'£37k salmon scam left me feeling physically sick'

The owner of an artisan smokehouse said he “felt physically sick” after falling victim to a salmon scam which left him tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket.

Chris Swales, director of Chapel and Swan Smokehouse in Exning, Suffolk, shipped about £37,000 worth of smoked salmon to what he thought was a French supermarket.

But he had actually been tricked into sending nine pallets of produce to what he said was a “dodgy” car garage in east London.

According to the 54-year-old, the financial impact had left his family-run business “really, really short of cash”. The con was similar to the approach which saw £300,000 of cheddar stolen from London cheese specialist Neal's Yard Dairy.

He deduced the buyers he had been dealing with did not actually exist after calling the main switchboard for the French supermarket they claimed to represent.

Mr Swales said: “I only realised what was happening when I was preparing their second order and asked them to confirm payment for the first invoice.

“They said they would pay the first and second invoice together when they got the second order, but that was not what we agreed – then it started to get really quiet.

“When I realised I had been de-frauded I felt physically sick and I became really, really unwell.

“The food business is riddled with low-end crookery but this is completely next level - I was absolutely staggered.”

Mr Swales decided to drive to the delivery point in London only to be confronted with a “really shady” site with “guard dogs and lots of people in black”.

“At the back of this yard was a pair of knackered old shipping containers and at that point I thought ‘that’s clearly where the salmon has gone’,” he added.

“We’re only insured for theft from our units and our van so we’ve just got to take the financial hit - the actual loss to the business is about £28,500.”

In addition to the financial implications the scam had on the business, Mr Swales said he was worried about the health risks posed to those who consume the salmon.

He added: “My branded product is out there in the black market and I have no control over where it is.

“Smoked salmon is a high-risk product and if you serve smoked salmon that has not been stored properly or defrosted correctly you can make people seriously ill.

“I don’t think this is being sold in the UK - this is part of a much larger operation that is smuggling high end food stocks abroad.

“Someone has to be turning a blind eye to this.”

According to Action Fraud, Mr Swales’ case is currently subject to an investigation by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau at the City of London Police.

Bosses at Suffolk Trading Standards said food businesses should "remain vigilant".

A spokesperson said: "For businesses already feeling the financial strain, the cost of food crime can have a huge impact, with some never recovering from the damaging loss.

"We encourage Suffolk food businesses to remain vigilant and take some simple steps to help protect their business from fraudsters.

"Be mindful of orders from fake or cloned companies - don't be afraid to carry out some checks on the company and the employee you are dealing with."

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