Fair and Square

Are you paying too much to ship your packages? In this episode, Fideres investigates the two biggest private shipping companies in the US: FedEx and UPS. We explain what we found as well as speak to industry experts about rising shipping costs and how the courier companies keep making money.Producer: Sophie Comeau

Are consumers being harmed by market manipulation on cryptocurrency exchanges In this episode, we discuss cryptocurrencies and some of the ways that every day traders could lose money to market manipulators. We speak to a data scientist, a full-time cryptocurrency trader, and a commodities lawyer about cryptocurrency manipulation and the regulation, or lack thereof, of cryptocurrency exchanges as well as what needs to be done to protect consumers.Producer: Sophie Comeau

Are consumers being mis-sold investment funds? In this episode, Ellie House delves into closet index funds - an issue of false advertising and overpriced fees. We learn what 'closet indexing' is, how it harms investors, and - through Fideres' work - the extent of the problem in Europe.

Have regulators been too soft on loyalty penalties? Join producer and presenter Ellie House to explore the issue of price walking (also known as loyalty penalties), and hear Fideres's new idea to tackle the problem.

Did you know that being on the electoral register can boost your UK credit score by up to 50 points? This is standard practice in the UK, even though certain foreign nationals cannot register to vote, and other groups like ethnic minorities are less likely to be registered than white-UK citizens. The team at Fideres wondered why and - more importantly - is this discriminatory? In this episode, we meet Alicia Carney and Fabiano Farias. One missed out on a mortgage for her dream house in Walthamstow, the other could not get a credit card - both were told their credit scores were too low and advised to get on the electoral register. And both, as immigrants, were ineligible. This podcast digs into their stories, and the wider UK credit scoring system. Find out how much this practice could cost someone over their lifetime, and follow Fideres's investigation into exactly what role the electoral register plays in determining a person's credit risk. Producer: Ellie House

This is a story of three parts: misleading advertisements on the government’s own website, high prices for tests which cost much less abroad, and a public system ripe for private manipulation.From the firm whose research sparked investigations by the Advertising Standards Agency, UK government, and the Competition and Markets Authority, this podcast is a deep dive into the UK's coronavirus testing system for travellers. Find out how Fideres investigated, and what they learned about the lucrative market for private Covid-19 testing.Producer: Ellie House Attribution: 'Waves on a sandy beach' by Juskiddink