0:00:02 > 0:00:04Millions of us are targeted in scams every year,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and whether it comes in the form of an e-mail, a cold call or a knock
0:00:08 > 0:00:12at the door, they are all designed to do one thing and one thing only.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14To get you to part with your cash.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Coming up,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37when investing in clean air turns out to be just a load of hot air.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40How quick you can lose a lot of money!
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Plus, how a mobility aid company and their travelling salesmen
0:00:44 > 0:00:46were in the business of helping themselves,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49not their elderly customers.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52She was very distressed about it.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55She thought she were having a heart attack.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Well, I'm here to tell you what the con man doesn't want you to
0:00:57 > 0:01:01know - how to stay one step ahead of the game and not get scammed.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08When you're making an investment, obviously you want
0:01:08 > 0:01:11the highest return you can possibly get, but it's also good
0:01:11 > 0:01:15if you can feel that you're doing something beneficial as well.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19That's why green investments are very fashionable now.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Yes, when it comes to investments,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23it seems that green is the new black,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and one scheme that is firmly on the radar
0:01:25 > 0:01:28of the Financial Services Authority
0:01:28 > 0:01:30is something called...
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Carbon credit trading involves, believe it or not,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39actually buying a certificate that entitles you or shows that
0:01:39 > 0:01:41you own a tonne of fresh air,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and the whole idea behind it is that that certificate,
0:01:45 > 0:01:46that tonne of fresh air,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50might be bought by a polluting industry one day to offset
0:01:50 > 0:01:54its polluting emissions, so if it pollutes to the tune
0:01:54 > 0:02:00of 1,000 tonnes, it might buy 1,000 carbon credits off various people.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Carbon credits are generated by projects
0:02:02 > 0:02:04that reduce greenhouse gases in the air,
0:02:04 > 0:02:09such as planting trees or renewable energy like wind power.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12These can then be traded or sold on to polluting companies.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15The man I'm about to meet
0:02:15 > 0:02:19got a call out of the blue about carbon credits.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21It hasn't helped the planet's future, or his.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Carbon credits do exist as a legitimate form of investment,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35but recently they have also become very popular with con men
0:02:35 > 0:02:38as a way of scamming ordinary people out of their savings.
0:02:40 > 0:02:4348-year-old Robert Blakely lives in Newcastle.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46He used to be an active martial arts expert
0:02:46 > 0:02:51and enjoyed playing in bands on the Tyneside music scene.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54But, in 2007, Robert received some devastating news
0:02:54 > 0:02:57when he was diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59a debilitating neurological condition
0:02:59 > 0:03:01which affects his movement, coordination,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and, at times, his speech.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It takes real guts for Robert to meet me,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08but he's determined to share his story.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11- Hello.- Hello.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12- Are you Robert? - Yes, I am.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Nice to meet you. I'm Matt. Thank you.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Robert's illness forced him into early retirement
0:03:19 > 0:03:23after 23 years' dedicated service as a postman.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26He was given a lump sum payout of £50,000
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and knew he had to invest it very wisely,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32so when he got a call from an investment firm,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34he was keen to hear more.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Tell me about the call that you got.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42The call was out of the blue, just a cold call.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It said how good carbon credits are for making money,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49because the banks are doing nothing with interest.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The company told Robert that investing in carbon credits
0:03:53 > 0:03:57would earn him around 10-15% interest - far more than
0:03:57 > 0:04:01he would get by simply putting his money in a savings account.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03He was impressed with what he heard.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Very positive, and it's going to happen,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09you're not going to lose any money, and you'll make a lot of this money.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It seemed like the call had come at the perfect time for Robert,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17but unbeknown to him, it was the beginning of a calculated scam.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19You'll take a first call out of the blue,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22where they will just build up a bit of rapport with you,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25they'll ask you a few questions about your attitude to risk,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and whether you want to save for the future for something.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Sure enough, the person on the phone asked Robert about his situation.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Believing he was speaking to someone who could help him
0:04:36 > 0:04:38invest his precious nest egg,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Robert was honest and up front about the lump sum he had.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44What did you say to them?
0:04:44 > 0:04:45I've got 50,000.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Just unbelievable.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Now they knew Robert had money to spend,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54the company began carefully grooming him.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Then you'll get a second call some days later,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02where they display a little bit about what they can offer,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05so they give you some examples about carbon credit type
0:05:05 > 0:05:09investments that have made money for other clients of theirs,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and it might then only be on the third or fourth call you'll get
0:05:12 > 0:05:14a bit more of a hard sell.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I've always said no to any cold calls, except that one.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Hard sell, very fast. Just hard sell.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26It wasn't just what the person on the phone was saying
0:05:26 > 0:05:30that helped convince Robert he was speaking to a bona fide company.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33There are all sorts of tricks used by these investment scams to
0:05:33 > 0:05:35make it sound more and more convincing.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39We've come across examples of them playing tapes of dealing rooms
0:05:39 > 0:05:43in the background, with brokers shouting left, right and centre.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46In the background, there was a big office sound, like a call centre,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and I thought, "Well, it must be a big company."
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Robert was being cleverly drawn in,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55despite advice from those around him.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Your sister warned you, when you got your lump sum.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Don't invest in cold calls, especially!
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So you've actually had a direct warning from your sister.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05Yeah.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And then you have received a cold call,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13and this person has managed to put the advice
0:06:13 > 0:06:16that your sister's given you completely out of your mind?
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Yeah.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20The company had Robert well and truly on the hook,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and by the time he'd had four separate calls from them,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27he was feeling confident that carbon credits were a safe bet.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31So, how soon afterwards, then, did you decide to invest?
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Partly straight away.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Not wanting to risk the full £50,000,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Robert agreed to an initial investment of £5,500.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49After that decision, after handing over that money, how did you feel?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53All right, because I still had £45,000 left.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57But the company had got money out of Robert once,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and they knew there was more where that had come from.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Within days of Robert's initial outlay, the company were back
0:07:05 > 0:07:08on the phone trying to persuade him to hand over more money
0:07:08 > 0:07:12and they were using every trick in the hard sell handbook.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14They might say there's a discount on it,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16they might say the offer closes at the end of the day.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18It puts you under pressure to think,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21"I've got to get in now, otherwise I'll never get in at all."
0:07:21 > 0:07:24They called you again.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Yes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Talk me through the detail of that call. What happened?
0:07:29 > 0:07:30The sales pitch was,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34"You're going to make even more money than the first investment.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37"If you buy this now, you'll double your money next day."
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Robert knew he'd never be able to work again
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and that he had to make the very most of his lump sum,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48so the prospect of doubling his money was impossible to resist.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51You went for a second investment, which was?
0:07:51 > 0:07:5215,000.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Double.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57More than double what you'd invested first time round.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Robert had now invested almost half of his £50,000,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07but had no reason to suspect anything was wrong.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10How are you feeling about this?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Still seemed all right about it.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Because I still had the money in the bank that I needed.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19But the company was quickly back in touch,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21and this time they were going for broke.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24They told Robert about a third scheme,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28requiring an investment of £30,000.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31How did they sell to you? Because that's a huge sum of money.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34It was another special offer.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It had to be in by the end of the month to qualify for it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I don't know why I did £30,000. That's ridiculous.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Why do you think you did?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47I just can't explain it. Just went like that.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52I mean, £30,000, ridiculous. £15,000, ridiculous.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Robert had now handed over his full £50,000 nest egg
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and had been sent certificates for two of his three investments
0:09:01 > 0:09:06but when he rang to chase up the third he got a nasty shock.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09What you'll probably find is that the company you bought them off
0:09:09 > 0:09:11has disappeared and won't answer your calls.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17I went and rang up about the certificates.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18And that's when I found they weren't there.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It was just an answer machine saying,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22"We can't get to the phone at the minute."
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I phoned every day for about two weeks. Nothing.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Robert was starting to realise that his £50,000 was gone and,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34desperate to get his money back,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37he was now even more of a target to scammers than ever.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42We've seen people throw good money after bad by either buying
0:09:42 > 0:09:46more of the same thing or by trying to pay fees to someone to
0:09:46 > 0:09:49get them a good deal out of what they've bought,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53and neither do we really see producing any benefit.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Robert contacted another company who offered carbon credit investments.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00They listened to what he had to say and told him that
0:10:00 > 0:10:05for a fee of £2,000 they could be able to help get his money back.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08You've now entrusted yourself to another company.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It was either, "You've definitely lost £50,000,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16"or there's a possibility of getting £50,000 back off this company."
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Right.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19So I thought I'll take the risk.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20OK.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23But Robert's heard nothing.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25It's likely that both of these companies are shams,
0:10:25 > 0:10:30and that his certificates are worthless.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34I'm worried, here, Robert, that we're dealing with a boiler room.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- That's what we've got.- Ah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I don't know how much you know about boiler rooms and how they operate.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Nothing.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45OK. What they will do is sell you shares,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and the shares themselves are worthless.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52From your story, your first money's gone.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Robert has been trying to come to terms with this massive loss
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and understand how he was so easily conned.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05He believes his condition may have had a part to play.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Medicine, I'm sure. I'm sure it's the medicine.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Must be affecting my brain, and I don't realise.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16But the fact is con men can be extremely clever
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and can persuade anyone to part with their cash.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23At the end of this, we see some terrible devastation.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I mean, it really does affect the victim emotionally.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28People have lost life savings, pensions.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30They've lost dignity as well,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and sometimes family relationships break down as a result of this.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37It involves real pain and anguish.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39You're in quite a vulnerable position.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42That huge sum of money in the bank,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and you're not in the best of health,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and your medication is affecting you.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I mean, that was a very bad time to receive that call, wasn't it?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53It was.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Just unbelievable.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58How quick you can lose a lot of money.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01What difference would the 50,000 have made?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03A lot.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Security, it's paying off my house.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09What's going to happen with your condition, your illness?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Progressive. It will get worse.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Possibly in three years I'll have a heart attack.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17OK.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19We'll see how it goes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27The chances of Robert seeing his £50,000 again are slim.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30He's watched a future he thought was secure
0:12:30 > 0:12:33vanish in just a few phone calls.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38If only he'd known the warning signs.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46A proper, authorised, FSA-authorised investment firm shouldn't be
0:12:46 > 0:12:49calling you at home out of the blue.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52If you get a cold call offering investment,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55there's a fair chance it's not a legitimate firm.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Promising you 30, 40, 50% returns, not very realistic.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05Be wary if you're given claims of huge profits. It's probably a scam.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07A con man might lie to you and tell you he's
0:13:07 > 0:13:12calling from an FSA-registered firm, so don't just take his word for it.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Do some research to check who you're really dealing with.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18The best way to do this is to find the main phone number
0:13:18 > 0:13:21of the company they are claiming to be.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23See if they've heard of the person that's been calling you.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27You can call the FSA's consumer contact centre to get some guidance
0:13:27 > 0:13:30about the sort of investment that you're thinking of making.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And if you fear you might have been caught by a fraud,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36you can call Action Fraud to get some assistance from the police.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Carbon credits do exist.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Like all good scams, this one's based in truth,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47but the scammers know how to take that truth
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and twist it to their own advantage.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51So beware.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Travelling salesmen who visit your home can be a good thing,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05especially for those who find it harder to get out and about.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10But in 2007 a firm who sold mobility aids for the elderly
0:14:10 > 0:14:13sent its sales team out on the road with one purpose
0:14:13 > 0:14:17and one purpose only - to scam people out of their savings.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22The company was rotten to the core, basically,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and that came from the directors themselves.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28The case focused on a Chesterfield-based company
0:14:28 > 0:14:31called Compass Mobility Ltd.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35They sold mobility aids to elderly, infirm and vulnerable people.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37But their apparent concerns for their customers' wellbeing
0:14:37 > 0:14:41were not quite as honourable as they seemed.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44I think it became apparent at a very early stage that we were
0:14:44 > 0:14:47dealing with a company that were more interested in making money
0:14:47 > 0:14:49than they were with dealing with customers, and had very
0:14:49 > 0:14:53little regard of how they got the money from those customers.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It was this lack of regard that first brought Compass Mobility Ltd
0:14:56 > 0:14:59to the attention of the authorities.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02David Lodge was the West Yorkshire trading standards officer
0:15:02 > 0:15:03in charge of the case.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06When the company was first set up,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09it was only a relatively small amount of complaints,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12but it soon snowballed, and it soon became very apparent that there
0:15:12 > 0:15:16was a pattern developing, and we became concerned about not just the
0:15:16 > 0:15:19volume of complaints, but the type of complaints we were receiving.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24It was customers like 94-year-old Kathleen Halliwell
0:15:24 > 0:15:27who were making those complaints.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Her nephew, Hayden, contacted Trading Standards after his elderly
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and partially blind aunt had been sold a mobility aid
0:15:34 > 0:15:36by one of the company's travelling salesmen.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Her dealings with Compass Mobility Ltd left her very distressed
0:15:40 > 0:15:44and so Hayden has agreed to tell the story on her behalf.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Kathleen's ordeal started, as it so often does in these cases,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51with a phone call out of the blue.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55She thought it was from social services,
0:15:56 > 0:16:02asking her if she required aids to help her around the house.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Kathleen didn't know it,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08but this is a common tactic to help con men get their foot in the door.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14The initial sales pitch was actually claiming to be from social
0:16:14 > 0:16:16services or from some kind of hospital referral,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20so in other words, the customer thought that they were being
0:16:20 > 0:16:23talked to by some health professional, and that was
0:16:23 > 0:16:26one of the ways they'd been able to get into the customer's house.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But once in, the sales pitch started.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The gentleman came the following day and knocked on the door,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35and my auntie opened it,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and she assumed he was the gentleman from the social services.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44He asked my aunt how she was able to get in and out of the bath,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and my aunt said she struggled.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48He said,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53"Well, we have a product here that would help you get in with ease."
0:16:53 > 0:16:58He didn't have a product to show her, he just talked about it.
0:16:58 > 0:17:04And he persuaded my aunt to purchase this product.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08As Trading Standards began to look into the complaints coming in,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10one thing was for sure - the sales people
0:17:10 > 0:17:14knew exactly how to get their victims to sign on the dotted line.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20They used fairly hard sales techniques - in other words,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22they stay in people's houses for several hours at a time,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24refusing to leave until they got them
0:17:24 > 0:17:28to agree or sign up to something, so a hard selling technique's
0:17:28 > 0:17:32just designed to confuse people and part with money.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36In Kathleen's case, there certainly was confusion.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40My aunt thought he was from the social services,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44and she didn't realise she would have to pay for it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51But she was soon talked around by the company's salesman
0:17:51 > 0:17:54into handing over £1,900 for a bathroom aid.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59She had this money in an envelope in the drawer, and I think
0:17:59 > 0:18:04she gave it to the salesman to count out, because she can't see.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The salesmen counted out Kathleen's £1,900, then left,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14and as promised, the bath aid was delivered the following day.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18The problem was, no-one showed her how to actually install it,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and with nephew Hayden away on holiday,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Kathleen tried to set it up herself, with alarming consequences.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32She pressed the button, and it forced her, and pushed her over.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35She thought she were having a heart attack,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and it took her over an hour to get out of the bath.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40She was very distressed about it.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48When Hayden returned from holiday,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51he complained to Compass Mobility Ltd that the product wasn't suitable
0:18:51 > 0:18:53for his elderly aunt,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56but was told that the seven-day cooling off period had expired
0:18:56 > 0:18:58so she couldn't claim a refund.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Changing tack, he called the company who manufactured the bath aid,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and received some shocking news.
0:19:06 > 0:19:12I asked him if the product was suitable for somebody who lived on
0:19:12 > 0:19:17their own when they were registered as blind, or couldn't see very well,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And he says, no, it wasn't a suitable product.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23But that wasn't the only surprise.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28They also told me that the
0:19:28 > 0:19:34recommended retail price of this product was £300.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40So, having pretended to be from social services,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Compass Mobility had charged Kathleen more than six times
0:19:44 > 0:19:48the going rate for something it wasn't safe for her to use.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And she wasn't the only one who'd been targeted
0:19:50 > 0:19:52by these ruthless con men.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57We've got an example of a gentleman being sold a motability
0:19:57 > 0:19:59scooter who was registered blind.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Another example where the lady actually bought a motability
0:20:07 > 0:20:09scooter and she lived up 12 flights of stairs.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Just anything to get money out of people,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15no regard to whether the product was actually going to do what it
0:20:15 > 0:20:18was supposed to do - in other words, help them with their disability.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Each case followed the same pattern as Kathleen's.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25The salesmen would get in through the door by pretending to be
0:20:25 > 0:20:28from social services, and using pressure selling,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30they would charge people astronomical sums
0:20:30 > 0:20:32for items that weren't suitable.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39What they're doing is deliberately targeting vulnerable people.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42That's against the law, but from a moral point of view,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45I think most members of the public would struggle
0:20:45 > 0:20:47to come to terms with that type of activity.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52With complaints coming in from far and wide,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Trading Standards began working with specialist unit Scambusters.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The Scambuster team basically took a lead in the investigation
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and coordinated from their headquarters in York.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08From that, other agencies such as the police,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12the Insolvency Service and Companies Investigation got involved.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16The team now had to investigate
0:21:16 > 0:21:18whether the complaints were down to rogue salesmen
0:21:18 > 0:21:22or that the practices were being orchestrated from the top down.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26They also tried their hardest to help victims where they could.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Victims like Kathleen.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Trading Standards actually wrote to this company,
0:21:33 > 0:21:39and within a week, my aunt's had a cheque for the full amount.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45But if Compass Mobility Ltd thought they could pay Kathleen off
0:21:45 > 0:21:49and make Trading Standards go away they were sorely mistaken.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The fact remained, Kathleen and scores of others had been deceived,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55ruthlessly overcharged and sold products
0:21:55 > 0:21:58that were downright dangerous for them.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01We reached a point where we thought we needed to tackle these guys,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and we need to talk to them, and effectively what happened,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07we executed a warrant of their business premises.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10A number of individuals were arrested,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13quite a lot of business documentation
0:22:13 > 0:22:15and computer equipment was taken away.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Following the search of the business premises,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22the officers also searched individual's houses,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24gathering even more evidence.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Initially, there were five people under investigation.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33We distilled that down to the three main directors.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Two of whom were Timothy Wright and Vincent Watkinson.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40The three company directors were interviewed at length
0:22:40 > 0:22:44and on multiple occasions, and they had their excuses ready.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50They tried, basically, to claim the actions on their salespeople.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Now, what we found is that there were specific instructions,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58training manuals which caused the salespeople to operate as
0:22:58 > 0:23:02they did, but as company directors, ultimately, they are responsible
0:23:02 > 0:23:06for the actions of employees, and it's as simple as that.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08These guys come across as businessmen,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and that's really how they like to portray themselves.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The reality is that they have a more dark and sinister side,
0:23:15 > 0:23:16shall we say.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Scambusters and Trading Standards had the company bang to rights,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and it was time for three company directors to face the courts.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The third company director pleaded guilty to a range of offences
0:23:34 > 0:23:37under the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations
0:23:37 > 0:23:40at an earlier hearing.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42With all the evidence against Wright and Watkinson,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Trading Standards hoped they'd hold their hands up to the charges,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48but sadly, that wasn't to be.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Stalling tactics were used by the defendants.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Changing pleas, using different barristers,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58so it's been a very, very long process.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04But to no avail, as the judge asked to hear from some of Wright
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and Watkinson's victims in court.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10People were able to come to court and give a real heartfelt version
0:24:10 > 0:24:13of what had actually gone on inside their own homes.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Watkinson and Wright were both found guilty of two counts of
0:24:18 > 0:24:22conspiracy to defraud, and sentenced to five years each behind bars.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28The judge stated that they displayed a "wholly arrogant
0:24:28 > 0:24:32"and uncaring attitude" and showed "not a jot of remorse".
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Justice may have finally been served,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44but for the company's victims, their legacy continues.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48My aunt felt embarrassed.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51People of her age, they trust everybody,
0:24:52 > 0:24:58and she trusted in this guy, and then she felt foolish afterwards.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08So how can you and the ones you love avoid these scams?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Well, don't be bullied into buying something you don't need.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14You must be prepared to say no.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17There are loads of companies out there that you can use, so don't
0:25:17 > 0:25:20necessarily just buy from the company that contacts you, you know.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Make sure that you're initiating the contact, and do your research.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Realise that you have got rights, you've got cooling off rights.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32If you're not happy in any way, always report it to somebody,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and, you know, that company will usually be Trading Standards.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39For more information about how you can avoid falling victim
0:25:39 > 0:25:41to scams like these, log on to...
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Before we go, there's just time to tell you
0:25:53 > 0:25:56about some of the latest scams out there.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Today we're looking at a con where scammers are putting false
0:25:59 > 0:26:03information out into the public domain for their own devious ends.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It's called the reverse PIN scam.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11How does it work?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You'd receive an e-mail which presents itself as originating
0:26:14 > 0:26:15from Crimestoppers,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17and that e-mail says that if you're at a cashpoint
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and you're suspicious of the person behind you
0:26:19 > 0:26:21and you're worried they're going to steal your card
0:26:21 > 0:26:24or PIN, you can enter your pin in reverse, and that would
0:26:24 > 0:26:27alert the police who would immediately come to your location.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28But that's not true.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30How do they stand to gain from it?
0:26:30 > 0:26:31They're trying to create this myth
0:26:31 > 0:26:34so that the public are lured into a false sense of security,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36when all they're doing is giving the criminal a second chance to
0:26:36 > 0:26:41see their PIN, and also extra time to rob the victim and then escape.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43If anyone received this e-mail, just ignore it,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and let your friends and family know that it's a complete scam.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Crimestoppers' advice - always keep your PIN secure
0:26:50 > 0:26:52and shield it from view at cashpoints.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Fraudsters will for ever be coming up with new ways to get you
0:27:00 > 0:27:04to part with your cash, but armed with a little bit of knowledge,
0:27:04 > 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