On the trail of rogue traders, dodgy doorstep callers, counterfeiters and scammers - day in the life of trading standards

I'm meeting three members of City of York Council's trading standards team. They have had a tip-off that a local shop is selling illegal tobacco and are about to conduct a raid on the premises.

Two police community support officers are there too. "Just to make sure there is no trouble," says the lead trading standards officer. All three wish to remain anonymous, and insist any pictures of them do not reveal their identity. Often, they have to operate undercover - nothing must jeopardise that.

Outside the shop, the officers stop to check their paperwork is in order. One man puts on some blue protective gloves. "When you are searching, you never know what you might find," he says. He is carrying a large plastic box in which he will place anything illegal or suspect he finds during the raid.

ON THE HUNT: Trading standards officers and police go into a shop in York suspected of selling illicit tobacco following a tip-off - none was found

Once inside, the team begin looking for tobacco that might be hidden. They search near the till points and in the aisles of the shop and in the store room. They find nothing. But they are not disheartened. "We were acting on a tip off. We didn't find anything this time, but by doing this raid we are showing the public - and people selling illicit tobacco - that we take it seriously," says the lead officer.

Illicit tobacco is often bought cheaply abroad and brought into the country to be sold at a fraction of the price because no tax and duty is paid on it. Instead of a pack of cigarettes costing £9, they can be sold for as little at £3.

Earlier this year, the council brought its first prosecution against a trader selling illegal tobacco. Nicholas Pericleous sold the cigarettes from the Copper Kettle cafe on Walmgate. He pleaded guilty and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £500 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Keeping illegal tobacco out of York is a key task for the city's nine trading standards officers.

Matt Boxall is head of public protection for the City of York Council, which covers trading standards. He said: "The fact that it is sold so cheaply totally undermines government policy. If you do smoke, you pay duty and tax to pay for health care. When people have access to as much tobacco as they can smoke the state has to pick up the expense of that behaviour. It is a drain on our health service.

"Also, these cigarettes do not have the health warnings on them. That is a really important aspect of making tobacco products really unattractive."

Cheap cigarettes are also more affordable to young people, he adds.

"That's why we are so keen on illicit tobacco; we probably give over ten per cent of our time to tracking it down," says Matt. "We are proactively looking for it - in shops, on social media."

Anything they find is sealed and kept in safe storage - evidence for future prosecutions.

Illegal cigarettes are not the only products trading standards seize to keep away from innocent consumers. Fake goods often find their way into their vaults. Tens of thousands of fake designer mobile phone cases as well as counterfeit Calvin Klein underwear are among recent seizures.

Matt says many of the complaints they receive from consumers are about fake goods. "We are a society that buys a lots of stuff. People will counterfeit anything, If they can sell it, they will fake it."

Dealing with fake goods takes up another ten per cent of the team's time, reckons Matt. "The main issue here is that every £1 spent on counterfeit items takes money out of the legitimate economy. The black economy is very harmful to growth and supporting legitimate businesses and jobs."

Trading standards had another successful prosecution this year - against Francis Kerr, owner of Miss Diva fashion store on Low Petergate. IN THE PRESS: How The Press, York, reported the court cases against Francis Kerr and Nicholas Pericleous

Kerr admitted selling counterfeit goods and was given a four-month prison sentence that was suspended because he was the main carer for his divorced wife who is disabled. Trading standards are now exploring proceedings which could lead to a confiscation of his assets.

The law is clear, says Matt, it must be seen that crime does not pay.

Cold callers who commit so-called doorstep crimes are also hunted down by Matt and his team. Often, they operate in gangs, targetting the vulnerable and elderly, offering to do household jobs such as fixing the roof or guttering, on the spot, and for inflated prices.

"Often the work is shoddy and over priced and people feel a bit pressured. Often the bill can be higher than people thought it was going to be. These people can be intimidating too, so people pay up. Sometimes they take customers to the bank just to get their money.

"It happens in York and we think it is under-reported because people tend to be embarrassed or put it down to experience. Sometimes elderly or vulnerable people don't want their families to find out. They worry it might be the last straw and they will end up in a home."

Worryingly, once folk fall victim to these rogue tradespeople, they can be targeted again. "They sell their details to somebody else," says Matt.

It is these same elderly and vulnerable people who fall victims to mass marketing mail scams - a problem that is proving particularly challenging and time consuming for trading standards officers in York.

Mail scams are a growing problem for trading standards staff

The way these scams work is that people reply to junk mail saying they have won a huge cash prize. In order to claim the prize, they have to send some money. It can start with a small amount, say £10, but can end with people losing all their life savings. Matt reveals the tragic case of a victim in York who blew £127,000 on these scams.

"It's such a huge problem that there is a national trading standards scams hub set up to try to deal with it," says Matt.

Most of the companies behind it are overseas and untouchable, says Matt. The best way to protect consumers is to raise awareness in the first instance and to persuade those sending money to stop.

To this end, the York team are working their way through a list of victims - their names identified through intercepted mail. Each person is visited in person by a trading standards officer and urged to stop sending money. Often it is hard to convince people, says Matt.

"It can take a lot of time to build up trust," he says. These people are buying into a dream and don't believe at first it is a con.

About one quarter of his team's time is spent on this issue alone. "These scammers will not stop until you spend all your money. There is no prize. It is absolutely heart-wrenching some of the stories around this."

In the fuller picture, society as a whole is paying for these crimes, says Matt. "If someone has spent all their money on scams, the state has to look after them - the taxpayer is left for pay for their care."

All complaints to trading standards come through the Citizen's Advice Consumer Helpline. Many problems can be solved by these advisers who can give simple guidance on consumer rights. More serious and potentially criminal issues are forwarded to the trading standards team for investigation.

Each month, a report highlights traders who are attracting the most complaints - and Matt and his team can focus on them.

Matt, 43, has dedicated his whole working life to this field. He says: "I really enjoy it when people have been ripped off and we can get them compensation for what's happened."

From the city's point of view, the work of trading standards is vital in helping to create a place where people can shop and trade with confidence.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, executive member for trading standards, said: “It’s really important for customer confidence in the city and for businesses to thrive for action to be taken against unscrupulous traders. To be able to take action, I’d urge residents to please report their concerns by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline. They will then pass on relevant information to trading standards for them to carry out checks ahead of any investigation.”

Contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506.