Beware fake food poisoning claims

Con artists are brazenly attempting to swindle money from London restaurants in a scam involving phoney food poisoning claims.

The scam came to light last week when restaurateur Richard Shepherd, managing director of the London-based Coq d'Or Restaurant Company, received two letters sent to restaurants in the group - one to Odin's and the other to Langan's Brasserie - on the same day.

Shepherd's personal assistant, Helen Young, became suspicious when she opened the two letters because she was faced with exact copies of a food poisoning complaint, both printed on luminous yellow paper and both demanding £35 from the named restaurant as reimbursement for the bill.

The claim was obviously false when it emerged that Odin's was closed on the day the complaint related to. There was also no trace of the complainant's name in either of the restaurants' booking diaries or bill receipts.

Nick Scade of the Restaurant Association said that trying to dupe restaurants was an age-old concern, but added that smaller restaurants were most at risk. "The smaller restaurants react to them without thinking," he said. "Because the amounts are quite small, they think it is easier just to pay up."

He warned restaurateurs to investigate claims, check to see if the claimants' names appeared in the reservations book, and establish if there was any record of someone by that name paying the bill.

\* If you have received similar letters, please contact dan.bignold@rbi.co.uk

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 27 March - 2 April 2003