23:37.He was seriously injured and said I've got to have an operation
:23:38. > :23:44.It took me a couple of months to get the money together and I sent it.
:23:45. > :23:49.Sue's story is a familiar one to detectives from South Wales Police's
:23:50. > :23:58.They've caught some of those behind other, almost identical scams.
:23:59. > :24:02.This was supposedly Captain Morgan Travis,
:24:03. > :24:06.an American soldier serving in Afghanistan.
:24:07. > :24:09.His photo appeared on the match.com dating site, and he sent messages
:24:10. > :24:15.to a number of women including a Danish widow.
:24:16. > :24:17.This was her first time that she thought look I'm prepared
:24:18. > :24:20.to look at starting a new relationship in my life.
:24:21. > :24:25.She was in her mid to late 40s and this was the first time she'd
:24:26. > :24:31.The scammer doctored photos of a real soldier,
:24:32. > :24:34.adding his own messages to convince his victim
:24:35. > :24:47.Can you just help me out with paying for a phone connection
:24:48. > :24:49.because he was apparently in Afghanistan.
:24:50. > :24:51.Once that had happened and he realised the victim
:24:52. > :24:53.is prepared to give some of her money away.
:24:54. > :24:55.He started asking well look we want to get together,
:24:56. > :24:58.I want to get a flight out to come and visit you.
:24:59. > :25:06.Can you send me some more money, it cost me money to apply for leave.
:25:07. > :25:08.And that's another few hundred pounds, and then the flights
:25:09. > :25:11.And there's a problem with the flights, can
:25:12. > :25:14.you send me some more money? The woman ended up paying
:25:15. > :25:17.an incredible ?250,000, before her bank spotted
:25:18. > :25:25.Their investigation led them not to Afghanistan or some distant US
:25:26. > :25:31.army base, but here to this terraced street in Cardiff.
:25:32. > :25:34.They discovered that Captain Morgan Travis was in fact
:25:35. > :25:38.Tosin Femi Olasemo, a Nigerian student living in one
:25:39. > :25:50.We found, when we arrested him, a number of fake ids,
:25:51. > :25:53.and on his computer was evidence linking him to other women who he'd
:25:54. > :25:56.either defrauded or was in the process of trying to defraud.
:25:57. > :25:59.Olasemo had even produced crib sheets with areas to talk to women
:26:00. > :26:06.Everything from what is your earliest memory to how many
:26:07. > :26:11.All designed to gain the victim's trust and tease out more
:26:12. > :26:18.Last summer, Olasemo was jailed for four and half years.
:26:19. > :26:21.Police are now trying to recover some of the money he
:26:22. > :26:29.But in Sue's case, there's little chance of seeing her money again.
:26:30. > :26:32.She gave her fake lover a staggering ?25,000.
:26:33. > :26:38.When all her cash had gone, he duped her into letting him
:26:39. > :26:45.He told her that the money flowing through it came from his friends,
:26:46. > :26:50.when in fact it came from other victims.
:26:51. > :26:56.One morning I had a knock at the door and it was CID.
:26:57. > :26:59.I was under arrest for fraud and money laundering,
:27:00. > :27:02.they put me in a cell, took my photo and fingerprints
:27:03. > :27:07.and basically treated me as a criminal.
:27:08. > :27:15.Sue was eventually released without charge when the police
:27:16. > :27:18.realised she was a victim too. They were reading different women's
:27:19. > :27:21.names out, and how much these women had been sending the same guy that
:27:22. > :27:31.Then I sat there and thought oh, none of it is real.
:27:32. > :27:37.Now I know this man will never be here, and he's probably doing it
:27:38. > :27:45.Well, scams like these aren't going away, so please,
:27:46. > :27:51.We've put some of the warning signs to look out for on our website.
:27:52. > :27:54.That's it for this week, but if you have story you'd like us
:27:55. > :28:12.The Carmarthenshire couple who say their holiday booking
:28:13. > :28:23.It was worrying because you think where are we going to sleep tonight?
:28:24. > :29:00.Hello, I'm Alice Bhandhukravi with your 90-second update.
:29:01. > :29:03.Storm Imogen's been battering southern Britain.
:29:04. > :29:07.Winds hit nearly100 hundred miles an hour in places
:29:08. > :29:10.Thousands of homes are without power.