The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) of the UK Food Standards Agency has issued an AMBER Food Crime Alert on the Risk of Distribution Fraud Thefts from Food Businesses.
There has been a recent increase in the reporting of distribution fraud being used as a method of stealing high value food products from UK based companies.
The method of theft will include impersonating an existing business and using falsified documentation such as email addresses, invoices or even fake websites.
WHY HAS THE NFCU ISSUED THIS ALERT?
This alert is based on recent reports of this methodology being used in high profile thefts of food. Because of this NFCU is sharing this information via industry groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to encourage vigilance to this potential risk, and that food businesses update any risk assessments and processes to increase their resilience to this form of fraud.
ACTION RECOMMENDED
- Ensure that this information is used to inform any vulnerability or fraud risk assessments with appropriate actions in place.
- Inform relevant colleagues with responsibility for sales and customer contracts to be aware of any unusual or suspicious activity such as changes to bank details from existing customers or new customers requesting extremely large orders of high value items.
- If unsure whether a purchase is legitimate, do not reply directly to contacts via email or messages. Instead use publicly listed information for the company that are attempting the purchase and contact them directly to validate the details you are being given.
CONTACT NFCU - If you become aware of information relevant to this Food Crime Alert, please share with us via:
WEBSITE – visit food.gov.uk and click 'Report' at the top of the page.
TELEPHONE –08000 28 11 80.
EMAIL – foodcrime@food.gov.uk.
Please quote the alert number A002 in correspondence. Our processes enable us to handle information discreetly.
Read full alert.