0:00:02 > 0:00:04Millions of us are targeted in scams every year,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and whether it comes in the form of an e-mail,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10a cold call or a knock at the door, they're all designed to do
0:00:10 > 0:00:14one thing and one thing only, to get you to part with your cash.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Coming up, how one woman's addiction to scam mail
0:00:35 > 0:00:38almost cost her her home and her family.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I couldn't stop. I thought, "I'm missing out on something
0:00:41 > 0:00:43"if I don't open this letter.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45"It might be the one with the cheque in."
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And the real-life Walter Mitty whose fraudulent exploits were
0:00:48 > 0:00:50the stuff of Hollywood movies.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53The lies that were coming out of his mouth were unbelievable.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Everybody who was involved was fooled by him.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Well, I'm here to tell you what the conman doesn't want you to know,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03how to stay one step ahead of the game and not get scammed.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Most scams work on their targets
0:01:12 > 0:01:14when they're at a moment of weakness,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17when something has happened which will make them
0:01:17 > 0:01:19behave in a way that they wouldn't do otherwise.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Mailshot scams are no different.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24They go out in their millions
0:01:24 > 0:01:27through letterboxes across the country,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31hoping to find someone who, just once, will respond.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Scams of this kind come in many shapes and sizes,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39but organisations such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency
0:01:39 > 0:01:42refer to them as mass marketing fraud.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47The most common types of mass marketing fraud are romance fraud,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52lottery fraud, inheritance fraud,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56horoscopes, and then any combination of those.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58But they all have two things in common.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They arrive through your letterbox, delivered by the postman,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and they have one sole aim, to get at your cash.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Over three million people in the UK fall victim
0:02:07 > 0:02:10to mass marketing fraud every year.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Some get wise to the scam before parting with too much money,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17but other, more vulnerable victims are sucked into a vicious cycle,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20which can go on for years, with devastating results.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26I'm about to meet a woman who's been receiving scam mail for a decade,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and it cost her and her family very dear indeed.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33All the little boats.
0:02:33 > 0:02:3676-year-old June from Torquay became embroiled
0:02:36 > 0:02:40in the world of scam mail after a family tragedy.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43She and daughter Liz have been through a terrible time,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46but they've agreed to share their story to warn others about
0:02:46 > 0:02:49the effects scam mail can have on people
0:02:49 > 0:02:51who are at their most vulnerable.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- Hello!- Hello!- You must be Liz.- Yes. Come on in.- Thank you very much.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Tell me about life with your family. How is it?
0:03:06 > 0:03:07What would you say?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10We've been through a difficult time because, obviously,
0:03:10 > 0:03:16Mum lost her eldest daughter, Salma, in a drowning incident,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20which has, sort of, rocked the family.
0:03:20 > 0:03:26- When was that? - That was ten years ago, 2001.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31And it was the most horrendous day of my life. I'll never forget it.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Following her daughter's death, June sank into a deep depression.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42You know, it's a horrible shock, to have someone taken from you
0:03:42 > 0:03:47- so quickly.- Mm hmm. - How did you try and cope with that?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Do you know? I just went in my shell.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I just didn't go out. I never went anywhere.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I stayed home all the time with my husband.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And it was at this moment, when she was at her lowest ebb, that
0:04:00 > 0:04:03the scam mail started to arrive through June's letterbox.
0:04:03 > 0:04:10I started getting letters from clairvoyants from all over the place.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14They were coming from America, even, to this address.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Initially sceptical, June didn't respond to the letters,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21but then something arrived which caught her attention.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25The lottery. The lottery was one of them. The Australian lottery.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30And there was massive amounts of money...
0:04:30 > 0:04:32to be won.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35This particular wording often includes things like,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37"This is your lucky day"
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and, "You have been chosen."
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"You are the selected person." Of course, you're not.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46You're one of about 10,000 that were selected to see
0:04:46 > 0:04:47if you will fall for it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Her daughter's death had left June at rock bottom,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54and she suddenly thought she saw something that could make
0:04:54 > 0:04:56a huge difference to her and her family.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59So she started replying to the lottery letters.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Can you tell me the first piece of paper that came
0:05:04 > 0:05:06through your door that you responded to?
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Their motto is to play the lottery
0:05:10 > 0:05:14with the amount of money that you feel comfortable with.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19"Play only for fun." Which, I thought, that was all right.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21And that started me off.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Older, elderly victims are more often likely to send off some money
0:05:26 > 0:05:30to start with because they think it's a right thing.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33June began by sending small amounts of around £20
0:05:33 > 0:05:35to be entered into a prize draw.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37But once she'd sent off one lot of money,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39the fraudsters wanted more,
0:05:39 > 0:05:44another 20 or £30 to enter her into the next stage of the draw.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49And now that she'd replied to the scammers, the floodgates opened.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The victim, once they've made the initial response,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54will start to get more letters.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59They will get tens, hundreds of letters a week
0:05:59 > 0:06:03because the fraudster will sell on those names to another fraudster
0:06:03 > 0:06:05because they're a person who will respond.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Within a very short space of time,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11June started to receive scam lottery letters from Spain,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Australia, Canada, America.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15And she began to devote all her time
0:06:15 > 0:06:18to opening them and reading them.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19My husband used to get annoyed.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23"Are you still on with that?" I said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."
0:06:25 > 0:06:27And it would take me all day.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32In my experience, this type of offence can get to people
0:06:32 > 0:06:35to the extent where it takes over their lives.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39When I'd get there, she'd probably still be in her dressing gown
0:06:39 > 0:06:40and opening the post.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45I'd notice in drawers and cupboards, when I was putting clothes away,
0:06:45 > 0:06:46piles of letters.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The letters promised one of two things.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Either June had already won a large cash prize,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57and all she had to do to receive it was send off a payment order
0:06:57 > 0:06:59of 20 or £30,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02or she'd been exclusively selected to enter a prize draw
0:07:02 > 0:07:06worth millions of pounds, and she simply had to send off an entry fee.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09June was quickly being sucked into an addictive cycle
0:07:09 > 0:07:11of responding to these letters.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And as the weeks, months and then years went by,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18she began sending off hundreds and then thousands of pounds.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21How many credit card slips would you be filling in?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I would do about four a day.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27For an average amount of how much, would you say?
0:07:27 > 0:07:28£20.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So you could be spending, on average, about £80 a day?
0:07:34 > 0:07:38The scammers even convinced June to set up a monthly direct debit,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40so that she could be entered automatically
0:07:40 > 0:07:42into lottery prize draws.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46And June didn't have this money to spend.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50She was receiving just £296 a month in a state pension,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and she was spending this, and some of her husband's pension,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55to play the so-called lottery.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03I even sold my jewellery. I sold all sorts of things to get money...
0:08:03 > 0:08:07to put on and bet on the lottery.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12By this point, several years had gone by
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and June's family were becoming increasingly concerned.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21My daughter was objecting to me spending so much money
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and she was trying to tell me this was a scam and not to do it.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28And my grandson too.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32He got involved and said, "Grandma, are you doing these things again?"
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I said, "Yes."
0:08:34 > 0:08:39He took all the mail and tore it all up in front of me
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and threw it on the floor and jumped on it.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45But June was under the spell of the scam letters,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and like many people who are targeted this way,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51she didn't want to hear what her loved ones were saying.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57Victims who continually send money away to these sort of mailings,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02are what we see as chronic victims.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08And quite often, even when they are told, look, this is not real,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10they carry on doing it.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And June's refusal to listen began to have a damaging effect
0:09:13 > 0:09:16on her relationship with her daughter.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Tell me what happened when you confronted your mum about the...
0:09:20 > 0:09:25She wasn't happy. She was very angry.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30She would say, I'm putting the evil eye on her games
0:09:30 > 0:09:36and she'll never win with an attitude like that towards it.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Why did you ignore them and carry on?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I don't know, just something inside me wanted to achieve this.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The loss of daughter Selma, had left June with a hole in her life,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51one she was filling with scam mail.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55And the conmen needed no encouragement to keep sending it.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00There is a genuine need here just to talk to somebody.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02And getting all of those letters was,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04whilst we might look at them and think,
0:10:04 > 0:10:09"This is a load of fraudulent mail, it is a load of rubbish."
0:10:09 > 0:10:12To them it's contact with the outside world.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18Sensing June's vulnerability, the scammers began to call her and send her gifts.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22They will be on the phone asking you about your private life.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25They will even send you flowers, a box of chocolates.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29All of this is a grooming process to gain your confidence.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35Recently I got a card from a girl who was leaving, one of the lottery people.
0:10:35 > 0:10:42And she sent me a little package containing some soaps...
0:10:44 > 0:10:47..nuts and chocolates and...
0:10:47 > 0:10:51- So the idea there is this is... - As a gift.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- But this is like a friendship now? - Yeah, yeah.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The scammers had now manipulated June so much,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00she began hiding things from her family.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I would sneak the mail and hide it somewhere else.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09And when they went I would sneak out, open it up and read it.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And play some more.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14And it went on like that for years.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19At her wits end, Liz decided to take matters into her own hands.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21She began to withdraw her dad's pension
0:11:21 > 0:11:23and pay her parents' bills herself.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29And to stop the direct debits, she closed her mum's bank account and opened another one.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31But this didn't stop June paying over the phone,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34or withdrawing cash to send in the post.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Without a doubt there is some sort of addiction here.
0:11:37 > 0:11:44I don't see it any different to gambling, alcoholism.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It is an addiction and people need help.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop, I thought I was missing out on something
0:11:51 > 0:11:53if I don't open this letter.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57It might be the one with the cheque in and blah, blah, blah.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And I was fooling myself.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04June had now been responding to scam mail for ten years.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07And Liz was becoming increasingly desperate.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Then she discovered a website called, Think Jessica,
0:12:10 > 0:12:15which told stories of people in exactly the same situation as June.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It had been set up by Marilyn Baldwin, after her mother, Jessica,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22became addicted to scam mail.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24We tried to stop her,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28we tried to explain to her that this mail wasn't genuine.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32But she just couldn't see it, it was almost like they had trapped her.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36She was in this fictitious world they'd created with the mail.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Marilyn wanted people to see this footage to show
0:12:39 > 0:12:42the devastating impact scam mail can have.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55She actually thought she was rich, in a strange way, even though
0:12:55 > 0:12:57she hadn't received anything.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Jessica remained under the spell of the scam artists
0:13:01 > 0:13:04until just before she died in 2007.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I think when my mum was going through this,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I would have quite gladly given them the house and everything,
0:13:09 > 0:13:13they could have taken everything just to get my mother back.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15They stole her from me.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Since her mother's death, Marilyn has campaign to raise
0:13:18 > 0:13:22awareness of the problem and help others in the same situation.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And for Liz, the website was proof she and her mum weren't alone.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I read it, everything to you and we sat and cried.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Yeah, it had an impact on me when I read that.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43When Elizabeth read it out to me.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47And I thought, that's me, I'm getting myself into such a muddle with life.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And I've got to do something.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53And these shook me up and made me see reason.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Finally, the penny seemed to have dropped.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Over a ten-year period,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03June had ploughed over £100,000 into fraudulent lottery schemes,
0:14:03 > 0:14:08and at last, she was able to see the damage that had been done.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I could have bought a house.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12What do you make of that figure?
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Well, it's disgusting, isn't it, really?
0:14:16 > 0:14:23I mean...I'm on a pension and I spent all my pension on that.
0:14:23 > 0:14:29Most of my dad's pension too, and savings I'd had, and jewellery.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34With Liz's help, June has now taken steps to stop scam mail.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39I've stopped looking at the mail.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43I just get rid of it in the bin.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45You've changed your bank details.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Yeah, I've changed the bank details.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53- Been to the bank and we've stopped all the cards.- Yeah.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55She was using a number of...
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And I leave Elizabeth to handle the affairs,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03the bills that need paying, so I don't handle any money...
0:15:04 > 0:15:05..or credit cards.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09That must be very hard for you to take, though?
0:15:09 > 0:15:11When you have been so independent.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Yeah. Well, it is, it's difficult.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17But that's the only way I can do it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I think you're really lucky,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22you have a very close family who are there for you.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- And, you know, at this point... - I am.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30..you know, they've been able to step in and help.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33I am grateful, grateful to my daughter and my son
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and my grandson and my husband.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37All of them.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43June has managed to kick scam mail out of her life before it was
0:15:43 > 0:15:47too late, but there are others out there who are not so lucky.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52How can you avoid falling victim to mass-marketing lottery scams?
0:15:52 > 0:15:56On this type of fraud, it doesn't exist.
0:15:56 > 0:16:03Never answer a letter, never send an upfront fee, and look after
0:16:03 > 0:16:07the elderly and vulnerable to make sure that they are not
0:16:07 > 0:16:10becoming a victim to this.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13And if it does happen, report it to Action Fraud.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19June has lost a huge sum of money,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23She has stopped paying attention
0:16:23 > 0:16:26to all the rubbish that comes through her letterbox.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It could have ripped her family wide apart.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30But it isn't going to now,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34and that's all because of a bit of tough love from her daughter, Liz.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43These days, most scam artists like to target people using e-mail,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46the phone, or the mailbox.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49But there are those who still like to do it
0:16:49 > 0:16:51the old-fashioned way, face-to-face.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53And tales of what they get up to
0:16:53 > 0:16:56can read like the plot of a Hollywood movie.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02This story is about a man called George Schouten,
0:17:02 > 0:17:03a Walter Mitty type character,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06who created a series of fantasy lifestyles and alter egos,
0:17:06 > 0:17:11in order to perpetrate some truly outrageous scams.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Mr Schouten, without doubt, is probably the most eccentric character
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I've met, the lies that have come out of his mouth were unbelievable.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I don't think George Schouten could lie straight in bed.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30In April 2008, Thames Valley Police began receiving
0:17:30 > 0:17:34complaints about Schouten from people involved in showjumping.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38PC Stuart Keys was on secondment to CID at the time
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and was charged with investigating the case.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44As more victims are coming forward,
0:17:44 > 0:17:50I felt that obviously we had a big fraudster on our hands here.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54One of the first people to contact PC Keys was Patrick Riley,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58who runs a company which makes physiotherapy equipment for horses.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Patrick had been contacted by George Schouten,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03who said he was the son of the multi-millionaire owner of
0:18:03 > 0:18:09computer giant IBM and that he was setting up an IBM showjumping team.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12He had lots of cash on him, a good-looking woman on his arm,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15drove then at that time, I think he was in an Audi Q7 4x4.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21Nice clothes, etc. Played the part, perfectly.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Schouten told Patrick he wanted to order some equipment for the
0:18:26 > 0:18:30IBM team, which to Patrick sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34The thought of being involved with somebody the size of IBM
0:18:34 > 0:18:39was fantastic. We thought all our dreams come true.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44Schouten put in an order £62,500 worth of equipment, which Patrick
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and his wife delivered in person on the agreement
0:18:47 > 0:18:50he would pay for it by bank transfer within 30 days.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54I thought the golden goose had laid its egg, I thought we had
0:18:54 > 0:18:58the opportunity now to make a lot of money with some decent clients.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02But the payment date came and went and the money didn't materialise.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04When the 30 days had expired,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Excuses started to come out as to why the money hadn't been paid.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11"My father said this, my father said that, the lawyers are involved,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14"it's in a trust fund," all this kind of rubbish.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16It was at this point that we really started to know that
0:19:16 > 0:19:19something wasn't quite right with this guy.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Patrick contacted the police
0:19:20 > 0:19:24and they quickly discovered that George Schouten had previous.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27In 2003, he had been jailed for 18 months for obtaining
0:19:27 > 0:19:31services by deception in a Catch Me If You Can style scam
0:19:31 > 0:19:33involving the world of aviation.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39He contacted an airline company, wishing to buy a helicopter.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42He turned up wearing an air pilot's uniform,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45claiming he was a pilot for a prince in Dubai.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49He also claimed to be a qualified neurosurgeon,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and said he was setting up his own airline.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57Schouten came here to Farnborough Airspace and hired out a warehouse.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Even hired staff to work on his new airline, including a secretary,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05who was promised a salary of £58,000, and a pilot who was
0:20:05 > 0:20:10promised £180,000 if he gave up his job and came to work for Schouten.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Needless to say, the jobs didn't exist.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The aviation company were never paid and Schouten's claims that he
0:20:17 > 0:20:22was a helicopter-flying neurosurgeon were exposed as lies.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Now, five years later, it seemed Schouten
0:20:24 > 0:20:27was up to his old tricks again.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29As the police investigated, they discovered that he had set up
0:20:29 > 0:20:33a showjumping team, which had competed at various events.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37But when they called IBM to make sure he was who he said he was,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39they were in for a surprise.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41IBM told me that Mr Schouten
0:20:41 > 0:20:44has no connections whatsoever with their company
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and they wished to have any items with the IBM logo on to be destroyed.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55This was the bombshell Patrick didn't want to receive.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57He believed he was going into business with a global
0:20:57 > 0:21:00technology giant, who could bankroll his business
0:21:00 > 0:21:04and provide fantastic advertising for years to come.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07It turned out now it was all a pack of lies.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We felt we'd had our pants pulled down in public, kind of thing.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12A bit embarrassed.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15George Schouten was living out a fantasy lifestyle,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18playing the role of the son of a multi-millionaire businessman
0:21:18 > 0:21:20with a love of showjumping.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Mr Schouten had flamboyant sports cars, Hummers, Porsches,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30giving off this impression that he was a wealthy sort of person.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Unbeknown to the people that he was in connection with,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36everything was rented.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Schouten was living the dream, without paying the bills.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Patrick Riley wasn't the only person that he had deceived.
0:21:42 > 0:21:48The second person was responsible for embroidering items of clothing
0:21:48 > 0:21:51or equipment used in the horse-riding world.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Mr Schouten said if they could provide clothing etc for the horses
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and riders, with the IBM logo,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03they'd be paid thousands of pounds worth of sponsorship deals.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06He had also managed to deceive a well-known horse trainer
0:22:06 > 0:22:11and he had persuaded a star British rider to join his showjumping team.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15They'd all been taken in by this highly accomplished conman.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19But once Patrick Riley knew about Schouten's criminal past,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23he decided to take matters into his own hands.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The main thing we wanted to do was ensure we got our money back,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30or our equipment back, because it was quite a substantial amount.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Patrick Riley instructed a debt collection company to go
0:22:33 > 0:22:36round to Schouten's house and pick up his equipment.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38George wasn't in at the time,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42but it transpired that the equipment was in the garage and the chaps were
0:22:42 > 0:22:47allowed into the garage, seized the equipment and brought it back to us.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But Patrick was still owed £5,000 by Schouten for goods
0:22:50 > 0:22:53he hadn't paid for, and the other victims between them
0:22:53 > 0:22:58had lost around £27,000 in unpaid goods and services.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01So, PC Keys now had ample evidence to bring
0:23:01 > 0:23:03George Schouten in for a formal interview.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06And surprise, surprise, at first,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09it seemed the fraudster had an answer for everything.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13When asked why he had claimed to be the son of the owner of IBM...
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Mr Schouten stated that he hadn't told anyone that he had
0:23:17 > 0:23:19any connections whatsoever with IBM
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and just said that he was going to use them as a potential sponsorship.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25And when asked why he had put in a large order
0:23:25 > 0:23:29for equipment from Patrick Riley and then not paid for it...
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Mr Schouten admitted to borrowing equipment from Mr Riley,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34but stated he returned that equipment,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38never placed a second order and there was never anything else outstanding.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40But the police weren't buying any of it.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45During the interview, Mr Schouten was becoming agitated.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47I could tell he was being backed into a corner.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49He knew the evidence against him
0:23:49 > 0:23:53was such that these guys were all telling the truth.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And a search of Mr Schouten's home provided the police with more
0:23:56 > 0:23:59evidence that backed up the victims' claims.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04I found items such as baseball caps, jackets, horse blankets,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07all with the IBM logo printed on them.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09As well as various paperwork.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11The police now had what they needed
0:24:11 > 0:24:15to take serious action against George Schouten.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Whilst in police custody, Mr Schouten was charged with three counts
0:24:18 > 0:24:23of fraud, bailed to attend Reading Crown Court in July 2010.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Although he paid his victims back the money he owed them,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Schouten still had to answer for his crimes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34And in the dock, he pleaded guilty.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40He was then bailed to appear at Reading Crown Court
0:24:40 > 0:24:42one month later for his sentencing.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46But on the day of the sentencing, Schouten didn't turn up.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52He went down to the south coast, hired a boat
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and absconded to France, which is the last known sighting of Mr Schouten.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59This Catch Me If You Can conman had managed to
0:24:59 > 0:25:04evade his captors at the final hour and sail off into the sunset.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10George Schouten was sentenced in his absence to 27 months.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13If he is caught, he will be sent straight to prison.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16We'd very much like to find Mr Schouten, locate him
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and bring him back to England so he can serve his prison sentence.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23So if anyone has got any information on his whereabouts,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27please contact Thames Valley Police and let us locate this man.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Before we go,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39there's just time to tell you about some of the latest scams out there.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I've come to meet an expert from the Citizens Advice Bureau
0:25:43 > 0:25:46to get the lowdown on what you should be looking out for.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Today, we're looking at a scam targeting those looking for property.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Landlord scams can be really cruel, because they don't just
0:26:01 > 0:26:04take your money, they can deprive you of a place to live.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06So, how does this scam work?
0:26:06 > 0:26:08The difficulty is, you can't always see
0:26:08 > 0:26:11the place that you're hoping to live.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Maybe you live abroad and you're coming to work in the UK,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16or you're moving to the other end of the country
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and you need there to be accommodation when you get there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20So, what's really going on here?
0:26:20 > 0:26:25The scam works because you are making a payment upfront.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29But these are just phantom flats, they don't exist,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32or if they do exist, there is somebody already living there.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And presumably, if the landlord does it to one
0:26:35 > 0:26:38set of potential tenants, he can do it to 100.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40And you wouldn't know,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43because you're looking for this place online, you're not going to
0:26:43 > 0:26:45an office where you are meeting other people or anything like that.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Be wary of handing over upfront fees for a property you haven't seen.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52For extra peace of mind, you can also see
0:26:52 > 0:26:55if your agent is part of the Safe Agent Scheme.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Fraudsters will forever be coming up
0:26:58 > 0:27:01with new ways to get you to part with your cash.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03But armed with a little bit of knowledge,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06you can be one step ahead of them.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Stay safe. I'll see you next time.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd