Fake Britain

Police and UK Border Agency officers find more than they bargained for when they go on the hunt for fake passports. Fake Britain investigates the shocking cruelty of the fakers skinning animals alive in order to copy popular footwear brands, and goes on the trail of the fake landlords cheating the council house waiting list by illegally subletting council flats. And how safe are you when buying perfumes and fragrances online? Some of the most notorious internet sellers are put to the test.

We're on the inside of an operation aimed at stopping the trade in fake medicines, and the dealers that make thousands from peddling them. Also featured are the story of the art forger whose fake Victorian fairy paintings were so good, they almost fooled the art world; the fake holiday villa conman who cost British tourists thousands; and how insurance investigators busted the bus-crash-for-cash fakers who thought they had come up with the perfect insurance fraud.

We're on the road with the Greater Manchester police as they crack down on the fakers at the heart of the counterfeiting capital of Britain, the city's Strangeways district. We put the fake energy-saving plugs being targeted at the elderly to the test, and find out they could cost a lot more than just cash. And we catch up with the fake dental technician making illegal dentures from a laundry room.

In this episode, Fake Britain reveals the fake DVD factory making 100,000 pounds a week, and follows the enforcement agencies who will stop at nothing to halt the illegal activity. Could your child be playing with dangerous fake toys? The team put cheap Chinese counterfeits, from cuddly animals to baby dolls, to the test. Plus the art forger who made tens of thousands of pounds faking the paintings of famous fine artists.

Dominic Littlewood investigates the conmen who are trying to get their hands on your money by using fakes, forgeries and frauds and shows you how to avoid getting ripped off.

On today's programme, the banknote counterfeiting gang that tried to beat the Bank of England - we're with the City of London police as they give the money forgers a very rude awakening. The battlefield tour conman who took war veterans for a ride by taking them nowhere at all. And the terrifying new credit card fakery that's almost completely undetectable.

Dominic Littlewood investigates the conmen who are trying to get their hands on your money by using fakes, forgeries and frauds and shows you how to avoid getting ripped off.

On today's programme, we're with the City of London police as they go in pursuit of one of the country's most audacious ID fraudsters, whose fakery is taking hundreds of thousands of pounds off the state and into his pocket. The fake baby carriers putting your child's safety in jeopardy. And how one faker even compromised aircraft fire extinguishers.

This episode features a look at the latest in cutting-edge insurance fraud: faking pet insurance claims, including the woman that kept dead puppies in her freezer to try and hoodwink the insurers.

Brent and Harrow Trading Standards take on the market traders that are the public face of the multi-million pound industry in fake clothing.

Plus the fake cigarette factories on your doorstep, and the dangers that lurk inside fake cigarettes; and the fakery that is going on in pubs and clubs up and down Britain: the pint that is not a pint.

In this episode, the scandal of the fake charity collections taking advantage of your generosity - we see for ourselves how it's done, and how it's costing legitimate charities millions.

Plus the chip shops shifting fake fish, and the perils of not knowing what you are eating; the growing trend of people faking their own death for insurance claims; and the fake firework-bangers being sold to schoolchildren, which are both illegal and dangerous.

Since the making of this programme, Macmillan Cancer Support have asked us to point out that they do now make home clothing collections.

In this episode, the fake firefighter crying wolf to relieve honest shopkeepers of their cash... at gunpoint. And the dangerous counterfeit vodka that could leave you with more than just a headache - we're with Trading Standards as they crack down on the shopkeepers that are selling it.

In this episode, we're out with the Driving Standards Agency as they clamp down on the driving test fakers taking tests for people who shouldn't be on the road.

Plus the dancing benefits scrounger who faked disability to get hundreds of thousands of pounds of your money; the fake gym equipment that could leave you with a nasty injury; and the fake make-up coming to a market stall near you.

In this episode, Fake Britain is given exclusive access to the country's biggest postal hub to see the extraordinary range of fake goods flooding into the UK.

Also featured is the story of the two old-fashioned criminals who forged the works of world-famous street artist Banksy, and the collector-turned-sleuth who solved the case.

Plus the fake lonely heart whose charm lured pensioners out of thousands of pounds, and the fake perfume trader running a lucrative industry from his own home.

In this episode, Fake Britain goes on patrol with Trading Standards as they take on the takeaway pizza restaurants fooling the public with fake ingredients, such as ham toppings that are actually made of turkey.

Plus the hi-vis clothing with fake safety claims on their labels, and the fake burglar alarm company conning pensioners out of thousands of pounds.

In this episode, Fake Britain meets the man who turned detective to catch the faker who stole both his identity and £7,000 of his money. Plus the clamping firm faking fines to make money out of you; and the victims of the fake lorry driver's course, conned out of thousands.

Fake Britain looks at the hidden, underground cigarette factory in China churning out millions of fake cigarettes that are being sold on the streets of Britain. Trading Standards in Birmingham take a stand against the mobile phone shops selling fake and dangerous chargers. Plus the fake HIV testing kits taking advantage of people at their most vulnerable, and the fake microphones that are not only badly made but sound even worse.

This episode reveals the appalling truth behind the fake cancer-curing machine used to con money out of people in their hour of need. Plus, the massive consignment of lethal fake lighters cashing in on the London Olympics; Fake Britain meets the granny accused of being a faker after trying to sell an old handbag for 99p; and the international counterfeit money raids that are keeping the fake euros out of your pocket.