News Release

April 15, 2010

Contact:
Chelsea Good
Communications Director
Kansas Department of Agriculture
(785) 296-2653 phone
(913) 735-9065 cell
Chelsea.Good@kda.ks.gov

Kansas Attorney General, Secretary of Agriculture advise restaurant owners to be on alert for suspicious calls

TOPEKA--Kansas Attorney General Steve Six and Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty are advising restaurant owners to be on the alert for suspicious calls from someone claiming to be a restaurant inspector.  The caller is actually a scammer trying to use the restaurant's phone number to establish an identity for an online service such as Craigslist.
 
"Over the past couple of days, our food safety program has been contacted by several restaurant operators who report receiving a call from someone who claims to be with the health department," said Secretary Svaty.  "Our inspections are unannounced, so operators who received the call promptly alerted our agency.”

All target restaurants report that after the caller says a health inspector will visit soon, the caller then tells the restaurant that they will receive an automated phone call providing a five-digit number that must be given to the inspector. The inspector does not visit, but the restaurant receives a third call from the original caller asking for the five-digit number. When the restaurant provides the number, the caller can use it to bypass the Craiglist verification controls that were put in place to prevent spam and online scams. 

“All Kansans need to be wary of calls similar to this,” Six said. “Never provide information, even a PIN number you are provided, to a caller you do not know. They may be attempting to steal your identity. We're advising anyone who gets a similar call to notify local law enforcement."

So far, the Department of Agriculture has received reports of these calls from restaurants in Wyandotte, Douglas, Leavenworth and Saline counties. This scam may extend beyond the restaurant industry and all Kansans should be on alert.
 
"To our knowledge, none of these restaurants has been visited by someone claiming to be one of our inspectors," Svaty said. "However, to keep these businesses safe, we're reminding operators that our inspectors have proof of identity and we never ask for confirmation numbers."

The Attorney General’s Office receives complaints of similar scams often. To report a scam, visit www.ksag.org or call 1(800) 432-2310.