How Nick Stapleton went from rebellious teen to Scam Interceptors presenter

Scam Interceptors presenter Nick Stapleton listens successful to a fraudster preying connected a susceptible caller (Image: BBC Studios)

As 1 of the presenters of Scam Interceptors, Nick Stapleton spends his clip exposing transgression wrong-doing and helping the nationalist combat fraud.

But the investigative newsman has revealed helium wasn’t ever the selfless crusader that helium is connected surface today. And arsenic a teen his chaotic antics caused his parents – campaigning user journalists John Stapleton and Lynn Faulds Wood – nary extremity of headaches.

“I was naughty and did atrocious and anserine worldly that I would ne'er bash now. I decidedly had my stock of adjacent calls with the law. I caused my Mum and Dad a batch of accent astatine assorted points by being reasonably terrible, similar astir teenagers,” Nick admits.

“I did ever person a consciousness of close and incorrect which mum and dada instilled from a young property and tried to drill into me. That doesn’t mean you ever instrumentality to it arsenic a kid, due to the fact that you’ve got to larn from your mistakes, but they decidedly instilled a motivation code.”

In the 1980s and ‘90s Nick’s parents were 2 of television’s best-known faces. From 1985-93 they presented the fashionable BBC1 user investigations amusement Watchdog, pulling successful audiences of much than six cardinal arsenic they tackled rogue traders and viewers’ complaints.

But portion Nick followed them into tv helium was determined not to spell into the aforesaid enactment of work. “I wanted to forge my ain way and not maltreatment immoderate contacts they had,” helium explains. Then successful 2013 helium was hired arsenic a researcher connected the BBC bid Rogue Traders wherever 1 of his archetypal jobs was going undercover successful a second-hand car company.

“I got the bug massively. I couldn’t judge however arrogant I was. I started doing undercover and concealed filming arsenic overmuch arsenic I could,” helium recalls. On 1 juncture helium posed arsenic a Ukrainian for a Channel 5 bid Undercover Criminal, which exposed companies paying amerciable workers little than the minimum wage.

Nick Stapleton with his father, campaigning broadcaster John Stapleton (Image: Nick Stapleton)

One of his jobs was moving for a car lavation company.

He says: “It was beauteous scary. They were Kosovans and they had immoderate Russian. I had to unreal I wasn’t from the portion of Ukraine wherever they talk Russian, but I could archer they were getting suspicious.”

Another clip helium was hired to enactment astatine a car leasing institution by a antheral who was a cage combatant successful his spare time. Five years aft exposing the institution Nick was connected a bid with his dada erstwhile helium noticed the antheral and his brag successful the aforesaid carriage.

“Luckily, I had a scarf truthful I rapidly pulled it up and we changed carriages. Had they recognised us, I deliberation determination would person been trouble,” helium reflects.

Nick went connected to enactment undercover for Dispatches and arsenic a shaper for Rip Off Britain, earlier landing his existent job, co-presenting BBC1’s BAFTA-winning Scam Interceptors with Rav Wiling.

Series 3 returned this week and Nick’s archetypal book, How to Beat Scammers, is retired adjacent year. He volition besides caput retired connected the road, with his archetypal ever unrecorded circuit How to Beat Scammers.

Sadly, his mum Lynne died 4 years ago, but Nick believes she would person been thrilled helium has followed successful her footsteps.

“Mum would person been truly proud,” helium smiles. “She spent truthful overmuch of her clip trying to assistance radical and that is yet what my circuit is about. It’s astir helping radical support themselves against scams.

“She ne'er got to spot maine bash connected camera worldly – she died successful 2020 – but she ever watched each my concealed filming and was incredibly blessed that I was doing thing akin to what she’d done.

“Dad’s evidently arsenic pleased arsenic punch, but besides somewhat gutted, due to the fact that I won a BAFTA and helium ne'er got one!” helium adds with a laugh. Veteran broadcaster John precocious announced that helium had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s illness astatine the property of 78.

Nick with his mum, the precocious Lynn Faulds Wood (Image: Nick Stapleton)

It was Nick who suggested his dada beryllium tested aft noticing worrying symptoms during a vacation to America unneurotic successful April this year.

“We went for a locomotion successful Central Park and my woman and I thought thing wasn’t close – his gait looked different,” Nick recalls. “Increasingly helium recovered that radical didn’t recognize what helium was saying and helium has a tremor successful his hands.”

John is present taking medicine for the condition.

“He’s ace optimistic, but he’s besides incredibly realistic,” Nick explains. “He’s a spot similar maine successful that erstwhile dealing with thing precise hard helium jumps into practicality rather quickly. He takes a spot of talking to, to gully the affectional broadside of things retired of him, but he’s coped remarkably well.”

Nick is assured John volition beryllium determination successful the beforehand enactment erstwhile his circuit opens successful February.

“I privation to assistance radical instrumentality themselves to beryllium capable to woody with cyber crime, due to the fact that ‘ain’t cipher other coming to prevention us,” helium warns. “The constabulary are convicting 1 successful each 1000 fraud cases astatine the infinitesimal and possibly you’ll get your wealth backmost from the slope if you get scammed, but successful galore cases you won’t.”

Rav Wilding and Nick Stapleton with their Scam Interceptors Baftas (Image: Getty Images)

Nick, 37, who lives successful south-east London with his woman Lisa, says helium takes inspiration from some his parents.

“My dada has this incredibly agelong vocation successful telly and I retrieve watching my Mum doorstepping radical erstwhile I was increasing up and reasoning that was the coolest happening I’d ever seen,” helium says.

“What I besides instrumentality from her is that she was incapable of stopping helping people. She ne'er rested; she was perpetually doing worldly that was to the payment of others. I instrumentality a batch of that into my enactment – feeling similar it’s thing that has a affirmative effect connected the world.

“When I privation to retrieve her it’s not difficult, due to the fact that determination are things successful mundane beingness that I spot and think: ‘Oh yeah, Mum did that.’ If I ever get anyplace adjacent to that I’ll beryllium precise blessed indeed.”

Tickets for How to Beat Scammers are connected merchantability present via ScammersLive.com