Fake Britain

Episode 5 (2x5)

Air date: May 20, 2011

We follow a private investigator working with police and trading standards as he tracks down one of the largest hauls of fake gold and jewellery ever discovered in the UK. And we see the work of the London Assay office as they analyse what the fake jewellery is really made of - with shocking results. We see how the UK Border Agency are stopping international forgers using air cargo to get fake ID into the country - how they reveal the fake holidaymaker and her 'crib sheet' of how to respond to immigration officials' questions. Plus, how they tracked down the fake footballer - the illegal immigrant who made a fortune by buying property using fake ID while he played football for local clubs. We meet the woman who was told by her bank that a fake copy of her passport had been presented to them to withdraw a huge sum of money. We see how a London employment agency has had to install high tech anti forgery equipment to check on fake documents - as they are now presented with so many forgeries. We follow the work of the NHS counterfraud unit as they tackle 'hospital hoppers' - fake patients who tie up valuable resources pretending to be ill. We show the work of the Metropolitan Police's Operation Maxim as they track down and arrest a master forger. We see Westminster Trading Standards officers and Premier league private investigators reveal the latest football shirt fakes on sale in London's West End.