Health department: Local restaurants again getting calls from fake food inspectors

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center has received reports of a person calling restaurants posing as a health inspector investigating tainted food, according to a department news release.

The department received similar reports in November.

According to the news release, the fake inspector calls restaurants and tells the person who answers that after the call ends, another call will be received. In the second call, a computerized voice provides a series of digits, which the fake inspector says must be provided to inspectors when they arrive at the restaurant.

The numbers appear to be associated with the website Craigslist. The calls in November also involved numbers associated with the website, health center personnel said at the time.

The county health center does not require a number during its inspections, nor does the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The health center recommends any restaurant personnel who have given a number to one of these callers contact Craiglist to check for fraudulent activity.