The Ohio Department of Health Food Safety Program has received numerous phone calls stating that people claiming to be health inspectors are contacting food operations throughout Ohio. Although there are no reports of this occurring in Clermont County the Health District would like to alert local Food Facility Operators about this scam.
These individuals identify themselves as "health inspectors", request to schedule an inspection of the food service operation and attempt to collect personal information from the operators. According to a recent news report in the Dayton Daily News, businesses are targeted to both extort money and allow the scammers to set up fake identities via Web sites in order to fraudulently sell goods and services, possibly on Craig’s list.
The Clermont County General Health District recommends that food service and retail food establishment operators consider the importance of verifying credentials of anyone representing themselves as an inspector. Health District inspectors carry photo identification and facility operators are well within their rights to ask to see it. For both facility & food security purposes it is the Health District’s recommendation that the person-in-charge of the facility ask to see a photo ID if the inspector is not known to them.
In addition, it is the Health District’s recommendation that restaurant owners and operators not give out any personal, private, or secure information to anyone without confirming the person’s identity.
Updated: 04/14/2011 R.Perry