0:00:02 > 0:00:04Out there are tricksters and conmen
0:00:04 > 0:00:06trying to get their hands on your savings
0:00:06 > 0:00:10and every year, a shocking 3.2 million people
0:00:10 > 0:00:15fall prey to their ingenious and devious scams.
0:00:31 > 0:00:37Coming up, how investing in land can land you in financial ruin.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41It was fairly devastating for me.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45It has cost me financial loss and trust in people.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And the phone scam that's crippled small businesses.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53My house is at risk. My business is at risk.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Everything I've got is at risk.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I'm here to tell what the conman doesn't want you to know,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02how to stay one step ahead of the game and not get scammed.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12You know, all this used to be fields, long before I was born,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and this land then would have been virtually worthless
0:01:15 > 0:01:18unless you were a sheep or something.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But then somebody put in a planning application
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and the value of the land rose dramatically.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30That's why land banking is such a good idea. You buy a bit of land,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33get a planning application in and then sell it off to
0:01:33 > 0:01:35a property developer for much, much more.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39But as with anywhere, where there are large sums of money involved,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42there is also a little smell of a scam.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Land has traditionally been one of the safest investments
0:01:48 > 0:01:53with potentially huge profits to be made over a relatively short period,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55but it isn't without its risks.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58All these facts make it very attractive to fraudsters
0:01:58 > 0:02:02and the City of London Police have long been aware of conmen
0:02:02 > 0:02:05selling land to investors that is never going to make them money.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11People make investment with the intention of it being
0:02:11 > 0:02:13a responsible investment
0:02:13 > 0:02:17and it can be very, very embarrassing,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and that personal pride of working all your life
0:02:19 > 0:02:23to get what you have and then
0:02:23 > 0:02:29losing it all in one swift movement of a fraudster is heartbreaking.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34I'm off to West London to meet a chap who has recently discovered
0:02:34 > 0:02:36the perils of investing in land.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Retired company secretary Bill Dean is no stranger to investment.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48With a lifetime of experience investing in stocks and shares,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51he was confident making financial decisions
0:02:51 > 0:02:53and analysing the risks involved.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57When his father passed away, he had a lump sum to invest,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01so when a relative innocently passed on details he had received
0:03:01 > 0:03:06about a land investment opportunity, Bill wanted to find out more.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10I was just interested really in making a safe investment that
0:03:10 > 0:03:14would give me a good return and this land agent contacted me
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and said they were selling land down in Cullompton in Devon.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23He said it would be a really good investment because Exeter Airport
0:03:23 > 0:03:25is quite close to Cullompton
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and developing fairly fast as an international airport.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32So, you are offered a seemingly perfect plot
0:03:32 > 0:03:34with fantastic prospects.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36All you have to do is sit tight
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and wait for the agents to gain the all-important planning permission.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- Have you got a name for this guy? - Well, his name was Edward.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47So tell me about Edward. What was he like to speak to?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49He was very charming.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52He had a very educated accent
0:03:52 > 0:03:59and he was very convincing that the land investment was
0:03:59 > 0:04:04a really good opportunity to make a reasonable sum of money.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09One of Edward's gifts was his ability to form
0:04:09 > 0:04:12strong and lasting relationships with his victims.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Slowly and surely, he built up trust with Bill.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Did you ever make any calls to the council?
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Initially, I wanted to find out if the land existed, which I did,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and I was satisfied that the land existed.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28And that's as far as I went.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Having established a bond with Edward, Bill was convinced
0:04:31 > 0:04:35this would be a great investment and decided to seal the deal.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39- Let's talk about sums of money. - Right, OK.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42How much initially did you hand over?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Initially, I invested £8,000.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51£8,000 was a sizable chunk of Bill's savings,
0:04:51 > 0:04:56but when he received the deeds to the land, everything seemed fine.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It's not uncommon for you to make that initial purchase
0:04:59 > 0:05:02and to come in and say, quite naturally,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06"There's a better opportunity here or a further opportunity here."
0:05:06 > 0:05:11As I developed the relationship with Edward, I felt pretty convinced
0:05:11 > 0:05:16that my investment was safe and more money was invested.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19In the end, I invested £20,000.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28So confident was Bill in Edward and the investment in Cullompton,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31he decided to talk to his friends about it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- What was it that attracted them? Did you have to sell it to them?- No.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37No, I wouldn't sell it to them, no.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41I just gave them all the information and they made their own decisions.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Talk to me about the kind of conversations that you were
0:05:45 > 0:05:47having with each other.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Well, I was the main contact with Edward so I would ring him up
0:05:51 > 0:05:55every few weeks and then I would report back to the other two.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- So they are trusting you pretty much completely?- Yes. Yes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01You have taken on a huge responsibility there?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Yes, I have, that's right.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Bill and his friends had invested
0:06:05 > 0:06:08a whopping £42,000 in the Cullompton land.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Excited by the apparent financial opportunities,
0:06:11 > 0:06:16they were unaware that the scam was about to unfold even further.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Company number two was an investment in Scotland, in Dumbarton.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Feeling confident with the idea of land banking,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and with the moral support of Edward,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Bill invested £10,000 in the Dumbarton site.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35But they were very clever.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38What they did was, they said there was a little bit of land still
0:06:38 > 0:06:43left over which the directors owned, but they are prepared
0:06:43 > 0:06:46to let you have some of their land at a reduced price.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50How much have you got invested at the end of that process?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52My total then became £30,000.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Adding this to the money invested in the Cullompton site,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Bill had now parted with £50,000.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07And, as before, Bill passed the details on to his two friends.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10One cautiously invested a further £2,000,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but the other invested a further £34,000,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18bringing the total amount invested by all three to over £100,000.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Thinking the planning permission was about to be submitted,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24they waited patiently for the good news.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30They said that the council had decided to delay
0:07:30 > 0:07:33our planning application
0:07:33 > 0:07:37because this land had been sold on the opposite side of the road
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and there was work to be carried out in building houses
0:07:41 > 0:07:43on that particular piece of land.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47In August 2010, Bill went on holiday and felt confident that
0:07:47 > 0:07:53when he got back, his investment in land would begin to pay off.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55When I got back from holiday
0:07:55 > 0:07:59and tried to telephone the company,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01the line was dead.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I was just trying to find out what was going on.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I went on to Companies House
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and realised they had gone into liquidation.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17The agents from the Scottish Dumbarton site
0:08:17 > 0:08:19had disappeared without a trace,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21leaving Bill feeling anxious about his investment.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25So he turned to the one person he really trusted.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31When I spoke to Edward about investment in Scotland,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33he was quite helpful,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38and he gave the assurance that our money was safe with him.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Until the police got involved
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and then started investigating both companies.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Bill discovered that both companies were linked.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50His relationship with Edward,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54the person he'd trusted completely over four years,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56had been based purely on lies,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59costing him and his friends £100,000.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09The friend that invested the smaller amount, he is OK.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13The other one has taken it very badly
0:09:13 > 0:09:17and we are no longer in contact with each other.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20She is completely devastated by it all.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26I feel in some ways I've let them down
0:09:26 > 0:09:29because I should have made further investigations.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32What's the real cost of this to you?
0:09:32 > 0:09:36It has cost me a friendship.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40It has cost me financial loss
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and trust in people.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Land banking scams over the last ten years have been massive.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53You know, and those are people like yourself, you have had a history
0:09:53 > 0:09:59of investing which has given you confidence and made you think,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02"It's worked for me in this area, this is just another sphere."
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Yes, that's right. That's right.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09The City of London Police are continuing to investigate
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and Bill's hopeful both companies will wind up in court.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We are making significant progress to crack down on this type of crime
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and to bring offenders to justice.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22If you or anyone you know is considering investing in land,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25it is worth checking out some key points.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28A lot of it is based around making checks on the internet,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Land Registry checks, for example, Companies House checks,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35to see the legitimacy of the company.
0:10:35 > 0:10:41They're around address checks to see what is the address that this company
0:10:41 > 0:10:43are trading from.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It may sound basic, but do your research thoroughly.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Visit the land itself, if it is all possible,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52or get somebody trusted to visit the land
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and find out what it looks like.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Thirdly, and most importantly, talk to the council about the land
0:10:58 > 0:11:00you're thinking of buying.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01If they tell you it's green belt,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and that planning permission is never going to be granted,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06you know it's a scam.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10If you've been a victim of this type of fraud,
0:11:10 > 0:11:11there is help out there.
0:11:11 > 0:11:18There are support networks out there that can help.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20If you don't know where they are,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22we, the police, can help put you in contact.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Sadly for Bill, he has learnt his lesson in the hardest possible way.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32It is very easy to get tricked into parting with your money
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and these people are very good at it.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43You know, sometimes it can be a struggle
0:11:43 > 0:11:46to keep on top of the latest changes in technology.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49If you get a contact out of the blue from a firm,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53claiming to be working with one of the big utility providers,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55then you take notice, don't you?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Especially if the utility in question
0:12:02 > 0:12:05is your trusted landline telephone.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Mobiles may have gone all smart and sophisticated,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11but we Brits still spend an average of three hours a month
0:12:11 > 0:12:13using our landlines.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It's not just about having a good natter.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20People who run their own business rely on the landline
0:12:20 > 0:12:22to stay in touch with their customers.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24But, in 2008, a pair of scam artists
0:12:24 > 0:12:27decided to exploit this to their own advantage.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30They targeted small businesses
0:12:30 > 0:12:33in a scam involving selling phone rental contracts,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36conning innocent people out of thousands of pounds.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Julie Goodwin lives in Essex, and for the last 16 years
0:12:41 > 0:12:44she has run a successful health store business.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Her phone system is crucial for everything,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50from speaking to customers to placing orders,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53so when a salesman came into one of her shops in 2008,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55and said he was with British Telecom,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59she listened to what he had to say.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03He seemed very approachable. He said he was in the area.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04He was working with BT
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and he was the business arm of BT. He was BC Telecom.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17In 2008, a company called BC Telecom Limited paid Julie a visit.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20This company shouldn't be confused with the legitimate company
0:13:20 > 0:13:23trading today with the same name.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Back then, Julie had never heard of BC Telecom Limited,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28but the connection with BT
0:13:28 > 0:13:31was enough to convince her they were a reputable firm.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32The salesman said he'd called by
0:13:32 > 0:13:35to tell her about a major change in technology.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40All phones had to be changed from analogue to digital in the next,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42I think, it was 18 months.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46The salesman told Julie that after the digital switch over,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48her analogue phones would stop working.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Julie was told the only way she would be able to continue
0:13:51 > 0:13:54using a landline for her business was to upgrade
0:13:54 > 0:13:57to a brand, spanking, digital phone system.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02The new phones would be expensive to buy and install
0:14:02 > 0:14:06so the salesman told Julie she would just need to sign a lease agreement,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08which would spread the cost.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11He said BC Telecom Limited worked with several leasing companies
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and could organise all of this for her.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17It sounded like a fantastic deal.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21I was getting an upgrade, for...which I thought was a reasonable amount,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and that was going to take me into the future.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Julie was almost won over.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Then the salesman delivered his killer line, the clincher.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32He said a Government scheme refunded small businesses
0:14:32 > 0:14:34for the cost of switching to digital phones.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39That meant that although Julie had to pay for the phone system now,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42the Government would pay her back later. This, of course, was a lie.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49And was part of a well-planned sales patter to draw her into the scam.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52He did say he was only in the area for a couple of weeks
0:14:52 > 0:14:57and he was moving on to other areas, so it was almost like there
0:14:57 > 0:15:00was a slight pressure there to get it changed while I could.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Julie was sold, and filled in the forms there and then.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08And then when I said, "Are you going to leave a copy?"
0:15:08 > 0:15:11He said, "No, we need to get it signed by the lease companies.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13"We'll drop it in to you in a couple of days."
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Because he was so helpful, I thought, yeah, that's fine.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21The salesman assured Julie that everything would be taken care of
0:15:21 > 0:15:26and a few days later, she had a new swanky phone system installed.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31GP John Cormack has a similar story.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32He runs a busy family surgery
0:15:32 > 0:15:36and his phone system is a vital point of contact for his patients.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41In 2008, he was visited by not one, but two salesmen
0:15:41 > 0:15:43from BC Telecom Limited and, as with Julie,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46they said they were part of BT.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49The salesman told John about the Government scheme that would
0:15:49 > 0:15:53refund him the cost of leasing the new digital phone equipment,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and it seem like an offer too good to refuse.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03And he, he was very glib. He chatted away.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I mean, he could have sold the Eiffel Tower, I think,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09because he was one of those people who had a quick answer.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13The salesman's fast-talking style worked its magic.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17John agreed to the deal and filled in the forms, but,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19as with Julie, John wasn't left with copies
0:16:19 > 0:16:22of the agreements he'd signed.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I said, "Why don't I just photocopy it for you
0:16:25 > 0:16:28"because we can keep a copy and that will save you a job."
0:16:28 > 0:16:33And they said, "No. No, need to do that.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36"We will get it and send it back to you in a nice sort of pack."
0:16:36 > 0:16:39That sounded so exciting that I couldn't turn down the offer.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44He may not have had his paperwork, but within days John's surgery
0:16:44 > 0:16:48had a new phone system, and after a year both John and Julie received
0:16:48 > 0:16:50the so-called Government refunds
0:16:50 > 0:16:53they'd been promised by BC Telecom Limited.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58From memory, I think the amount was about £3,600.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03John and Julie had been told that every penny they spent leasing
0:17:03 > 0:17:06the phone systems would be refunded by the Government,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09so they continued making payments to the leasing firms,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12but there was no sign of any more Government refunds
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and they soon started asking questions.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19The number was unobtainable. Something was seriously wrong.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21There was nothing wrong with the phone.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23The reason they couldn't get through
0:17:23 > 0:17:26was that BC Telecom Limited had gone into liquidation.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28When BC Telecom went bust,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33we stopped getting payments back, so suddenly we were out of pocket.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40With no more refunds from the Government and BC Telecom Limited
0:17:40 > 0:17:44in liquidation, both John and Julie decided to cancel their leases,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49and that's when they began to realise they'd been scammed.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53They said, "You've signed for 87 months. You've got to pay."
0:17:53 > 0:17:56That's when you realise you've been scammed.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Julie was locked into seven-year contracts
0:17:59 > 0:18:01with three different leasing companies.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05John also had a seven-year contract and, again,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08owed the best part of £45,000.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10My house is at risk. My business is at risk.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11Everything I've got is at risk.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15So how had BC Telecom Limited made their money from this scam?
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Gillian Turner and the investigation team
0:18:17 > 0:18:21from Hertfordshire Trading Standards were determined to find out.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Early on, we did try and contact BC Telecom Limited to see
0:18:29 > 0:18:32if they had a legitimate explanation or whether it was
0:18:32 > 0:18:37a misunderstanding and they didn't want to speak to us at all.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39We took that as a bit of a red warning.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42John and Julie were among scores of people who
0:18:42 > 0:18:44complained about BC Telecom Limited
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and the team at Hertfordshire Trading Standards
0:18:47 > 0:18:51began trying to build up a picture of what had happened.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54We were starting to find a pattern was emerging that
0:18:54 > 0:18:57a number of lies were being told over and over again to these businesses.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02One of the big whoppers was that there was no Government refund.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The refunds John and Julie received at the end of their first year
0:19:05 > 0:19:09were paid by BC Telecom Limited to make the scam seem real.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It was only when the rebates began to run out after that first year
0:19:15 > 0:19:18that they realised something was the matter and when they tried
0:19:18 > 0:19:22to contact the company, the company was no longer available.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25BC Telecom Limited had convinced their victims
0:19:25 > 0:19:28to switch their analogue phone systems to digital ones,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31signing lengthy financial agreements
0:19:31 > 0:19:34with third party suppliers, but how were they making their cash?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It was all to do with commission.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Each time BC Telecom Limited
0:19:40 > 0:19:43signed someone up to a contract with a leasing company, they took a cut.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47The beauty, in a way, of this scam was that BC Telecom
0:19:47 > 0:19:52got their cut quite early on in the scam, of money that is.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The businesses did not contract directly with
0:19:56 > 0:19:59BC Telecom, they contracted with the finance company,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02a third party finance company, so they could remove
0:20:02 > 0:20:07themselves from the situation and leave it all behind, if you like.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So who were the men behind this devious scheme?
0:20:13 > 0:20:18BC Telecom Limited was run by Daniel Buttle and Daniel Cullen,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20both in their late 20s.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Hertfordshire Trading Standards were now determined to make
0:20:26 > 0:20:30a watertight case against them to try and put an end to the company
0:20:30 > 0:20:31once and for all.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34They wanted to get to the bottom of the supposed links
0:20:34 > 0:20:36with British Telecom, and it wasn't long
0:20:36 > 0:20:39before John stepped forward with indisputable evidence -
0:20:39 > 0:20:43a recording of his meeting with BC Telecom Limited.
0:20:43 > 0:20:50I recorded the conversation because, as I understand it, in law,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53a verbal agreement is as binding as a written agreement,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56so I had a record of the verbal agreement.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The following is the actual recording,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and Daniel Cullen can be heard explaining
0:21:01 > 0:21:04that BC Telecom Limited is linked to BT.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11And just in case that wasn't clear enough...
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Trading Standards investigators
0:21:19 > 0:21:21then called British Telecom directly.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23And as suspected, they confirmed
0:21:23 > 0:21:25there were no links with BC Telecom Limited.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30For Bruce Carter, customer experience director at BT,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32the news didn't come as a surprise.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37You do get companies who try and trade with names similar to BT,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41so they are trying to fool customers by having similar names.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46The investigators now had clear proof that BC Telecom Limited
0:21:46 > 0:21:50had deliberately misled customers, but worse was to come.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Sometimes the paperwork had actually been signed for them
0:21:54 > 0:21:58outside their knowledge, after they had signed.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02When John and Julie signed their agreements,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04the two Daniels whisked away
0:22:04 > 0:22:08the paperwork without leaving copies behind. Now it was clear why.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10They'd later changed the lease agreements
0:22:10 > 0:22:12to make them more valuable.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Julie thought she had only signed up to a one-year contract.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17When she saw her paperwork,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20she realised she was liable to pay for seven.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23It was a similar story for John,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25but in his case, the two Daniels
0:22:25 > 0:22:30had actually gone as far as forging his signature.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33An agreement with a signature on, which purports to be my signature,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38which is nothing like any signature I have ever done in my whole life.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42With evidence like this, Trading Standards were ready to take
0:22:42 > 0:22:46action against Daniel Buttle and Daniel Cullen.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50We looked at the Companies Act, which concerns fraudulent trading,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and that seemed to be the most appropriate charge or
0:22:53 > 0:22:55information to lay at the time.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Buttle and Cullen were summoned to court,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02where Gillian and her team presented their evidence.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Their hard work paid off. Both Daniels were found guilty of fraud.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Daniel Buttle was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Daniel Cullen received three years.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Although that included time for another fraud
0:23:18 > 0:23:21he carried out in another part of England.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25At last, the dodgy duo have been stopped,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28but for their targets, the nightmare is far from over.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Although Buttle and Cullen have been banged up,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34John and Julie are still tied into their leasing contracts
0:23:34 > 0:23:36for seven years,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39despite the fact they never signed up to them.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43They are also not getting any money back, as they were promised.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47These are finance companies who were not directly involved in the scam,
0:23:47 > 0:23:53so in some senses have rights to recover their monies
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and some finance companies have had that view.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02For Julie, this is all a bit too much to take.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I mean, how can you still be liable for something that two people
0:24:06 > 0:24:07have gone to prison for?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And, you know, the leasing companies are still saying,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12"It is you who needs to pay."
0:24:12 > 0:24:17The leasing companies had paid out a huge amount of money
0:24:17 > 0:24:18to BC Telecom Limited
0:24:18 > 0:24:21for obtaining these contracts.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24They had no legal reason to end them.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31I think the important thing now is to campaign to have the law tightened.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38If it wasn't for Trading Standards, we would have had no redress,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40no satisfaction whatsoever.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43If you are concerned about getting caught up in a similar scam,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46there are things you can do to help protect yourself.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51Never contract with a company unless you are really clear who they are.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Never send cheques, for instance, to companies
0:24:54 > 0:24:59unless you understand who they are and if you need to speak to us
0:24:59 > 0:25:02about it, we will very happily check them out.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04For more information
0:25:04 > 0:25:11about protecting yourself from the advances of a scammer, go to:
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Before we go, there's just time to tell you
0:25:17 > 0:25:20about some of the latest scams out there.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I have come to meet an expert from the National Fraud Authority,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27to get the lowdown on what you should be looking out for.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Today, we are looking at scams that happen on your doorstep.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Cold-calling, doorstep, rogue trading scams are still prevalent.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Organised gangs go around the country
0:25:39 > 0:25:41trying to take advantage of the elderly,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44the isolated and the vulnerable.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Let's talk through a typical example of what might happen,
0:25:47 > 0:25:48let's say with a roof.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Roofing is a good example.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55They will knock on your door and they will say, they are in the area
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and they have noticed two or three of your tiles need to be replaced.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02You will say, "OK. How much?" They say, 50 quid."
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Up they go and come down ten minutes later with a dozen tiles,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07all broken, £50 each, 600 quid they want from you.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12The golden rule here is never, ever have any building work
0:26:12 > 0:26:15done on your home without first getting a quote
0:26:15 > 0:26:16and taking up references.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Next, another doorstep scam - this time it's about insulation.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23They'll knock on the door and say they are in the area,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27acting on behalf of one of the energy companies or the Government,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29so giving a false impression of who they're working for.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31They say they have to get insulation in
0:26:31 > 0:26:34and it will be £300 or £400, but you can claim that back.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36They probably put nothing in.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39They might take old stuff out and put something cheap in
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and then you can't get the claim back.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Government schemes can offer great discounts
0:26:45 > 0:26:46from the cost of insulation
0:26:46 > 0:26:50and they should also be able to recommend a trusted installer
0:26:50 > 0:26:51to come and fit it for you.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53So, there you go.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It doesn't matter how clever the scam is, if you recognise
0:26:56 > 0:27:00the warning signs, you can stay one step ahead of the conmen.