The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a warning to the public, particularly operators of food service establishments, about a recent scam involving individuals impersonating FDA officers.
According to the statement by the FDA, the scammers claim to be investigating cases of food poisoning by contacting restaurants, eateries, and other food vendors, via phone, demanding access to their WhatsApp accounts under the guise of conducting investigations but their true intention is to defraud victims.
“Initial reports indicate that the mode of operation of these scammers is to call these food services establishments and demand access to their WhatsApp account to enable them fraudulently gain access to their personal and confidential information such as client databases among others to possibly hack the systems of these vendors and or demand for money”.
The Authority clarified its procedures for addressing food safety concerns, emphasizing that it does not conduct investigations or enforcement activities via phone calls.
“The FDA regards incidences of food poisoning as matters of utmost importance in public health, hence it does not conduct its enforcement activities through telephone calls but rather onsite inspections,” the statement read.
The FDA urged operators to exercise caution and report any suspicious calls or messages to the Police or the FDA offices across the country.
“To this end, operators of food services establishments are to be cautious of telephone calls purporting to be from FDA staff conducting food poisoning investigations”.
“Report suspicious messages and calls to the Police or FDA at its Head Office or any of its Regional Offices nationwide”.
Find the statement below
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