Heron Foods Store

The letter purports to be from B&M-owned Heron Foods 

Heron Foods has warned against providing details in response to a scam letter offering a £50k-a-year administrative post with the retailer.

The letter, which uses Heron Foods letter heading, also promises help with entitlement to work in the UK. It says B&M-owned Heron Foods will “send all the essential documents and appoint an immigration staff to assist you in getting your visa and work permit from the consulate”.

It tells the recipient they will have to pay to secure the visa and will be reimbursed later.

The letter was posted on LinkedIn by a recipient in India, who asked Heron Foods if it was genuine. “Unfortunately, this is fraudulent,” the frozen food retailer replied. “Please ensure that you do not provide any details to them.”

Another LinkedIn user in India said he had received the same offer.

Heron Foods did not respond to an enquiry from The Grocer.

According to Action Fraud, recruitment scammers target people who have put their CV or personal details on internet job sites, and may interview them on the phone before making the fake job offer. Once the victim pays a ‘visa administration fee’, the fraudsters will tell them another fee has to be paid, for example a deposit on accommodation, when no arrangements are being made.