When art and scams come together, it's usually the paintings and sculptures that make the news. However, in a strange turn of events, Neal's Yard Dairy, a British cheese distributor and retailer based in London's Borough Market, has been defrauded of £300,000 ($389,000) worth of award-winning, cloth-bound artisanal cheese.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday 21 October we received a report that a large quantity of cheese had been stolen from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Investigations into the circumstances are ongoing.”
Some of the stolen cheese has received numerous awards, including Westcombe Cheddar, Hafod Organic Welsh Cheddar and Pitchfork Cheddar, which sell for up to £45 ($58) per kilogram ($2.2).
According to a statement from Neal's Yard Dairy, “The high monetary value of these cheeses likely made them a particular target for thieves.”
“The company is taking steps to ensure both its financial stability and the continued development of the British artisan cheese sector.”
The incident has caused alarm and unrest among lovers of high-end gastronomy in the United Kingdom. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver told his 10.5 million Instagram followers: “There has been a huge cheese theft. “They have stolen one of the best cheddar cheeses in the world.”
How did the cheese theft happen?
A sophisticated fraudster posed as the agent of a respected French distributor known in the cheese trade in Europe for organizing major artisanal cheese events. After tricking Neal's Yard Dairy into delivering the cheese, the thief made off with 950 wheels of cheddar cheese weighing 24 tons.
The scammers presented Neal's Yard with a meticulously crafted agreement, complete with comprehensive payment terms. The supposed representative demonstrated extensive knowledge of the industry, adding legitimacy to the ruse.
Patrick Holden, owner of the farm where Hafod cheddar is produced, told the BBC: “The thieves asked Neal's Yard to send it to another warehouse in or around London, from where it was then collected by these nefarious people. and then it disappeared. so they skillfully covered their tracks.”
“It may seem naive to be a victim of a scam, but the truth is that the world of artisanal cheese is a place where trust is deeply embedded in all transactions,” Holden said.
Tom Calver, director of Westcombe Dairy, a supplier of high-quality cheese, told reporters: “We are devastated that this fraud has targeted one of our most valued customers.”
Where is the cheese now?
No one can be sure where the cheese is now, but Holden told the BBC: “'I think they hope to sell it in the Middle East or Russia. “That’s my assumption.”
He explained that other countries where the producer already sells a large quantity of Hafod cheese are not likely destinations. He added: “If they tried to sell it in North America, where we sell a lot of Hafod, or even in Australia, believe it or not, the balloon would go up because people would ask questions.”
Neal's Yard Dairy requests that other cheese distributors report to police any sightings of cloth-wrapped cheddar cheese wheels weighing 10 kg (22 lb) or 24 kg (53 lb) with labels removed.
Cheese labels show the origin of a cheese. If they have been removed, this may suggest that the cheese is being sold on the black market, which is illegal.
What happens next?
The company is working with law enforcement to identify scammers. According to authorities, no arrests have been made.
Neal's Yard Dairy has made good on its payments to ensure affected cheesemakers are not left out of pocket.
“By sharing our experience, we hope to help protect the wider community of small producers and distributors, and ensure the continued development of this important and sensitive sector. We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with industry groups, other distributors and retailers to establish better safeguards in this area,” Neal's Yard Dairy said in a statement.
oel">Source link