Food Trade Alerts

Reports of suspicious commercial solicitations, company impersonation, false purchase orders and buyer enquiries requiring enhanced due diligence in the international food trade.

Page reviewed: 16 October 2026

How to read this page

Cannedfood.it separates scam / impersonation alerts from trade / buyer alerts. A trade alert is not an accusation of fraud. It records a documented commercial experience that may justify additional verification before a supplier invests significant time, samples, credit exposure or production capacity.

Older scam reports are retained as historical references and reviewed periodically because domains, telephone numbers, names and impersonation methods can change over time.

Scam & Impersonation Alerts

Enhanced caution
Suspicious government tender solicitation – verification required

QATAR – Alleged Government Procurement Agent

Country claimed: Qatar Reported: October 2026 Type: Unsolicited public procurement invitation

Name used: Alhaji Abul Abukakar
Agency claimed: Abul Qatar Trade Agencies, Doha
Email used: alhajiabulabukakar2@gmail.com

Cannedfood.it / Studio Polli received an unsolicited message from a sender identifying himself as a registered agent with a Qatari Ministry. The sender invited the recipient to supply products through an alleged government tender, referring to a “Qatar General Tender Procurement Board”.

The sender claimed that personal relationships with members of a contract-awarding committee could help secure the contract, in exchange for a 3% commission upon receipt of government payment. The message proposed 80% payment before production and the remaining 20% before shipment, without identifying a specific contracting authority, tender reference or official tender documentation.

Risk indicators and recommended verification The message was sent from a generic Gmail address, did not provide an independently verifiable tender reference and claimed privileged access to public procurement decision-makers. Manufacturers and exporters should independently verify any invitation through the official Qatar Ministry of Finance procurement portal (Monaqasat) before sharing sensitive company information, paying fees or signing agreements.

Important: This notice documents claims made in an unverified commercial communication. It does not establish the sender's true identity, the existence or non-existence of the named agency, or any finding of fraud or wrongdoing by a particular person or organization.

SUSPECTED IMPERSONATION – VERIFICATION REQUIRED

VALESCKA SAS – France (identity apparently used)

Country: France Type: Purchasing enquiry Payment requested: 14 days after delivery

Cannedfood.it / Studio Polli received a purchasing enquiry claiming to originate from VALESCKA SAS, a genuine French company registered in Cassis.

The message reproduced genuine publicly available corporate information concerning VALESCKA, but the contact details contained in the communication could not be independently verified by Cannedfood.it as belonging to the company.

In particular, the email displayed one address/domain while the underlying mail link pointed to a different address/domain. The sender also requested 14-day payment terms for future supplies.

Warning Suppliers receiving similar enquiries should independently verify the identity and authority of the person making the request through independently obtained corporate contact details before granting credit, shipping goods or accepting deferred-payment terms.

Important: VALESCKA SAS is a genuine registered French company. This notice concerns an unverified communication using its corporate identity and does not allege wrongdoing by VALESCKA SAS or its legitimate representatives.

FRAUD / IMPERSONATION ALERT

Schwarz Group – Germany

Identity used: Wolf Tiedemann
Claimed position: Purchasing Director
Suspicious email: kontakt@schwarz-gruppe-gmbh.de
Date received: 8 September 2026

Cannedfood.it / Studio Polli received an unsolicited purchasing enquiry claiming to originate from Schwarz Group, the German retail group associated with Lidl and Kaufland.

The sender requested catalogues, stock lists and prices and proposed post-delivery payment terms while claiming to represent Schwarz Group.

Our verification identified significant inconsistencies with publicly available official Schwarz Group information.

  • The message identifies Wolf Tiedemann as “Purchasing Director”. Official Schwarz Group information identifies Wolf Tiedemann as Chief Executive Officer of PreZero.
  • The message uses the email domain schwarz-gruppe-gmbh.de, whereas the official Schwarz Group website publishes its corporate contact through the gruppe.schwarz infrastructure and lists kontakt@mail.schwarz as its general contact.
  • The website address contained in the message was also incorrectly written as wwww.gruppe.schwarz.
WARNING: Cannedfood.it considers this communication to show strong indicators of an impersonation attempt. Suppliers receiving similar purchasing enquiries should not grant credit, ship goods, disclose sensitive commercial information or rely on the contact details contained in the message without independently verifying the request through official Schwarz Group channels.

Important: Wolf Tiedemann is a real executive associated with Schwarz Group. This alert concerns the use of his name and the contact details contained in the suspicious communication. It does not allege any wrongdoing by Mr. Tiedemann.

Historical scam report

Green Pasture Edible Oils – Malaysia

Historical caseLast reviewed: Sep 2026

Cannedfood.it previously documented a solicitation involving an alleged Malaysian edible-oil supplier and a subsequent alleged UK buyer. The intermediary was asked to pay USD 899 to authenticate a signature before commissions could allegedly be released.

Risk indicatorAdvance payment requested from an intermediary in order to release a commission.
Impersonation warning

KERBAR DISTRIBUTION / E.Leclerc reference

Historical caseLast reviewed: Sep 2026

The enquiry presented KERBAR DISTRIBUTION as operating for E.Leclerc hypermarkets and requested substantial quantities with deferred payment terms.

Recorded verificationCannedfood.it contacted the E.Leclerc Group and received the response: “Cette société ne fait pas partie des magasins du mouvement E.Leclerc”.
Suspicious impersonation

MIGROS FRANCE

Historical emailLast reviewed: Sep 2026

Cannedfood.it received a procurement-style email using the name “Migros France”, requesting supply capacity, export price lists and 30-day payment terms.

Due-diligence noteIndependently verify the sender's domain, legal entity and purchasing contact before extending credit or shipping goods.
Suspicious impersonation

DISTRIBUTION DU POINT DU JOUR / Centre E.Leclerc reference

Historical emailLast reviewed: Sep 2026

A solicitation received by Cannedfood.it used the identity of Distribution du Point du Jour and referenced Centre E.Leclerc while requesting commercial terms and deferred payment.

Due-diligence noteVerify the exact sender domain and purchasing contact through independently obtained corporate contact information.
Phishing / domain warning

STARRA FOODS

Phishing caseLast reviewed: Sep 2026

The previous alert recorded phishing emails using an address presented as associated with Starra Foods but stated not to be affiliated with the legitimate business.

Recommended actionDo not rely on a sender's display name. Verify the domain and contact the genuine company through an independently sourced official channel.
Suspicious supplier solicitation

GRADOIL LLC – Ukraine name used in email

Reported: Jan 2025Last reviewed: Sep 2026

Cannedfood.it received an unsolicited sunflower-oil offer from a Gmail address using the name GRADOIL LLC and an export-manager identity.

Risk indicatorThe company name and website reference should not be treated as proof that the sender is genuinely authorized by that company.
Possible company impersonation

WEGMANS FOOD MARKETS – USA

Reported: Feb 2025Last reviewed: Sep 2026

A bulk-order request was received using the identity of Wegmans Food Markets but from a domain differing from the company's corporate identity.

Recommended actionVerify purchase orders directly with Wegmans through independently obtained official contact details before accepting orders, shipping goods or extending payment terms.
Possible company impersonation

ASDA STORES LTD – UK

Reported: Jun 2025Last reviewed: Sep 2026

Cannedfood.it received a supplier solicitation using the ASDA name and requesting catalogues, price lists and deferred payment terms from a domain requiring independent verification.

Recommended actionConfirm the sender and any purchase order through ASDA's independently obtained official procurement channels before accepting credit exposure.

Trade / Buyer Alerts

Not fraud allegations
Important Notice to Buyers

Submitting a Genuine Enquiry – Commercial Follow-up Required

Buyer Enquiry Policy
Category: buyer enquiries Applies to: sourcing & quotation requests International food trade

Cannedfood.it / Studio Polli welcomes genuine purchasing enquiries from importers, distributors, wholesalers and other qualified food industry buyers.

Please be aware that a detailed request for quotation may require Studio Polli to contact manufacturers, discuss technical and commercial specifications, obtain export prices, calculate freight, verify availability and coordinate dedicated commercial proposals.

Professional commercial conduct Buyers submitting a Genuine Enquiry are expected to provide reasonable commercial follow-up after receiving a requested quotation. If an offer is too expensive, unsuitable or no longer required, a brief reply is sufficient. No purchase obligation is implied.

Enquiries that repeatedly generate substantial sourcing work without meaningful feedback may be classified as unqualified, closed, and excluded from further sourcing assistance.

This policy helps protect the time and professional resources of manufacturers, suppliers and Studio Polli, while allowing us to dedicate our sourcing activity to buyers with genuine commercial interest.


Professional commercial follow-up required Buyers submitting a Genuine Enquiry are expected to provide reasonable commercial feedback after receiving a requested quotation. If a quotation is considered too expensive, buyers may be asked to indicate a realistic target price or other specific commercial requirements before Studio Polli requests further negotiations or revised quotations from manufacturers. A general request for a "better price", without a workable target or meaningful commercial guidance, may not be sufficient to initiate a new round of supplier negotiations. No purchase obligation is implied.

Alert review policy

Alerts are reviewed periodically. A historical alert may remain online even if a telephone number, email address or domain later changes, because the impersonation pattern itself may still be useful to exporters and manufacturers.

Where new evidence becomes available, Cannedfood.it may update, downgrade, clarify or remove an alert. Companies or individuals who believe an entry contains inaccurate information may contact Studio Polli and provide verifiable documentation for review.

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