Retailers have been warned about an allegedly fake JTI rep visiting stores in London in November.

CCTV footage from one West London store captured on 16 November shows a bearded man (pictured) wearing an apple watch and a chain entering a newsagent at mid-day.

The image of the suspect has been blurred for legal reasons.

A legitimate tobacco rep claimed he was likely attempting to get behind the counter by claiming to be an official JTI rep. In a message sent by the legitimate rep to stores, they warned: “This individual is visiting shops in West London pretending he’s JTI. I can confirm he is not.”

Asked how stores can confirm whether a rep is legitimate or not, JTI field sales director Jan Louw told RN: “To protect your communities, your business and yourselves, it is important to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a JTI Business Adviser.”

Louw said stores should request the following proof from reps:

• A JTI branded ID card, which includes a picture, Track & Trace ID number and a start/expiry date
• A personalised JTI Digital Business card
• For relevant KMGs where this is a requirement, a JTI Business Adviser will hold the respective ID card. 

The field sales director concluded: “If in doubt, to further verify a JTI Business Adviser or report suspicious behaviour, retailers can contact JTI Customer Care on +44 (0) 800 163 503.”

It’s far from the first time thieves have targeted shops by pretending to work for a tobacco manufacturer. In 2020 Imperial Tobacco warned stores to always check an unknown rep’s ID following a spate of impersonation attempts. A spokesperson for Imperial told RN at the time: “We’ve advised retailers to be especially vigilant at this time and advise retailers to ask for ID if approached by an Imperial representative they don’t recognise.”

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