Fraud artists preying on Vancouver-area restaurants

VANCOUVER—Scammers posing as inspectors from health care providers Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health are targeting restaurants in the Lower Mainland.

A number of operators have complained about phone calls from people claiming to be restaurant inspectors with the health authority.

In each case, restaurant owners are being threatened with fines if they do not comply with a request to schedule an inspection, similar it scams taking place across North America.

“We want all restaurant operators to be aware of this scam and that it’s circulating in the Lower Mainland,” said Richard Taki, regional director of health protection with Vancouver Coastal Health.

“Environmental health officers in VCH and Fraser Health do not routinely call food service establishments to schedule inspections. In almost all cases, inspections are unannounced.”

When owners receive a call from someone claiming to be an inspector, they are asked to call police with the information.

A series of phone calls from phony inspectors have been reported in Vancouver, Richmond and Surrey. With the first call, the “inspector” says a second automated call will contain a numeric code, which they must write down. Finally, a third call from the “inspector” is made, with the caller identifying themselves as someone from the health department.

The owner is asked for the numeric code and is asked to set up an in-person inspection. Threats of a fine are made if the restaurant owner does not agree.

Trudi Beutel, public affairs officer with VCH, said the reason for the scam is not exactly known, but suggested the ploy is a means for e-mail spammers to circumvent a new Craigslist system requiring users to have a confirmed phone number and access code in order to post within certain Craigslist categories.

“Our interest in this was to alert restaurant operators ASAP that there are fraudsters out there who are posing as VCH and FH environmental health officers (EHOs). Needless to say, it's a major concern to us when this happens,” Beutel said.

“We also wanted to let operators know that all our EHOs carry official ID, and operators should not hesitate to ask for it if they believe something is suspicious. Neither do our EHOs book inspections advance and over the phone.”

Anyone who has made an appointment over the phone should ask to see official inspector photo identification carried by anyone from VCH or Fraser Health, particularly if the person is unknown, VCH said.

If the “inspector” is unable to show ID, the restaurant owner should prevent entry and contact police by calling 9-1-1.