Beware of fraudulent inspectors

(Little Rock) – The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) today alerted restaurant owners statewide about possible fraudulent inspections. The department reports some restaurants have received phone calls from entities that claim to be from the State Health Department and want to schedule restaurant inspections. In addition, some fraudulent callers have given restaurant owners a telephone number with a code number and asked that the restaurant owner call that phone number and give the code.
It is our belief that these calls are being generated outside the state, since similar calls are being reported across the country to health departments in other states.

The ADH does not call restaurants to schedule inspections or give them a code to call for inspections. Inspections are made unannounced by ADH environmental health specialists (EHS). Before a restaurant owner or manager allows anyone into their kitchen for an inspection of the food prep area, proper identification must be verified. ADH EHS personnel wear badges. For further verification, the restaurant owner/manager can contact the local county health unit.