The Countermark Blog

For 20 years a fake psychiatrist fooled the NHS

20th March 2023

Zholia Alemi’s fake degree certificate from the University of Auckland allowed her to work for NHS trusts and private providers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The woman who pretended to be a qualified psychiatrist to work illegally for more than 20 years has been jailed for fraud. Alemi was caught only after trying […]

Foreign beef sold as British beef in the UK – There is a (British) app for that

13th March 2023

Foreign beef sold as British beef in the UK – There is a (British) app for that. On Friday 10th March 2023, numerous news-sites reported a national food fraud probe by the Food Standards Agency in connection to fraudulent beef products and the immediate removal from retailers’ shelves (see Food Fraud link below). The Australian […]

Are you paying someone else’s energy bill? When a handy shortcut goes wrong…

3rd March 2023

Are you paying someone else’s energy bill? When a handy shortcut goes wrong… I have been paying someone else’s energy bill for the last 6 months, by mistake. Ovo Energy had a shortcut in their customer experience, that makes identifying a person fast and straightforward. After all, no one wants to spend longer on a call […]

QR codes easily shared to dodge fares in Holland

13th February 2023

QR codes easily shared to dodge fares in Holland, leaving rail staff threatened and intimidated. The QR codes are used on day tickets on Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Netherlands national railway company). The QR codes are being copied and shared, with staff being left to enforce the flawed QR system according to the Federation of Dutch Trade […]